yin and yang, health, healing, chinese medicine, wellness, taoism, acupuncture

Everyone has seen the above figure, but what does it really signify? Known as the Taijitu (“diagram of the Supreme Ultimate”), it is an ancient Chinese emblem that derives largely from Taoist philosophy. It illustrates the fundamental forces in the universe and helps us to understand and explain relationships, patterns, and constant change in the natural world. Depicting polar opposites that comprise a whole, the dynamic image exemplifies that everything has an optimal state of relative balance yet remains in perpetual motion.

The black portion of the circle represents Yin, whereas Yang is depicted by the white. The two contrasting parts complete a circle, and each swirl contains a portion of the other. Everything can be divided into yin and yang parts. For example, Night is Yin, Daytime is Yang. Yang is the more active, bright, energetic, positive, male aspect of things; Yin is passive or receptive, still, negative, female. Winter is Yin, Summer Yang. The theory behind the symbol states:

-         Everything is made up, by definition, of seemingly oppositional, yet complementary parts.

-         Yin and Yang can mutually create each other because they are interdependent

-         They can control one another, so if one is excessive, the other is deficient; they wax and wane together

-         They can transform into one another

Applications in Chinese Medicine

Chinese medicine approaches human health by looking at the anatomy, physiology, and pathology through the yin-yang lens. The body itself has designated yin and yang areas: the outside of the body is yang, the inside is yin. The organs are classified as either yin or yang; the substance of the body is yin (for example, blood and body fluids), whereas the function (energy or qi) is yang. The meridian channels are also divided into yin versus yang channels, in accordance with their location along the body. In pathology and treatment, a Chinese medicine diagnosis is categorized accordingly. For example, a patient with a rapid pulse, flushed face, and a high fever would have a yang-type illness. A listless, weak, cold, pale patient would have a yin-type illness. As with the dynamic forces in this paradigm, so too are patterns of disharmony: diseases and injuries ebb and flow throughout life; people develop illnesses and then recover. Yin-yang theory helps us not only to understand the nature of health and healing, but also to identify imbalances, diagnose, and eventually develop a treatment plan for any given patient to stimulate the healing process.

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