Yin and Yang Theory of Traditional Chinese Medicine

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From their search for the laws of the universe the Taoists discovered within the apparentchaos of nature a predictable and rhythmic cycle-Yin-Yang.Because the law of Yin-Yang can be applied to anything in existence，it is a very powerful tool for analysis and understanding.There are five points to the law of Yin-Yang.

·Opposition:Everything has two opposite aspects.Yin and Yang struggle with and control each other.

·Interdependence:Yin and Yang define each other and therefore one cannot exist without the other.

·Mutual consumption&support:Yin and Yang each give off themselves to nourish the other.

·Intertransformation:Yin can become Yang and Yang can become Yin.

·Infinite subdivisibility:There is always a bit of one in the other.

Yin and Yang are so entwined that one cannot exist without the other.They are irrevocably two parts of a whole.This is why their relationships are called the law of the unity of opposites.

When forces of the universe create a Yin and a Yang，they come together and，in the case of humans，create a life.As long as Yin and Yang maintain their dynamic oscillating balance，life exists.The closer to the center of their oscillation the extremes of their cycles are，the less illness will occur.When they separate，life ceases.These facts yield a very useful definition:Health is life in balance.

Human anatomy，physiology，psyche，and environment can all be analyzed according to Yin-Yang characteristics.Table 11-1 gives characteristics which are often applied to people：

You may be wondering what all this has to do with alleviating human ilness.Let’s look at a simplified example.A woman complains of having no energy：

·When not working she sleeps most of the time.

·She feels cold often and is uncomfortably sensitive to cool environments.

·Her skin appears damp and damp foods make her sleepy.

·She feels dull emotionally and intellectually.

·Her posture is poor with shoulders that slope forward giving the appearance of a caved-in chest.

·When she speaks only her lips move.

·She has been having less contact with her friends，preferring to be alone.

Here is a classification of her symptoms by Yin-Yang characteristics.You can check them against the characteristics listed in Table 11-1：stillness，cool/cold，moist，passive，inward，stillness，and inward.Her illness is diagnosed as Yin Excess and/or Yang Deficiency depending on the severity of signs.This describes what is wrong with the patient and determines the treatment strategies:to drain Excessive Yin or tonify Deficient Yang.