Traditional Chinese medicine is founded upon the idea that an energy called Qi (pronounced “chee”) flows freely throughout your body and provides nourishment to cells, tissues, organs, and glands. If this flow becomes blocked or imbalanced symptoms may manifest themselves.
Acupuncture needles can help clear away these blockages. Chinese healers also employ a wide array of herbs and techniques such as cupping to address any ailments that arise.
Deficiency
Chinese medicine recognizes that each individual’s energy or Qi (pronounced Chee) flows along pathways called meridians in their bodies, which if blocked or imbalanced may result in illness. Chinese herbs, acupuncture, massage and other practices may be employed to restore equilibrium to these meridians as well as restore one’s own Qi balance; in addition, this ancient health system also acknowledges environmental and lifestyle influences on health outcomes.
Traditional Chinese medicine believes that an individual’s physical, mental and emotional wellbeing depends on a balance of opposing energies called Yin and Yang – cooling energy known as Yin while heating energy known as Yang is necessary for good health in all living things. Achieve this equilibrium is essential to achieve life-long health for everyone living on our planet.
When someone’s Yin energy becomes deficient, symptoms include low appetite, fatigue, difficulty thinking clearly or always feeling cold. People in these circumstances might also have dark circles under their eyes or have pale complexions with light-colored tongues without coating that quickly tire them out; these individuals likely suffer from an insufficient spleen qi supply since the spleen distributes yin energy throughout the body.
Yin deficiency is more prevalent during winter and in environments with extreme stress or heat, or when people work 80 hour weeks and sleep only four hours each night; such an ongoing situation could eventually deplete one’s Jing Qi and lead to infertility issues.
TCM holds that cancer results from a deficiency of Yin Qi that hinders mitochondrial metabolic activities, with research supporting this theory. Studies have also linked cancer cells’ production of energy via glycolysis rather than oxidation to such deficiencies. If someone with cancer is diagnosed, anti-oxidant supplements could support their spleen’s Yin energy while increasing intake of fruits, vegetables and whole grains could prevent deficiency of this energy. Finally, finding ways to lower stress levels and get more rest could also prove invaluable in terms of recovery from illness.
Excess
Zheng Qi, or true power, allows the body to resist pathogenic influences through an abundance of energy that it stores from water, rice consumption, kidney storage and natural inspiration. This energy acts like an anchor between internal balance and external reality – such as resistance from pathogenic factors. This term denotes this energy source.
Xie Qi refers to pathogenic influences that disrupt this equilibrium and attack the body, leading to disease manifestation. As Zheng Qi attempts to defend against Xie Qi’s influence, symptoms will likely be mild and short-lived if Zheng Qi levels remain strong within your system.
If the body’s Zheng Qi is depleted, symptoms will become more intense and last for longer. For example, if someone contracts a cold with fever and has nasal congestion, stiff neck, and full body ache as symptoms – classic symptoms of an Excess condition.
An excess condition may be brought about by anything from a simple cold to cancer or tumors, and an acupuncturist’s focus will be to reduce excess energy, strengthen deficient energy sources and subdue rebellious energy in order to treat this form of illness.
If you are confused as to which kind of energy disorder you have, an acupuncturist can use the Five Element Diagnosis to assess it and treat any energy imbalance with acupuncture, herbs and Qi Gong exercises – particularly if the condition has been present for some time. Healthy diet and lifestyle changes will also play a part in healing the patient; an acupuncturist will assist them in creating a more balanced energy system capable of resisting external pathogenic forces as well as internal stressors to avoid future illness from occurring.
Rebellious
Rebellious Qi, in Chinese medicine, refers to energy that moves in an unhelpful direction and causes symptoms that differ from its source. If you suffer from acid reflux symptoms such as nausea and/or abdominal distension, traditional medical practitioners might blame your liver, while my acupuncture view would point at your stomach’s rebellious Qi as the main issue. I use an ancient formula called Zuo Jin Wan (Stomach and Liver Combination) that redirects this energy in an effective manner that also nourishes your blood while soothing emotions.
Rebellious Qi occurs due to disharmony between your visceral organs and bowels, each pair having an important partnership – with visceral organs holding and moving, respectively – but when this balance breaks down, functional energy counterflows in an unpredictable fashion, leading to heat inflammation and phlegm formation as well as creating heat, inflammation and phlegm formation, along with creating pain symptoms like swollen joints or breasts, anxiety outbursts, emotional outbursts or menopausal symptoms etc.
Rebellious Qi can often be traced back to imbalances in your Luo Vessels – the acupuncture channels connecting internal organs with your exterior body meridian pathways – such as those located along your Luo Vessels. Like an internal nervous system, these Luo Vessels can manifest in symptoms that manifest across organs, their meridian pathways and even skin surfaces.
As an example, when someone comes in complaining of acid reflux, we can quickly see how rebellious qi is disrupting both meridian and external pathways of their Stomach (Luo Vessel). I typically prescribe Ban Xia Hou Po Tang to address rebellious qi by cooling inflammation while strengthening and feeding back qi-energy to their stomachs.
However, when a patient presents with cold feet we know that their rebellious qi is infiltrating the Spleen (Luo Vessel). Heaviness in legs indicates that this rebellious energy from within the Spleen has entered Kidney channel and caused symptoms in that organ such as heavy legs.
Balance
Qi (life energy) flows constantly throughout our bodies to support healthy functions; when it’s out of balance, illness may arise. TCM practitioners seek to correct underlying patterns causing symptoms through acupuncture, Chinese herbs, diet therapy and lifestyle modifications in order to restore equilibrium within the body and restore harmony back into harmony with each person’s physical being.
Tradition Chinese Medicine (TCM) is one of the oldest medical systems on Earth. Its core concept of yin and yang illustrates how life balances out across both our individual lives and that of nature itself.
At its core, Yin and Yang are two interdependent forces that cannot exist without each other. When the balance between them is achieved, health flourishes whereas when imbalances develop between them can result in illness.
Each of the five elements are associated with certain organs of the body and specific emotions. Understanding which type of energy is affected by such emotions is critical in order for TCM practitioners to select appropriate treatments that will effectively address symptom patterns.
If someone suffers from chronic headaches associated with their Bladder Meridian, for instance, their practitioner might recommend Chinese herbs to restore balance between Yin and Yang in that area of the body. The herbal medication could come in liquid, powder or tablet form for easy consumption.
The Chinese character for “qi,” or energy, is composed of characters for rice and steam to convey its vitality and transformational properties. Qi plays an integral part of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) as well as in its philosophy regarding health, wellness and disease.
Chinese culture holds that one’s qi (pronounced chi) can be affected by environmental factors like air, water, food and light quality; and their emotional state; anxiety and depression can weaken kidney/bladder meridian energy, leading to symptoms like fatigue and frequent headaches; while strengthening heart/lung energy can prevent heart attacks or bronchitis attacks while having strong, balanced energy can promote longevity.
