Chinese Medicine is based in 5000-plus years of clinical experience in physical therapy (acupuncture, massage, osteo-manipulation), herbal (dietary) and exercise therapy (tai chi, chi gong, kung fu). The origin of these practices are said to be divine, but more practical, contemporary researches claim these studies developed gradually with trial and error.

To exemplify the contemporary expertise, the New York Times (Oct. 2000) had an article on the "melting of the northern polar ice caps" to be the first time in 500,000 years. I knew that we hadn't records that old and later they retracted their story in an obscure corner of their paper. Most people still believe the misinformation printed, but so much for contemporary genius. In any case, whether the origin is divine or not, the message has not changed much over the millenium, which is a miracle in its own right. Science and medical data change yearly in this age while what was developed eons ago is still very much alive and workable.

Chi - The main theme in the theory to be concerned with is chi or energy. The analogy is spoken like this: If you are dead what is different then when you were alive? Your body is chemically and structurally the same but you can't move. What is gone? The chi, the energy! That is what Chinese medicine focuses on.

All physical signs and symptoms are a reflection of the energetic state of your body. Further, more refined evaluation of the color, taste, tone, expression and sounds of a body will tell the practitioner more clearly whether the energetic imbalance is HOT, COLD, INTERNAL, EXTERNAL, YIN, or YANG or whether it effects Immunity, Digestion, Blood or Spirit of the patient.

Five Elements - Further refined analysis is done through the Five Elements. Simply speaking it is a system of categorization but it is also associative in the sense that nature is reflected in our bodily functions. In nature the cycle goes like this: Fire gives rise to Earth, Earth gives rise to Metal, Metal gives rise to Water, Water to Wood and Wood to Fire. Some are obvious in our everyday understanding, like Wood to Fire. But how does Water come from Metal? If we rely on nature for the answer, as we should, we can see this particular relationship when atop a mountain. There we observe water bubbling out of rock (metal).

How are the Five Elements related to the human body?

Fire - represents the heart and the small intestine, which reflects the warmth of a person's soul and the heat of digestion. Looking more deeply into this analogy, we understand the small intestine to be that organ that separates the pure food from the impure that interfaces with the blood which then goes the heart. This is a crucial step in the development of a happy and healthy heart.

Emotions are also included in this relationship so the Heart is happy or sad. The heart laughs and you see a person's heart through their eyes. A refined, discriminating person has a good small intestine function since he/she knows what is uplifting to their spirit. The Fire element courses the blood and is responsible for creativity, for blood is life and life creates. So when you take a brush to the canvas to paint, you are opening your heart to the possibility of creativity.

Earth - is your center and is comprised of the stomach and the pancreas-spleen. Earth is the provider, the source of food, the producer. Therefore your ability to produce is an Earth issue. Earth also anchors, it is home, therefore it is empathic like mother to child, it is nurturing. It is responsible for maturing bonds. But if it is overbearing then you are smothered by the love of mother, possessiveness arises, compulsive behavior develops and addictions result.

Earth imbalances are very prevalent in our society. Addiction is rampant. Eating disorders are at an all time high. Earth is also the boundaries in life. If we fail to evaluate boundaries we become clinging, codependent or isolated. Treating the Earth in our society is crucial. We can see this in our drive for ecological balance on the one side and the call for the eradication of the family as its pathological opposite. We can also see the strong emphasis on government intervention in our lives as reflection of the lack of Earth that the family once provided. Those who see the family as an archaic institution will surely be inclined to support social programs set up by the government.

Metal - concerns the function of the lung and the large intestine. The lung takes in air and expels carbon dioxide. As the large intestine takes in the products of the small intestine it reabsorbs essential minerals and water and rids the body of waste. This process is a give and take, an in and out, something that interfaces very intimately with the immediate environment. We develop our awareness through this function.

Metal helps us loosen bonds with the immature past. We can become quick to think and act with the cultivation of the Metal element. We can become too judgmental if we depend too much on this function. Or we can become stuck as in constipation and shallow breathing. This will result in poor digestion, muscle tension and unclear immediate thinking. We will become out of touch, so to speak.

The Metal, because of its immediate relationship to the environment, has a lot to do with the immune defense system. The lung and upper respiratory system is associated with this immune function. Its yang pair, the large intestine reflects immunity in good bowel function. Therefore, improper breathing, bad air, anxiety all contribute to the poor function of the Metal. White is associated with Metal. Therefore a white complexion can indicate a Metal imbalance. Depression, sorrow and lack of life energy is a result of poor lung/large intestine function. Getting the lung to function better often results in an uplifted emotional state.

Water - is the function of the kidneys and bladder. It controls the water in our bodies in the obvious ways of urination, electrolyte balance and blood monitoring. It is also responsible for reproduction, the genetic link. The Water is the essence of a person, the bones, the "structure". This is not limited to the merely physical. It is expanded to include the foundation of one's personality. The character traits are imprinted here. Water imbalances can be seen in the emotion of fear or in edema, cyanotic skin color and lack of will. It has a duel capacity to release extra energy when in emergency situation and to go inward in a meditative way. Water is the abyss.

Wood - is about the liver and the gall bladder function. It is associated with anger, muscle tension, reactiveness as well as the abililty to organize and plan, to act creatively and to create a protective plan for ones success. If the wood is not allowed to grow and flourish we become irritated, frustrated and angry. We can become combative in the world. Other associations are the color green, the taste of sour and the inability to make decisions.

An imbalance in Wood can be seen in emotional hypertension, painful or hesitant periods, excessive muscle tension, or MS. Hyperactive children are often liver patients. When treatments are geared towards relieving the liver tension or congestion, children often become more relaxed and attentive. Too much fats and greasy foods may exacerbate these issues since the gall bladder is burdened further with these foods.

The above descriptions, of course, are a simplification of the theory, but I think it begins to give a fuller picture of the thinking behind Chinese Medicine, a thinking that allows for a clinically practical approach to the problems that plague humans, even today.