People are always interested in understanding what’s happening with their health. Taoists and other ancient Chinese philosophers developed a framework for doing this, which is still used today. This concept is called the five-element theory in Chinese medicine.
As you start to use the five-element theory as a way to filter and process your observations of things like the kind of foods you crave, the kinds of emotions your prone to and how you feel after eating, its logic and wisdom becomes clear.
Using the five elements chart is an informative and fun way to understand your well-being and health.
What is the five-element theory?
The five-element theory is used to help you comprehend how natural changes outside and within your environment and body can affect your health. To understand and predict these dynamic transformations, ancient physicians observed nature to ascertain what universal laws existed that could be used to promote well-being and health. What they came up with is the five-element theory.
The five elements of nature are water, metal, earth, fire and wood. These elements were chosen based on the observations of ancient Taoist philosophers who believed that the natural world possessed each of these elemental qualities. This diagnostic and time-tested model is used by Chinese medicine to evaluate how the different parts of the body and mind of a person interact together to influence well-being. These relationships are depicted in the five-element chart that shows how each element is associated with certain aspects of your mind and body.
Danielle DeVivo is a board certified and licensed acupuncturist in Saratoga Springs, NY.