Traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) has a very interesting, nature-based approach to health care. It is vastly different from Western medicine, but TCM also has many similarities when you really sit back and take a look at things. Much of my training is rooted in Eastern philosophy; its basic principles are what we need to get back to if we are truly going to create sustainable health for ourselves and the planet.
These medical theories can help give us a deeper understanding of how a healthy body should function.
Eastern medicine, also called traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) or Oriental medicine, evolved from a time of relative peace. Although there has always been human conflict, Eastern medicine was created by observing nature and then applying those observations to the human body.
In Eastern medical philosophy, humans are not seen as separate from nature but rather as a part of it. One of the basic theories of Eastern medicine is the five-elements theory. This theory takes the elements of fire, earth, metal, water, and wood and applies them to the functions of the body. Below you will find a detailed description of the main energetic forces that drive all universal activity according to Eastern medical philosophy. We will then begin to discuss how each element relates to the body and surrounding environment.
