Chinese Medicine understands qi (chi) to be an incredible life force that helps maintain bodily equilibrium and health, consisting of opposing yet complementary energies called yin and yang.
Yin energy encompasses formed substances such as organs, tissues, cells and body fluids. Over time, however, its levels decline, leading to symptoms including high fevers, trembling, sweating and even delirium.
Deficiency of Yin
Yin energy is the watery, gentle side of life; associated with darkness, the moon, old age and female characteristics. Yin serves as the foundation of existence and most active during night hours.
According to Chinese medicine theory, Yin serves as the cornerstone for all other energies; when its presence is lacking, all other energies become affected and need balancing out with Yang energies for optimal functioning.
Deficiencies in Yin can arise from internal and external sources, including stress, poor diet, lack of rest or overwork; disease; and aging; this causes symptoms including dry mouth throat eyes as well as general feelings of heat in the body that need treating with herbs such as Oat Straw, Skullcap Catnip Valerian Sage or Lemon Balm which offer cooling relief.
An insomnia caused by Yin deficiency can manifest as difficulty sleeping or early awakenings, dry mouth, throat and tongue; cold hands and feet; swelling tongue without coating and weakness are other signs. Extreme cases may manifest themselves with fever symptoms occurring most commonly between afternoon, evening and nighttime when Yin is most active.
The spleen is one of the body’s essential organs and considered one of its main centers of balance between yin and yang energy. If Yin deficiency occurs, this can result in abdominal pain, diarrhea, infertility, chronic diseases insomnia depression. Furthermore, this imbalance could even play a part in developing diseases like Hepatitis or Cirrhosis.
Deficient levels of Yin may affect Lungs, Stomachs, Livers and Kidneys. Autoimmune diseases like Sjogren’s Syndrome – in which salivary glands are destroyed – may also lead to reduced levels of Yin energy which causes overworked spleens with too little energy for proper regulation and Blood stasis in vessels due to decreased Qi regulation and circulation in these areas. When this happens, an individual’s Qi may stagnate which leads to decreased Qi regulation as well as lack of blood circulation between vessels resulting in blood stasis in vessels resulting in lack of Qi energy leading to Blood stasis in these cases.
Excess of Yin
For optimal immunity and health, one must possess ample reserves of Yin energy. This energy provides for the formation and development of organs, tissues, cells, and bodily fluids.
Yin energy is associated with coolness, dark colors and closed, quiet spaces; as well as introspection, contemplation and healing.
Yang represents sun energy and its associated warmth, light, and activity; its influence fuels plant growth and flower blooming. The Yin-Yang symbol represents this idea by depicting each object containing within itself some trace of both energies; no object can ever be 100% either yin or 100% yang.
When the body lacks Yin, symptoms include dry limbs, pale complexion, an aversion to cold temperatures, fatigue and weak pulse rates. Treatment typically entails warming and strengthening Yin; excess Yin may lead to overproduction of Heat which then harms Yang. Signs of excess Yin include feverish heat signs like feverish heat signs fever red complexion irritability thirst.
Tonifying Yin within Yang is an integral component of Traditional Chinese Medicine and essential for maintaining health. An analogy often used is that just as a garden needs both sunlight and soil in order to grow, so too do our bodies require both Yin and Yang energies in order to achieve balance and promote healing.
Acupuncture, herbal medicine and Tai Chi all offer powerful ways to strengthen Yin while feeding Yang and restore an ideal equilibrium in our bodies. TCM’s key belief is that our bodies are dynamic and interdependent – this means the balance between yin and yang is ever changing, but when balanced it provides the foundation for health and well-being. Implementing its principles into daily life through changes such as diet and lifestyle changes like including more Yin-building foods like ginger, broths and stews, raw vegetables such as ginger or broccoli while restricting coffee, spicy chillies or meat consumption can achieve this balance and restore equilibrium to restore equilibrium in our bodies.
Deficiency of Yang
Yang provides active energy that warms and circulates around the body. If this energy is deficient, we experience coldness and lack of energy in our bodies. On the other hand, yin provides nourishment that feeds directly back into us; when this yin supply becomes insufficient it may result in dry mouth and eyes as well as early awakening or difficulty falling asleep from insomnia or nightly hot flashes; additionally those lacking it typically experience fatigue or weight loss as a result.
Yin is susceptible to damage from excess heat and can become stagnant if its activity drops too low to support Yang. This condition, known as Yin deficiency with heat, is one of the causes behind Sjogren’s syndrome – where glandular destruction by apoptosis results in tears and saliva production being reduced significantly – as well as other autoimmune diseases like rheumatoid arthritis and lupus; symptoms associated with it may include red faces, bitter taste in mouths, heartburns and fast thready pulses.
Traditional Chinese medicine’s approach to treating Yin deficiency involves tonifying it by strengthening and nourishing yang energy within the body. This may be achieved using techniques such as acupuncture – with needles used to regulate energy flow through needles regulating energy to balance out yin and yang flows – or herbalism, with herbal products known to either tonify yang or nourish yin, like Ginseng and Rehmannia as two examples that help restore balance to both sides of balance within.
Acupuncture is the foundation of Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM), used to balance yin and yang within the body. Acupuncture provides an effective, drug-free solution for various ails ranging from pain management to emotional disorders. TCM’s philosophy revolves around its central concept – that of yin-yang balance; representing nature’s desire towards balance and evolution through its inborn tendency of balance within both universe and body – both represented on Tai Ji symbol which represents their interdependence as one single entity.
Excess of Yang
Balance between Yin and Yang is fundamental for life; otherwise, people would soon die from separation between these energies in the body. Yin energy cools the body while Yang warms it; when one energy deficiency causes chilliness or overextension results in heat symptoms; Chinese medicine treats these imbalances by working toward restoring proper equilibrium between Yin and Yang energies in our bodies.
Practitioners of Chinese medicine can evaluate a patient’s demeanor, facial features and eyes to ascertain the state of their Yin and Yang balance. Pulses will also be taken along with palpation of skin and abdomen palpation as well as questions asked regarding feelings and habits such as how often one sleeps, exercise routine and diet habits.
Chinese Medicine principles suggest that to balance Yin, one can consume cold and nourishing foods, such as oat straw, skullcap, chamomile and valerian; teas or tinctures of these can be taken. Furthermore, patients should refrain from eating stimulating and hot-acting foods; instead opting for soothing cooling foods like oyster shell, lemon balm, jujubes and schisandra berries instead.
TCM classifies internal organs into two categories – Yin and Yang organs are known as Zang Fu and Hun Fu, respectively. Each organ system has different physiological and emotional aspects that interconnect to create balance in one’s life; when Zang Fu becomes affected it can lead to an imbalance.
Yang Excess is a temporary state in the body which occurs when mind and body work together harmoniously, evoking an incredible surge in Yang activity that doesn’t last for too long because our bodies cannot sustain such levels of Yang activity for too long.
Excess Yang can cause damage to Yin tissues of the body. When this happens, blood can’t circulate as intended resulting in Cold Yin which manifests with symptoms like cold limbs, pale complexion and fatigue – treatment typically includes warming the yin while simultaneously balancing Yang.
