7 Essential Concepts of Traditional Chinese Alternative Medicine

Traditional Chinese Medicine is the foundation for which homeopathic medicine around the world is based. While Western modern medicines have helped heal disease, traditional Chinese medicine goes a step further, working to analyze the whole body and whole person to prevent disease before it occurs.

Alternative Asian medicine has seven basic concepts which outline its practice. I'll explore them in basic detail give you a better understanding of these concepts and how they work to promote overall health and well-being.

Yin and Yang

Yin and Yang works on an idea of opposing energies and the different gradations between them.A� A relative concept, something is always yin or yang to something else. Yin and Yang forces are seen at work throughout the world as well as within the human body. Take, for example, the idea of hot and cold. Hot and cold weather are extremes of one another, and the varying temperatures in between are various levels of hot and cold.

Qi/Chi - Our Vital Force 

Qi energy is potential energy that is within all living things, including plants, insects and humans. Qi strength in an individual determines our vivacity and is the catalyst for all bodily processes. It's Qi energy that moves the blood, which in turn nourishes our organs that in turn produce more Qi. Guarding and nourishing your Qi energy is the most significant step you can take to protect your health.

Blood and 3 Treasures: Jing, Qi & Shen

Moist, nourishing and fluid, blood represents the cooling processes in the body that work with Qi energy to maintain optimal fitness and well being. "Jing" essence is the energy we're born with, and it works with Qi energy to determine our basic constitution. Shen (Mind or Spirit) resides within our Heart and imbalances within the Heart lead to problems such as anxiety, restlessness or confusion.
Twelve Organs

All of our organs possess a specific set of functions which keep us in tip-top shape. In traditional Chinese Medicine, each organ possesses even more than those specific functions; they all have certain meridians, areas of the body they control and acupuncture points along those specifically designated meridians.

There are four types of organs in Chinese herbal medicine. Fu, or hollow organs, are the small and large intestines, the stomach, the bladder and the gall bladder. Zang organs are solid organs, and they include the heart, liver, spleen, kidneys and lungs. The Triple Heater or San Jiao controls the distribution of heat and water in the body, and the Pericardium protects the outer layer of the Heart.

The Five Elements: Fire, Earth, Metal, Wood, Water

The Five Elements simply provide an alternative means of describing natural energies, and are used to describe the body as well as our environment. Each element has control over a particular body function, and is associated with a flavor, color, direction, season, direction and plenty of other aspects. They can even be attached to body and personality types.

The Eight Principles

The Eight Principles or Eight Conditions are a medical concept which expand upon the Yin - Yang system, and further allows things a clearer definition. Composed of four sets of oppositesA� - hot/cold, full/empty, interior/exterior, yin/yang - symptoms of medical conditions can be defined using one or more pairs of these properties.

Dampness 

Dampness is one of the main causes of disharmony in traditional Chinese herbal medicine. Dampness happens when fluids within our body aren't properly managed. Just like water can flood a basement and create flood damage, fluid leakages in the body can also create turmoil. Dampness in the body, like Phlegm, becomes thick and stagnant, which causes blockage and buildup in our lungs, further worsening the illness.

Fast Effective Weight Loss and Traditional Chinese Medicine

Traditional Chinese medicine is exceptionally helpful in balancing problems in the body modern medicine cannot. Of these, obesity is one of the most well-known ailments people use Chinese herbal remedies to cure.