Demystifying the Five Elements
When folks ask me about the basic tenants of Chinese Medicine, I always default to the Theory of the Five Elements. It’s one of the very first concepts taught to every student of Acupuncture. And for this once-wide-eyed new pupil, it sparked an immediate connection. It’s been a years-long process of connecting with and internalizing this exquisitely simple paradigm of the world around us, and everything in it. It’s a concept that I truly love.
Its pentagram-like image has hung in my home, and in almost every office I’ve ever worked in. It serves as a handy guide, a tool of inspiration, and as a topic of curiosity for many a patient. I could geek out about Five Element Theory and its myriad complexities all day. But I’ll try to keep it brief.
The Theory of the Five Elements is a way of drawing parallels between the interconnected energetic forces within ourselves and the outside world. There are five basic elements that function together in both Generating and Controlling cycles:
FIRE
EARTH
METAL
WATER
WOOD
Each element has a corresponding organ, season, emotion, taste, color, personality type, and so on.
Ideally, one begets the next, and each controls the other in a beautifully seamless dance of synchronicity. Of course sadly, that’s just not how life tends to work. Things get off kilter, imbalances occur, symptoms arise, and so does a desire to course correct.
But understanding how each element plays its part is the first step to understanding this great cosmic dance, and how it is very much Earthbound within each of us. It also helps us to understand the basic tenants of Acupuncture and Chinese Medicine as a whole.
I HOPE THIS SIMPLE GUIDE CAN OFFER SOME UNDERSTANDING OF EACH ELEMENT, THE GIFTS IT HAS TO OFFER US, AND WHAT CAN MANIFEST WHEN IN NEED OF SOME ELEMENTAL RE-ALIGNMENT.
FIRE ~ HEART/SMALL INTESTINE ORGAN PAIR
Emotion: Joy
Season: Summer
Fire’s Gifts: Intuition, empathy, healthy affection
Fire Out of Balance: Anxiety disorders, panic attacks, heart palpations, insomnia
EARTH ~ SPLEEN/STOMACH ORGAN PAIR
Emotion: Worry
Season: Late Summer
Earth’s Gifts: Reflection, Absorbing (both nutrition & information), Poise
Earth out of Balance: Digestive disorders, Loss of appetite, Bloating, Diarrhea, Constipation, Sweet cravings, Rumination
METAL ~ LUNG/LARGE INTESTINE ORGAN PAIR
Emotion: Grief
Season: Autumn
Metal’s Gifts: Healthy boundaries, Analytical thought
Metal Out of Balance: Asthma, Dry Throat, Shortness of Breath, Skin Dryness, Low Immunity
WATER ~ KIDNEY/URINARY BLADDER ORGAN PAIR
Emotion: Fear
Season: Winter
Water’s Gifts: Willpower, Perseverance, Bravery
Water Out of Balance: Urinary Incontinence, Low Back Pain, Knee Pain, Chronic Fatigue, Low Libido
WOOD ~ LIVER/GALLBLADDER ORGAN PAIR
Emotion: Anger
Season: Spring
Wood’s Gifts: Action plans, Expansion, Ambition
Wood Out of Balance: Headaches, Dizziness, Inflexibility, Muscle Tension, Allergies, Painful Periods, Irritability
As a Acupuncturist and Chinese Medicine practitioner in New York City, I often work with Wood type imbalances (looking at you, all my Type A’ers). And at first glance, you may already have a sense of where your strengths and perceived weaknesses lie within these elements. Recalibrating these factors can be tantamount to optimal health.
To see some of the many conditions I often treat while putting this theory into practice, check out any of the service pages, and always feel free to Contact Me.