Chapters 8–9: The Theory of Five Elements and the Tower Diagrams. The deepest essence of Traditional Chinese Medicine.
The Theory of Five Elements
The Five Elements — Fire, Earth, Metal, Water, and Wood — are the basic materials that constitute our material world. They have between them a relationship of nourishing each other (Sheng/Mother-Son cycle) and controlling each other (Ke/Controlling cycle) to maintain balance.
Five Element Wheel
Fire (Huo)
Fire is hot. When sitting near a fire one tends to feel hot, becomes red and starts sweating. The heat creates restlessness initially and sleepiness later. The Heart circulates Blood and heat to the body.
Organs
Heart / Small Intestine
Emotion
Joy
Flavor
Bitter
Color
Red
Climate
Heat
Season
Summer
Sensory Organ
Tongue
Tissue
Blood vessels
The Tower Diagrams
Yin and Blood are extensions of the Yin; Yang and Qi are extensions of the Yang. They are not the same. Imbalances in each cause different problems and should be treated differently. If one can see the imbalance, one can treat it better.
Working with Acupuncture on Yin, Yang, Blood and Qi
Understanding the four towers is key to making correct diagnosis. Each imbalance has a specific way of being balanced:
General Advice Against Stagnation
Blood Deficiency — Four Possible Outcomes
Which element (Fire, Earth, Metal, Water, Wood) is your constitutional dominant? Which is deficient? How do they show up in your daily life?