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| Reference #: | 1,099 |
| Submit Date: | 14 Aug 2007 |
| Browse Category: | cure all |
| Author: | none |
| Email Address: | none |
| Treatment used: | none |
| You can buy this remedy at: | free |
| Remedy will cost you: | unknown |
| Country of Remedy: | USA |
| Remedy Source: | folklore |
| More Links about this Remedy: | http://www.amazon.com/Tao-Health-Sex-Longevity-Practical/dp/067164811X/ref=sr_1_1/105-4733989-715800 |
| # Comments posted to this remedy: | 0 |
| Complaints Reported: | 0 |
| # of times remedy read: | 27,692 |
| Dosage Info: | |
| Typical Dosage: | unknown |
| Dosage should be related to weight: | unknown |
| Dosages used in clinical trials are significant: | unknown |
| Maximum dosages in relation to side effects and serious side effects: | unknown |
| Other foods/nutrients/medications that can affect absorption or utilization: | unknown |
| Foods that provide the nutrient recommended as a remedy (or reference giving same): | unknown |
| Ratings: | |
| Total # reviewers: | 0 |
| Average Rating: | 0.00 |
| Effectiveness: | 0.00 |
| No Side Effects: | 0.00 |
| Ease of Use: | 0.00 |
| Effective after long term use: | 0.00 |
| Cost Effectiveness: | 0.00 |
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Source: Tao of Health, Sex, and Longevity by Daniel Reid, Firestone book, New York, 1989, pp 25-30.
http://www.amazon.com/Tao-Health-Sex-Longevity-Practical/dp/067164811X/ref=sr_1_1/105-4733989-7158007?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1187067913&sr=8-1 The five elemental activitiesThe theory of the Five Elemental Activities (wu-hsing) further explains the cosmological associations between man and universe. Unlike the five elements in traditional Western philosophy, the Five Elemental Activities of Taoism refer to active forces, not inert elements, although they use similar symbols. The Yellow Emperor's Classic states, 'The Five Elemental Activities of Wood, Fire, Earth, Metal and Water encompass all phe- nomena of nature. It is a symbolism that applies equally to man.' These five primordial cosmic forces function according to patterned relationships based on their relative characteristics. Each force is gener- ated ('given birth') by one of the other forces and suppressed ('con- quered') by a different one, as follows: 
A literal look at the symbols explains their relationships. Wood burns to generate fire. Fire produces ash, which generates Earth. Earth gen- erates and yields forth Metal. When heated. Metal becomes molten, generating the Water element. Water promotes plant growth, thereby generating Wood. Following the suppressive cycle. Wood depletes soil of nutrients, thereby suppressing Earth. Earth soils and channels Water, thereby 'conquering' it. Water suppresses fire by extinguishing it. Fire suppresses Metal by melting it, and Metal suppresses Wood by cutting it. The generative cycle is called the 'Mother/Son' relationship, and the suppressive cycle is the 'Victor/Vanquished' relationship. Their constant interactions produce the myriad phenomena of the universe. The Five Elemental Activities manifest themselves in the human body through their association with the five sets of paired organs, primarily the solid Yin organs. The heart is ruled by Fire, the liver by Wood, the kidneys by Water, the pancreas by Earth, and the lungs by Metal. For example, there exists a generative Mother/Son relationship between the Wood- energy of the liver and the Fire-energy of the heart, but a suppressive Victor/Vanquished relation between the Wood of the liver and the Earth of the pancreas. Excess Water-energy in the kidneys suppresses the Fire-energy of the heart, sufficient Earth-energy must be generated by the pancreas/stomach organs in order to sustain the Metal-energy of lungs/ large intestine, and so forth. The Five Elemental Activities have other primal associations as well. There are the Five Elemental Flavors, the Five Seasons, Five Sounds, Five Climates, and others. The charts opposite illustrate the important cosmic associations and systematic relationships of the Five Elemental Activities in convenient form. 
Chinese physicians use a combination of Yin/Yang and the Five Elemental Activities to diagnose the cause and chart the course of disease and debility, as well as to prescribe appropriate remedies. It is a basic tenet of Taoism that the same primordial principles that govern the universe at large also run through each and every part of it according to the same patterns. This is also the conclusion of modern quantum physics, which regards the entire universe as a giant macrocosmic atom, and the atom as a mini-universe. Chinese doctors view the human body as a microcosm of the universe, and they make no distinctions between 'nature' and 'human nature', as in Western dualism, which isolates man from his roots in nature. Following are a few simple examples of how the Five Elemental Activities come into play in traditional Chinese diagnosis and treatment: A person with a volatile temper who suffers from blurry vision and frequently shouts at people would be diagnosed as suffering from liver inflammation because, according to our chart, liver conditions are reflected in the eyes and associated with the emotion of anger and the sound of shouting. When the Wood- energy of an inflamed liver burns out of control, it causes over-excitation of Fire-energy in the heart, according to the generative relation of Wood to Fire. The doctor might take one or two approaches to re-balance the affected energies: either sedate the liver in order to suppress its inflammatory effects on the heart; or else tonify the kidneys to enhance their Water-energy, which is doubly effective because Water-energy nourishes the Wood of the agitated liver while at the same time suppressing the excess Fire fanned in the heart by the over-active Wood- energy of the liver. A child who suffers from chronic fear (Water emotion) tends to wet his bed (a Water function), and therefore he probably suffers from a deficiency of kidney-energy (a Water organ). Comforting words and stern warnings can never 'talk' a child out of this condition. Instead, the Chinese approach would be to tonify the child's kidneys with appropriate diet, herbs, and acupuncture therapy, thereby enhancing kidney-energy to the point that the emotion of fear associated with kidney deficiency disappears along with the associated symptom of incontinence. A person with a very red complexion (Fire color), who tends to laught a lot (Fire sound) and is exceedingly jovial (Fire emotion) probably has an over-active heart (Fire organ). Here again there are two avenues of approach to quelling the Fire: one is to sedate heart energy with cooling Yin herbs; the other is to tonify the kidneys, as in the first example, thereby enhancing Water-energy sufficiently to suppress excess Fire-energy in the heart through the Victor/Vanquished relation of Water to Fire. [Reid, Chinese Herbal Medicine] The permutations and combinations of this system are complex and infinite, and the Chinese physician must learn to juggle all factors, internal and external, in making his diagnosis. Then he applies the same system of complementary forces in reverse to effect a cure. This requires a lot of practical clinical experience, what the Chinese call Un-chuang or bedside experience'. As in all the Taoist arts, the key to success in medicine is practice, not theory, and the measure of that success lies in practical results, not abstract deductions. The Chinese medical system takes into account many vital health factors that are largely ignored or misunderstood in Western medicine. For example, when certain climatic conditions become extreme, such as wind or heat or dampness, specific internal organs are directly affected through the system of associated energies. Therefore, the Chinese always adjust their diets according to the weather and the season, in order to balance internal and external energy conditions. In highly humid climates and seasons, Chinese menus strongly favor ginger, garlic, peppers and other pungent Fire-energy flavors because they balance and 'dry out' excess dampness accumulated in the body from the climate and expel it in the form of perspiration. In winter, 'warming' foods and herbs are used to combat external cold, and in summer 'cooling' foods protect the vital organs from damage by external heat. Today, modern refrigeration and rapid transport systems have made all types of foods available all year round in most Western countries, which has only served to drive Western diets even further from the seasonal patterns intended by nature. Sudden shifts in emotion and mood can trigger a chain-reaction of energy imbalance throughout the body, and these reactions are just as strong as those caused by wind and heat, diet and drugs. It is a well- known fact even in Western medicine that a person suffering from extreme personal grief, such as the death of a spouse, becomes highly vulnerable to all sorts of disease and debility, and if the grief is prolonged the damage can become irreversible. Fear, as we have seen, is a symptom of temporary kidney dysfunction, but prolonged chronic fear can cause permanent kidney damage. Frequent fits of anger reflect liver problems, but a person who is by nature angry all the time will damage an otherwise healthy liver, which then generates even more anger in a vicious psycho- somatic circle. In Chinese medicine, physiological and psychological factors are as inseparable as Yin and Yang. The idea of treating patients suffering from serious mental and emotional disturbances by lying them down on a psychiatrist's couch and talking about it strikes Chinese physicians as a method more appropriate for spiritual exorcism in temple ceremonies but entirely useless from a medical viewpoint. As we shall see, recent research in nutritional therapy has confirmed the invisible links between physical and mental health, a fact of life known and recorded by Taoists thousands of years ago |
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