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Basic Principles of Traditional Chinese Medicine
Chi (qi)
Chi is an invisible flow of energy that circulates throughout the body along defined meridians. Chi is responsible for health and well-being. Obstruction in the flow of chi leads to illness.
Yin and Yang
Traditional Chinese Medicine holds that wholeness is the unity of opposites, represented by yin and yang. Yin is passive and receptive, while yang is active and aggressive. The interaction between yin
and yang keep the world in motion as night turns into day and winter leads to spring. Proper balance of yin and yang lead to well being.
The Five Elements
The creation cycle depends on the five elements—wood, fire, earth, metal and water—working together. Wood burns to feed fire. Fire’s ashes become earth. Earth gives its core to create metal. Metal
causes condensation, producing water. Water nourishes plants and trees, creating wood. Ancient Chinese herbalists noticed a connection between these forces of nature and the body’s functions. Each element
is associated with a body system and a pair of organs—one yin organ and one yang organ. Appropriate interaction between the partner organs leads to wholeness and health.
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