by Alfred E. Newman

Created on: June 28, 2009   Last Updated: July 04, 2009

What is the Five Element Theory? It is the framework that aids in understanding how natural changes in the body and the environment surrounding us affect our health and well being. Used in Chinese Medicine even today it is used to understand and predict these change. Ancient Chinese doctors studied the natural world to discover what universal principles existed which could be used to understand health and well-being. The Five Element Theory is the end result of these observations. The five elements are:

Wood (m): germination, extension, softness, harmony, flexibility, etc

Fire (hu): drought, heat, flaring, ascendance, movement, etc

Earth (t): growing, changing, nourishing, producing, etc

Metal (jn): strength, firmness, killing, cutting, cleaning up, etc

Water (shu): moisture, cold, descending, flowing, etc

The five element system is used to describe the interaction and relationship between these natural phenomena. The five elements mutually create in the following order, wood creates fire, fire creates earth, earth creates metal, metal creates water and the order begins again in an endless cycle of mutual creation. The five elements also mutually restrain, wood restrains earth and earth restrains water, etc.

Mutual creation and restraint are two facets that are inseparable, without this mutual creation and restraint there would be no normal harmonious relationships. Without creation, there is no birth and growth and without restraint, there is no change or development. This movement and development is the basis of the cycle of natural elements, this growth and change of all existing things due to their mutual creation and restraint relationship. The Five Element Theory is used today in such fields as Feng Shui, astrology, medicine, the martial arts and even military strategy have benefited from the five element theory.

These five elements, chosen based on the observations of the dynamic characteristics, processes and functions of the natural world by the ancient Taoist philosophers, who theorized that the universe included all these elemental characteristics. This ancient method of diagnostic analysis in medicine is used to understand how the various parts of the body and the mind affect our health and well-being. The thing to keep in mind with this medical application is that the five element theory is only a model and it does have exceptions, though generally the device is useful for arriving at good clinical results.

After observing and filtering, such things as how you feel after you eat, the emotions you are likely to have and your cravings for certain foods, you will begin to see the logic behind Taoist thinking. Fun to use and informative the Five Element Theory will help you grow towards better well-being and health.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wu_Xing

http://www.biom.net/index.php/teahouse/more/5_elemen t_theory_oriental_medicine/

http://www.tcmpage.com/five_elements.html

http://www.ask.com/bar?q=Five+Element+Theory&page=1&qsrc=121&ab=0&u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.biom.net%2F5_element_theory.htm

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