5 Element/ 8 Principles
TCVM Diagnosis
Special Thanks to Dr. Cheryl Chrisman
for the use of her slides.
The acupuncturist from a
Chinese perspective..
• More than mechanical, the body
is like a garden and the
acupuncturist is a gardener
• You cannot separate an organism
from the environment
• Qi flows through and between
living things
– ”inside, outside, all around”
• The acupuncturist balances the
energy flow within the organism
which in turn balances external
energy influences
• The Qi of the acupuncturist is
part of the balancing process
Balance- Chinese Perspective
• Harmony depends on three
forces
– Balance between the universe
(environment) and the individual
– Balance between the individual
and other individuals
– Balance between the various
organ systems within the
individual
– Ref: Xie H, Priest V. Yin Yang Theory; TCVM
Fundamental Principles pg 10
Does Qi flow between you and others?
• If you are having trouble accepting this
concept think about those people that you
don’t enjoy being around or can only have
limited contact with because they make you
feel tired
• It is because they “suck” you energetically
You
“Energy Sucker” Energy flow
“Low dose friends”
While other people…
• Give you energy and are great to be around
• Because there is a balance of giving and
receiving
“High dose friends”
Qi flow between veterinarians
and animals
• Many of us connect deeply
on an energetic level with
animals
• Their energy balances ours
and ours theirs
• Many of us are aware of
this natural energy
exchange
• Intuitively we know that
this energy exchange can
have healing effects on
both parties
Does Qi flow between Doctor and
Patient affect the outcome?
• If there is Qi flow between a doctor and
patient, could different acupuncturists get
different results using the same points in the
same animal?
Animal
Qi with a Qi
Doctor 1 Doctor 2
deficiency
Well balanced Dr Deficient Dr
From the Chinese perspective
the acupuncturist is part of the
acupuncture treatment
• So if you want to effectively achieve
harmony and balance in your patient’s body
• You must also have harmony and balance in
your own
To be the most effective
acupuncturist you can be…
• Know yourself (ongoing)
– Using the 5 element constitutions
• Balance yourself daily
– Cultivating your 5 element constitutions
– Meditation
– Energy exercises (Tai chi, Qi Gong)
– Food therapy
– Massage
– Acupuncture and herbs as needed
• During treatments
– Be in the present moment
– Release judgment
– Have the best intentions
• Then rebalance yourself
TCM
• 5 Element Theory • 8 Principles of Disease
– Fire – Yin & Yang
– Earth – Interior & Exterior
– Metal – Cold & Hot
– Water – Deficiency & Excess
– Wood
• Zang-Fu Organs
– HT/SI -- PC/TH
– SP/ST
– LU/LI
– KID/BL
– LIV/GB
Wood
• Sound • Direction
– shout – east
• Emotion • Opening
– anger – eyes
• Climate • Body Part
– windy-warm – ligaments
• Season • Zang/Fu
– spring – LIV/GB
Wood
Wood constitution
“The Pioneer”
• Enjoys leadership roles and being in charge
• Confident, assertive
• Competitive, ambitious, athletic
• Feel powerful and invulnerable
• Openly discuss their abilities and achievements
• Enjoy being first, best, unique
• Think they are always right even if others don’t
• Act boldly or decisive
• Take pleasure in public recognition
• Enjoy striving against the odds
• Reject or argue with other’s appraisals of them
Fire
• Sound • Direction
– laugh – south
• Emotion • Opening
– joy – tongue
• Climate • Body Part
– heat – tongue
• Season • Zang/Fu
– summer – HT/SI - PC/TH
Fire
Fire constitution
“The Wizard”
• High energy, animated, enthusiastic
• Enjoys the pleasure of their senses
• Easily knows what others feel and think, empathic
• Enjoys physical contact and emotional intimacy
• Enjoys being moved emotionally
• Like very stimulating environments
• Share inner most feelings- sometimes share too much
information
• Live here and now
• See the humor in life
• Emotionally sensitive, responsive and intuitive
• Enjoy being attractive and magnetic
Earth
• Sound • Direction
– song – center
• Emotion • Opening
– sympathy – lips/gums
• Climate • Body Part
– humid – muscles
• Season • Zang/Fu
– late summer – SP/ST
Earth
Earth constitution
“The Peacemaker”
• Nurturing, supportive, sympathetic
• Loyal and accessible to others
• Puts needs of others before their own
• Enjoy being relied upon for help
• Enjoy socializing with family and friends
• Agreeable, accommodating, easy going
• Diplomatic and tactful
• Get involved in other people’s lives
• Help others work together in harmony
• Believe others opinions of them
• Enjoy maintaining many diverse and even
conflicting relationships
Metal
• Sound • Direction
– weeping – west
• Emotion • Opening
– grief – nose
• Climate • Body Part
– dry-cool – skin
• Season • Zang/Fu
– autumn – LU/LI
Metal
Metal constitution
“The Alchemist”
• Aloof, self contained
• Self control, easily restrain themselves
• Not overly involved in the affairs of others
• Neat and orderly, tasteful, discriminating
• Logical, analytical, systematic approaches to problem
solving
• Make judgments according to objective criteria
• Virtues and principles before pleasure and fulfillment
• Accept authority of those with more competence
• Content with a few close undemanding attachments
• Enjoy the process of solving puzzles and mysteries
• Work best in situations with defined goals and
guidelines
Water
• Sound • Direction
– groaning – north
• Emotion • Opening
– fear – ears
• Climate • Body Part
– cold – bones
• Season • Zang/Fu
– winter – KID/BL
Water
Water constitution
“The Philosopher”
• Considered unusual or eccentric
• Involved in intellectual pursuits
• Content being anonymous
• Keep feelings, thoughts and opinions to self
• Indulge their imagination and curiosity
• Choose privacy over intimacy, solitude over
socialization
• Cautious and sensible
• Enjoy frequent periods of solitude and introspection
• Like being on the periphery of social situations
• Critical and skeptical while observing people and
events from a distance
Each person contains
every element
You have all 5
elements but one FIRE
is usually
predominant
WOOD Earth
Also you have 5
phases to your
life that influence
YOU
the expression of
your constitution
over time
Water Metal
What is your predominant constitution?
WOOD
FIRE
Yang -extroverted, outward oriented, talkative
Earth
Yin -introverted, inward orientated, quiet
Water
Metal
Are you Wood?
Balanced Unbalanced Disorders
Confident Arrogant High blood pressure
Assertive Aggressive Irritable bowel
Bold Reckless syndrome
Ambitious Driven Irregular breathing
Competitive Antagonistic Migraines
Powerful Compulsive TMJ problems
Direct Impulsive Sexual dysfunction
Committed Fickle Substance abuse
Decisive Ambivalent Muscle cramps
Wood life challenges…
• Balancing intensity
• Exercising restraint
• Dealing with ambiguity
• Anger management
• Sharing with others
• Cooperating with others
“He whom others fear likewise
cannot but fear others” Lao Tzu
How can your Metal and Earth
Selves help you achieve balance?
Wood and Earth Balance
Cultivate your Earth Self to learn tact, teamwork,
sharing and the value of other’s opinions
Wood and Metal balance
Cultivate your Metal Self to develop
restraint, control and calmness
“In Excess Tonify the Grandparent”
Are you Fire?
Balanced Unbalanced Disorders
Lively Excitable Arrhythmias
Communicative Anxious Nervous exhaustion
Charismatic Seductive Insomnia
Optimistic Pollyanna Painful urination
Aware Confused Hypersexual
Tender Hypersensitive Tires easily
Empathic Sentimental Eczema
Enthusiastic Avid Thermoregulation
Devoted Selfish Addicted to stimulants
Fire life challenges
• Setting boundaries
• Giving space
• Dealing with separation
• Needing excess
stimulation
• Day dreaming
• Insomnia
• Excess dramas- being “Striving for an excess of
over emotional praise, one ends up
How can your Water and Metal without praise” Lao Tzu
Selves help you achieve balance?
Fire and Water Balance
To balance excess Fire cultivate your Water Self to learn how to enjoy
being alone and solitary quiet introspection (Tonify the Grandparent)
Fire and Metal Balance
Cultivate your Metal Self to achieve independence,
emotional control, self discipline and order
Are you Earth?
Balanced Unbalanced Disorders
Nurturing Overprotective Excessive appetite
Supportive Meddlesome Water retention
Relaxed Worried Hard to lose weight
Oriented Scattered Sticky saliva and
Sociable Crowding perspiration
Sympathetic Attached Puffy eyelids
Considerate Loss of identity Varicose veins
Agreeable Conforming Slow healing
Poised Precarious PMS
Attentive Overbearing Tooth decay
Earth life challenges
• Dealing with change
• Being disoriented Dried up Earth can no
• Too much self sacrifice
longer sustain life
• Inefficiency
• Ambivalence “A terrace nine layers high
• Maintaining identity starts from a basketful of
earth” Lao Tzu
• Developing independence
How can your Wood and
• Maintaining concentration Earth Selves help you
achieve balance?
Earth and Wood Balance
Cultivate your Wood Self (roots) to develop identity, strength and
assertiveness when being a “door mat”
Earth and Water Balance
Cultivate your Water Self to learn
solitude, self reliance and focus
Are you Metal?
Balanced Unbalanced Disorders
Methodical Ritualistic Constipation
Discerning Inflexible Stiff spine and posture
Scrupulous Perfectionist Dry cough
Accepting Prejudiced Dry skin, cracked nails
Neat Sloppy and lips
Calm Resigned Depression/sadness
Disciplined Strict Sinus Headache
Honorable Self righteous Respiratory disorders
Precise Dogmatic Moles and warts
Reserved Elusive Fear of intimacy
Metal life challenges..
• Rigidity “A tree that is inflexible
will snap” Lao Tzu
• Developing emotional
expression
• Developing intimacy
• Difficulty with authorities
• Anxiety with lack of order
How can your Fire and Wood
Selves help you achieve balance?
Metal and Fire
Balance
Cultivate your Fire Self to
develop intimacy, emotional
expression and spontaneity
Metal and Wood Balance
Cultivate your Wood Self to loosen your restraint and
develop the assertiveness necessary to deal with
authority figures
Are you Water?
Balanced Unbalanced Disorders
Candid Frightened Kidney and Bladder
Introspective Withdrawn stones
Modest Anonymous Osteoporosis
Watchful Voyeuristic Frigidity/Impotence
Objective Detached IVDD
Curious Scrutinizing Cold legs and feet
Sensible Pessimistic Anorexia
Careful Phobic Weak digestion
Particular Fussy Constipation
Thrifty Miserly Hypertension
Water life challenges…
“The sage does not
• Difficulty with sociability hoard, the more he does
• Too much introversion for others the more he
has himself” Lao Tzu
• Accepting some conformity
• Generosity
• Hypochondria
• XS Isolation
• Communication
• Trust
• Confidence
How can your Water and Earth
Selves help you achieve balance?
Water and Earth Balance
Cultivate your Earth Self to overcome extreme isolation, learn to
trust and develop sociability and generosity
Water and Fire Balance
Cultivate your Fire Self to add some spice to your life
(extroversion, sociability, communication and a little drama)
Shen (creation) Cycle
• The Wood is burned
by Fire to create
the Earth which
builds up into
mountains that
contain the Metals
and collect the
Water which feeds
the Wood.
Ke (control) Cycle
• The Earth can dam up
the Waters which can
dowse the Fire which
can melt the Metal
which can be formed
into axes to chop the
Wood which sends its
roots to hold the Earth.
TCM 24-hour Clock
LIV 1-3 AM
LU 3-5 AM
LI 5-7 AM
GB 11-1AM
TH 9-11 PM ST 7-9 AM
PC 7-9 PM SP 9-11 AM
KID 5-7 PM HT 11-1 PM
BL 3-5 PM SI 1-3 PM
TCM 8 Principles
• Depth of Disease
– Exterior -- Interior
• Nature of Disease
– Hot -- Cold
• Relative Strength of Body
vrs. Disease
– Excess -- Deficiency
• Overall Character
– Yang -- Yin
Zang/Fu (yin organ/yang
organ)
• Wife/Husband pairs
• Deals with Internal • Grandparent
Medicine Grandchild
• Mother Child – water is
grandparent of fire
– wood is mother of
fire
– earth is child of fire
Use of TCM Theory
• Balance is the key • For Deficiency
• Support constitutional --Treat parent
needs • For Excess --Treat
• Add treatments for grandparent
specific problem (local, • For Prevention - -
meridian or zang/fu) Treat grandchild
• Treat master points
6 Pathogens
• Wind
• Heat
• Summer Heat
• Cold
• Damp
• Dry
