Five Element Theory

Five Element Theory represents the fundamental processes and primary relationships in the Chinese System. It relates all energy and substance to one of the elements: Wood, Fire, Earth, Metal (or Air) and Water. Each element corresponds with one of five organ networks, five seasons, five climates, five personality types, the tissues in the body that it governs and many other associations. The relationship of the five elements describes the repeating cycles of transformation: birth, growth, maturation, harvest and decay.

Each organ network passes Qi to the organ it supports, and, when necessary, controls imbalances in the Qi of the organ which it regulates. This chart is an illustration showing the different relationships associated with each organ.

Element	Color	Yin (Zang) Organ	Yang (Fu) Organ	Tissues	Sense Organs	Taste
Water	Black	Kidneys	Bladder	Bones	Ears	Salty
Wood	Blue/Green	Liver	Gall Bladder	Nerves	Eyes	Sour
Fire	Red	Heart	Small Intestine	Blood Vessels	Tongue	Bitter
Earth	Yellow	Spleen	Stomach	Muscles	Mouth	Sweet
Metal	White	Lungs	Large Intestine	Skin	Nose & Sinuses	Spicy

The basis of the Five Element Theory in acupuncture is to adjust or realign the flow of Qi within the body so that:

The body is re-adjusted, assisting it in the healing process.
Pain and other related symptoms are reduced and/or eliminated altogether.
The immune system is strengthened—body organ functions are revitalized, balanced and harmonized with each other.

If you suspect that you are experiencing an imbalance or otherwise have a question regarding a specific health issue, please give us a call at the numbers listed at the bottom of this page.

Yin-Yang Theory

The development of all phenomena in the universe is a result of the continual interplay of two opposing forces symbolized as Yin (black) and Yang (white). In addition, everything in the universe contains within itself both aspects of Yin and Yang in differing degrees of manifestation.

Major Principles of Yin and Yang Relationship

Yin and Yang are opposites. They are on the opposite ends of a cycle, like the seasons of the year, or opposites on a continuum of energy or matter.
Yin and Yang are interdependent—one cannot exist without the other. Nothing in the universe is totally Yin or totally Yang. The dots in Yin and Yang serve as a reminder that each contains seed of its opposite.
Yin and Yang cannot be separated. There is no dark without light, no front without back, no up without down, no in without out and no heat without cold. There is no space without time and no birth without death.
In the mutual consumption of Yin and Yang, relative levels of each are continuously changing in what is normally a harmonious balance. However, an excess of one can eventually weaken (consume) the other.
Yin transforms into Yang, and Yang transforms into Yin, but only when the time is right. Example: night falls only when the day is done.

The dynamic relationship between Yin and Yang exists everywhere and in everything, including inside the human body. Practically speaking, the most basic relationships that exist are readily apparent in the physical world, as illustrated in the table below:

Yin-Yang	(Yin)	(Yang)
Nature	feminine	masculine
	rest	activity
	receives	creates
	soft	hard
	darkness	light
	shade	brightness
	flat	round
Symbols	moon	sun
	tiger	dragon
	earth	heaven
	space	time
	west (sunset = Yin)	east (sunrise = beginning of Yang)
	north	south
	right	left
Color	black	white
Numbers	even	odd
Chinese Character
Original Meaning	north side of a hill (i.e., away from the sun)	south side of a hill (i.e., facing the sun)

In summary, Yin and Yang are the two opposite, but interrelated forces which, together with Qi, form the foundation of eastern medicine.

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