Introduction
The Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) or Chinese Medicine is a healing art that was founded in China about 2000 years ago. Traditional Chinese Medicine is based on two principles. On the one hand on the Yin-Yang theory and on the other hand on the teaching of the five phases of transformation.
The Chinese developed these systems to be able to classify abstract and concrete things of the world. According to their conception, a person was healthy when the flow of the life energy Qi through the body is undisturbed. To the traditional Chinese medicine belong: In summary, one speaks of the five pillars of Traditional Chinese Medicine.
- Acupuncture and Moxibution
- Chinese drug therapy
- Chinese dietetics
- Qi Gong and Tai Chi
- Tuina Massage
As early as the 4th century, China tried to define all phenomena of the world by two interdependent but exactly opposite categories of all being. The change of ebb and flow for example; day and night; light and shadow; male and female; health and illness. Originally, Yin meant the shadow side of a mountain and Yang meant the sunny side of a mountain.
These opposites are symbolized by the well-known sign of the monad. A circular area divided by two areas of equal size, which are marked by contrasting colors (usually black and white). Each field has a point in the contrasting color, which is supposed to show that there is no perfect Yin or Yang, because where there is light, there is always shadow.
Some assignments to the terms Yin and Yang: Yang – Yin man – woman sky – earth day – night summer – winter outside – inside fever (heat) – cold (shivering) hyper, fullness – hypo, emptiness positive – negative back – belly left – right top – bottom movement – rest hollow organs – storage (full) organs skin, locomotor system – bowels doing – having ideals terms – material terms function – substance quantity – quality The goal of Traditional Chinese Medicine is to create a balance between Yin and Yang. Health is a harmonious state between Yin and Yang, illness an imbalance. In Traditional Chinese Medicine one tries to maintain this balance or, in case of illness, to restore the harmony.
This is done through proper therapy, in which, for example, one strengthens in weakness and eliminates in fullness, warms in cold and cools in heat. Therefore, the individual therapy methods are also divided into Yin and Yang. Plants, herbs and food are differentiated and classified according to Yin and Yang.
Nothing is really bad or extremely good. Because even apparently “bad” can heal and apparently extremely “good” can kill. In modern TCM, the opponents of the autonomous nervous system, the sympathetic (Yang) and parasympathetic (Yin) systems, are also projected into this system.
The Yin/Yang teaching for medicine knows 4 rules:
- Opposite: The constant struggle and change between Yin/Yang drives the change and development of all things – that means life.
- Dependence: Yang lives from Yin and vice versa. Each side forms the basis of existence for the other. Together they stand for life as such.
Applied to humans, the man corresponds to the Yang and the woman to the Yin. Reproduction and preservation of the species would be impossible without either of them.
- Complement and limitation: When the Yang retreats, the Yin increases. Applied to the daily rhythm, the maximum of Yang is around noon and that of Yin before midnight.
- Transformation: When the Yin reaches a maximum, it gradually becomes Yang and vice versa. In medicine this means “sudden change of symptoms”: if, for example, a severe, acute, febrile illness (Yang) leads to a weakening of the patient, then TCM speaks of a transformation from Yang syndrome to Yin syndrome.
