Concepts of Health
TCM Way

Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) is a system of healthcare and diagnosis practised by the Chinese for over 3,000 years. This system is based on the holistic concept that health is a balance of the forces and energies acting on a person, and disease or sickness is the result of a disruption to this balance.

So how can TCM concepts contribute to your wellbeing? TCM believes that in a worldview that everything in the universe is interdependent and mutually interacting. Central to this is the concept that a healthy life is a balanced one, and illness arises from a state of imbalance.

The fundamentals of TCM are embodied in a few major concepts, viz.:
a) Yin & Yang
b) Five Elements (Wood, Fire, Earth, Metal, Water)
c) Four Basic Substances (Qi, Xue, Jin, Yi)
d) Meridians (12 Meridians including 6 Yin Meridians and 6 Yang Meridians)
e) Zangfu System (including 6 Yin Organs and 6 Yang Organs)
f) Internal Causes of Disharmony (Anger, Joy, Grief, Pensiveness, Fear)
g) External Causes of Disharmony (Wind, Cold, Heat, Dampness, Dryness)
h) Miscellaneous Causes of Disharmony (Lifestyle factors including work, exercise, diet)

The balance and harmony of these fundamental factors are required for health and wellbeing. If Yin and Yang are in balance; if the production and control of the Five Elements are in harmony; if the Meridians and Zangfu systems are functioning smoothly, delivering sufficient Qi and Xue to every part of the body, then good health is to be enjoyed.

When imbalance sets in through external climatic changes, emotional imbalances, imbalanced diet, excessive sexual activity, over-exertion, stress, etc, our Vital Substances will be weakened and we’ll fall prey to illness.

Once you understand the fundamental concepts and live life based on these principles, then staying in the pink of health is easy. What follows will guide you through these principles.