Most people have heard references to the elements of the Earth at some point in their life. Most just don't know that traditional Chinese medicine is the root of those references! The elements of the world play a central role in how patients have been treated in the Chinese medical world.
The five elements of TCM include:
* Wood
* Fire
* Earth
* Metal
* Water
It is believed by traditional Chinese medicine practitioners that all human beings are connected to the Earth through these elements. Not only is there a physical connection between these elements and humans, but there is a mental connection as well. According to the Alternative Medicine Foundation, this is quite a contrast from the ideas of the Western medical world that often place a separation between the mental and physical aspects of the body.
Whether or not you believe there is a connection between the mind and body or the human race and the Earth, it is interesting to learn about these elements of traditional Chinese medicine.
Everything Has a Season
All of the five elements in TCM are connected to a different season of the year. They are also connected to specific organs of the body and senses of the human body. This is broken down quite nicely on the Alternative Medicine Foundation's Website, but here is a quick overview:
* Wood: spring, the liver & gall bladder
* Fire: early summer, the heart and small intestines
* Earth: late summer, the stomach and spleen
* Metal: autumn, the lungs and large intestine
* Water: winter, the kidneys and bladder
With this arrangement, you see how different elements can be used in Chinese medical treatment. Depending on the area of the body that needs healing and what is believed to be wrong with the person, different elements can be called upon for treatments. These treatments are generally arrived at based on symptoms rather than named medical conditions.
Different herbs and natural resources will be associated with different elements, which is how specific treatments are developed for patients.
Restoring Balance
In the Western medical world, symptoms are used as clues to give a name to a specific medical condition. The condition is treated and then the symptoms can be relieved on the side while healing takes place.
It is quite different in traditional Chinese medicine. Believers of Chinese medicine have a different goal when a patient visits the doctor. They want to restore the body to a state of balanced energy so that it can naturally heal itself. The belief is that the human body will heal and restore itself when its energies are perfectly balanced.
The goals of these different medical practices may be different, but both have proven highly effective for most patients. Not every single patient thrives under the care of a TCM practitioner, but neither do all patients in the Western world. No form of medical treatment is full proof, but that doesn't mean no one should seek medical treatment.
A Place for the Elements
The elements listed above have a lot of power over those who believe in traditional Chinese medicine. These five elements are a central part of the practice, though most Westerners who use Chinese supplements don't know much about them. For those who live in China and still embrace this medical theory, there will always be a place in the world for the elements.
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