What Are the 5 Elements?
Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) discovered that the laws of nature are within the body. Basically, there is a certain cycle that the physical universe follows, and at the same time, the body also follows this same cycle. This is the basis for the 5 Elements in TCM, where one element feeds and nurtures another.
The elements are:
- Wood
- Fire
- Earth
- Metal
- Water
The Wood Element Explained
Let’s take the element of wood. In practical terms, if you had some wood and fed it to a fire, it burns and adds to the fire. It then turns to ash, which becomes earth, and the gravity pulling the earth together creates metal. Metal attracts water when cold from the atmosphere. Water, in turn, feeds the earth so that the trees and plants can grow, and so the cycle continues. Wood symbolizes growth and aliveness.
Wood Element and the Body
Within the body, the Wood element corresponds to ligaments and tendons. A wood imbalance in the body could manifest as stiffness. In a person, a wood imbalance may show up as being overly judgmental or needing things a certain way. This mental rigidity, or being too controlling and lacking flexibility, affects physical and mental growth. I have personally experienced this for many years, and I can tell you, the fun goes out of life when you have a wood imbalance.
In TCM, the Wood element relates to the Gallbladder and the Liver.
Certainty, Motivation, and Balance
Certainty and motivation lead to growth on every level. However, if you are being controlled too much or if you are controlling too much, according to Chinese medicine, you may have a wood imbalance or an imbalance in your Gallbladder or Liver.
Tips for Improving Your Wellness
- Get yourself informed about wellness in all its forms.
- Calm down a bit at work or at home and listen to those around you more. Maybe they have something interesting to say if you could keep calm for just five minutes.
- Come to Get Back Health Clinic this week and get your spine and nervous system aligned. This is the best way toward health and a better life.
Yours in Health,
John Keane, Spinologist