Foundation of Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine :
The Five Elements
A
fundamental concept in Acupuncture and Oriental medicine is the idea that
nature exists not only on the outside, but also within your body. Ancient
Chinese philosophers and doctors, observed nature as a dynamic balance between
five elements: wood, fire, earth, metal, and water. In combination with the Yin
Yang theory, the Five Elements provides the theoretical basis of Oriental
Medicine.
Regulating Balance: The Generation and Control Cycles
Each of the five elements was arranged in relationship to each
other to represent the generation and control of all the elements. These two
major relationships formed a self-regulating balance between the five elements.
These
relationships can be seen in this diagram. The outer circle represents the
generation cycle of the five elements: Wood nourishes Fire to burn stronger,
Fire burns things into ash to generate Earth, Earth creates Metal as it is
extracted from the land, Metal generates steam which collects into Water, and
Water nourishes Wood to grow. For example, if the Wood element is weak, it will
not nourish and generate enough Fire, leading to an imbalance in nature or in
the body. In Oriental Medicine, we tend to say that Wood is the Mother of Fire
and the Child of Water to describe this relationship.
A
second relationship called the Controlling sequence is shown with the inner
lines of the diagram. This relationship shows how one element is controlled by
another to prevent one element from dominating the cycle. You can observe that
Water controls Fire, as Water would be able to calm a Fire that was burning too
hot. Metal controls Wood, as a metal axe can chop down trees that are
overgrown. Earth controls Water, as the Earth controls the flow of Water since
digging a canal can drain water and control its direction. Fire controls Metal,
as Fire can melt Metal and be used to form Metal into useful shapes. And
finally, Wood controls Earth, as trees dominate the land.
Five Element Manifestations
Each of the five elements is related to the 12 Primary meridians
and their associated organs. This allows a generation and controlling
relationship to be applied between these organs and meridians. A pathological
disruption in one organ or meridian can affect the other meridians and organs
through their five element relationships. The Wood element corresponds with the
Liver and Gallbladder. Fire relates to the Heart and Small Intestine, and the
Pericardium and Triple Heater. Earth is associated with the Stomach and Spleen.
Metal regulates the Large Intestine and Lung. And finally, Water is in charge
of the Kidney and Urinary Bladder. Remember, that these organs are the Chinese
energetic organs and have physiological functions in the body that only applies
to Oriental Medicine and maybe different from the Western Medical viewpoint.
The
chart below details some of the correspondences of each of the five elements,
including the related organs. These attributes show how each element is
represented in various aspects of nature, and in our mind and body.
Wood
|
Fire
|
Earth
|
Metal
|
Water
|
|
Color
|
Green
|
Red
|
Yellow
|
White
|
Black
|
Direction
|
East
|
South
|
Center
|
West
|
North
|
Climate
|
Wind
|
Heat
|
Damp
|
Dry
|
Cold
|
Season
|
Spring
|
Summer
|
Late
Summer |
Autumn
|
Winter
|
Yin
Organ |
Liver
|
Heart /
Pericardium |
Spleen
|
Lung
|
Kidney
|
Yang
Organ |
Gall
Bladder |
Small Intestine /
Triple Heater |
Stomach
|
Large
Intestine |
Urinary
Bladder |
Senses
|
Eyes
|
Tongue
|
Mouth
|
Nose
|
Ears
|
Tissues
|
Sinews
|
Vessels
|
Muscles
|
Skin
|
Bones
|
Emotions
|
Anger
|
Joy
|
Singing
|
Crying
|
Groaning
|
Pathological Sequences
There are two additional sequences that create pathological
conditions between the five elements: the Over-acting and Insulting sequences.
The Over-acting sequence follows the same pathway as the Controlling sequence,
the inner lines of the diagram. However, in this case the relationship becomes
pathological when the controlling element becomes excessive and over-controls.
For example, Wood overacting on Earth can cause the Liver to weaken Spleen and
its associated functions in our body. The Insulting sequence occurs in reverse
of the Controlling sequence. In this case, Wood can insult Metal, causing the
Liver to disturb the function of the Lung. In some cases, the Generation cycle
can also become pathological. This occurs with the mother element does not
support the child element, or the child element takes too much from the mother
element. If Wood cannot feed the Fire, the Fire will be weak. If the Fire burns
too strong, all the Wood will be consumed.
The Five Elements and Acupuncture
In clinical practice, an Acupuncturist would be able to determine
the unbalanced element through signs/symptoms and examination of the pulse and
tongue. For instance, issues with your tendons or eyes would correlate to a
Wood imbalance, so the Acupuncturist would consider treating the Liver and Gall
Bladder meridians, especially if the pulse and tongue examination supported
this diagnosis.
When
using the Five Elements for acupuncture point selection, we must keep in mind
each of the five element sequences to determine the proper pathology we are
treating. Most commonly, we apply theory from the NanJing, the Classic of
Difficulties. NanJing chapter 69 states: in cases of deficiency, tonify the
mother; and in cases of excess, sedate the son. This follows the Generation
sequence to select which meridian and points to treat based upon the meridian
that is unbalanced. Following this theory, we can use the Pericarium Fire
meridian to tonify the Spleen Earth element; and we can use the Large Intestine
Metal Meridian to sedate the Stomach Earth element. More complicated point
selection methods involve five element relationships to specific points on each
meridian; these methods will be discussed in subsequent articles on Acupuncture
Point Selection Theory.
The
Five Element theory has an important impact on all aspects of Oriental
Medicine, including Acupuncture and Chinese Herbal Medicine. The proper balance
of each of these elements in the body is critical for effective treatment.
Understanding of the Five Element relationships increases in depth with
additional study and clinical experience.