CHAPTER 1

THE TAO OF WELLNESS

The Naturalistic Philosophy
of Self-Healing

The sages of ancient times emphasized not the treatment of disease, but rather the prevention of its occurrence. To administer medicines to diseases that have already developed, and to suppress revolts that have already begun is comparable to the behavior of one who begins to dig a well after he has become thirsty and of one who begins to forge his weapons after he has already engaged in battle. Would these actions not be too late?

—THE YELLOW EMPEROR’S CLASSIC OF MEDICINE

 

FROM THE POINT OF VIEW OF WESTERN MEDICINE, health is merely the absence of disease. But with Wellness Medicine, it is possible to discover energy imbalances long before they turn into overt disease. Foreseeing and preventing disease before it manifests as painful or distressing physical and mental symptoms is the essence of Wellness Medicine. By taking a preventive route, you can consistently enjoy a feeling of well-being with an abundance of physical and mental energy.

I have helped patients who were not ill by Western medical standard, but who were suffering from fatigue, difficulty concentrating, body aches, and other symptoms that decreased their zest for life. Not sick enough to be bedridden but not well enough to enjoy a good quality of life, these patients are stuck in health limbo. By healing imbalances through diet, supplements, herbs, acupressure, mind-body exercise, and modification of lifestyle and mental habits, or through the use of acupuncture, bodywork, and other healing arts, you can not only eliminate the minor health problems that you have today but also spare yourself the consequences of developing diseases later on.

THE SUBTLE ESSENCE OF ALL CREATION
AND THE UNIVERSAL LAW

TO GAIN MASTERY OVER OUR LIVES and achieve optimal health, it is necessary to have a basic understanding of the nature of energy. Vital energy, life force, or qi—as the ancient Chinese referred to it—is formless, yet it is the subtle breath of life that permeates and vitalizes the universe. Energy envelops us and fills us. Just as a fish is unaware of the fact that it lives in water, we are unaware of the inexhaustible sea of energy that supports our lives. The Sun is an obvious expression of this energy. It provides fuel for plant life, it activates biological clocks in humans and other organisms, and its energy can even be converted to electricity for use in our homes and offices. But most of the energy around us is imperceptible—that is why we call it subtle energy.

Subtle energy gives birth to life. Everything that exists is an expression or projection of that energy in varying states or frequencies. Ancient cultures throughout the world recognized the subtle energy that circulates through the organs and muscles, and that permeates every tissue and cell of the body. It is the life force and the breath of life in all living organisms. The Hindus called it prana, the Hebrews called it ruach, and the Greeks called it psyche or pneuma. Human beings are the embodiment of all the different energies of the universe, including those of the Sun, the Moon, the stars, and the Earth. Acupuncture, for example, is a precise science that deals with the processing, storage, distribution, and functioning of vital energy in the human organism as well as the relationship of this energy with the cosmos. By stimulating acupoints on the body, acupuncture subtly affects the circulation of energy on profound psycho-physiological levels.

The Yellow Emperor, the father of Chinese medicine, wrote in The Yellow Emperor’s Classic of Medicine—which dates back nearly 5,000 years, and is the seminal work upon which all subsequent works on Chinese health and healing were based—“In Heaven there is qi and on Earth form. When the two interplay there is life.” Qi is the essence of the universe and the law of all movement. Without a basic understanding of qi, any medical treatment is at best incomplete.

When qi gathers, it is called matter. When qi diffuses, it is called space. When qi animates form it is called life. When qi separates and withdraws from form, it is called death. When qi flows, there is health. When qi is blocked, there is sickness and disease. Qi embraces all things, circulates through them, and sustains them. The planets depend on it for their light and motion, weather is formed by it, and seasons are caused by it. Qi activates and maintains all life.

We can now record and measure subtle energy. For instance, an electroencephalogram (EEG) records “noise” from brain waves that transmit signals from brain cells to tissues. Subtle energy is informational—that is, it carries a specific signal or message similar to how voices or data are carried by electrical current through copper wires or by bursts of light through fiber-optic cables. Our bodies are absorptive, reflective, and generative of informational energy fields. For example, studies show that when a qi gong master is emitting energy toward a subject, there is a consistent shift of EEG brain wave patterns to the alpha state in the subject. Energy animates all the processes of the body: the digestion and assimilation of the food we eat, the inhalation and exhalation of air, the circulation of blood, the dissemination of fluids throughout the body, and, finally, the excretion of waste products of our metabolism. The energy of the various organs also enables the five senses to perform their functions.

The energy in the human body does not have a fixed form. Sometimes it appears in clear, invisible forms. It can show up as thermal energy in fevers, or in a vaporized form in the moistening of the palms, or in an ionized state during the practice of mind-body exercises that affect energy circulation—especially tai chi. Under other conditions the energy is murky but visible, and it can appear in liquid states such as sweat, diarrhea, a runny nose, seminal and vaginal discharge, tears, or saliva, when your mouth is watering. The forms the energy takes depend on internal and external factors in your life and environment, such as your emotional state or the climate. Wellness Medicine treats and takes into consideration all the vital functions of a human being at the same time: physical energy, emotional energy, mental energy, willpower, and spiritual energy.

From the inner workings of the smallest cell or molecule to weather patterns and the movements of the planets in our solar system, all existence is regulated by the same cosmic principles, which are expressed through subtle energy. By understanding the evolution and cycles of energy movement that occur internally, we can gain insight into the nature of the universe. Similarly, through studying the nature of the universe, we can gain insight into our own inner nature. By bringing into the light the workings of subtle energy, we can reconnect with our nature and learn the art of rectifying imbalances in our relationship to the world.

For example, as diurnal creatures humans follow the cycle of the sun. We’re awake and productive during daylight hours and we rest at night. If we violate this natural order, we will surely become ill. Studies show that night-shift workers, whose most productive time is in opposition to the natural circadian rhythm, suffer higher rates of cancer and heart disease than those who work during the day. A patient of mine whose job keeps him awake most nights suffers from an irregular heartbeat with no apparent cause. His is a case in which his heart and body are out of sync with the natural law.

YIN AND YANG

THE YELLOW EMPEROR SAYS, “Yin/yang is the Way of Heaven and Earth, the fundamental principle of the myriad things, the father and mother of change and transformation, the root of inception and destruction.”

Ancient Chinese sages observed the cyclic phases of energy evolution and movement as the combination of two distinctly opposite yet complementary energetic states called yin and yang. The yin-yang system provides a basis for the analysis of all phenomena by sorting energy into two complementary groups. Creation may be viewed as the organization of the undifferentiated primal energy, polarizing the primal energy into the distinct yin and yang categories. The act of creation may be thought of as an expansion of the primal energy outward from a center. However, for organization to take place, there must also be a counterbalancing contractive force. If the centrifugal or contraction force (yin) and centripetal or expansion force (yang) were not equally balanced, nothing could exist. The structure of an atom illustrates the significance of this balance. If the tendency of the electrons to propel themselves away from the nucleus were not counterbalanced by the attractive force of the protons, the atom would disintegrate. On a much larger scale, this principle functions to hold together our solar system and the billions of galaxies in the universe.

There is no facet of life to which the forces of yin and yang do not apply. Yin and yang express the polar aspects and interrelationships of everything, and the balances of yin and yang are dynamic, not static. For instance, I use the principle of restoring yin-yang balance to help my patients with thyroid conditions—in the case of hypothyroid conditions there is excess yin, and in hyperthyroid conditions there is an excess yang. Likewise, yin or yang can be either deficient or excessive, as in my patients who are overnourished and obese or malnourished and anorexic—both are extreme states of yin and yang. So yin and yang represent two broad categories of opposites that complement each other, such as negative and positive, destructive and creative, inert and active, gross and subtle, actual and potential.

CORRESPONDENCES OF YIN AND YANG

These correspondences can continue ad infinitum.

In health and in disease prevention, the application of the universal law of yin and yang to everyday life will help you maintain balance and harmony. Yin and yang are akin to a scale. Take the simple example of body temperature. When you are cold, there is an imbalance tipping the scale toward yin. Your instinctive reaction is to warm up by, say, putting on more clothing to increase yang, tipping the scale back to balance. Or you could warm up by increasing circulation via exercise—movement is an expression of yang. Likewise, when your body is hot or feverish, cooling it off by drinking water, using an ice pack, or inducing perspiration will recalibrate the yin-yang scale from a yang-heavy imbalance to a balance between the two poles.

THE FIVE-ELEMENT NETWORK

THE EVOLUTION OF THE UNIVERSE is not a linear process. Beyond recognizing yin and yang, which describe the process of energy evolution and polarization, the ancient Chinese sages also discerned five basic types of energy transformation. They called the five phases water, wood, fire, earth, and metal. This system, which I will also refer to as the five-element network, provides a complete and systematic symbolism for the interrelationships and cyclical transformations of all existence.

Life is not static. Rather, all life processes are constantly fluctuating between complementary polarities, and there exists in nature a system of checks and balances. Homeostasis is the self-regulating system of controls that maintains the internal environment of living things, and that regulates the balance between the internal and the external. This self-regulation is where the five-element network comes in.

In nature we see homeostasis at work in the delicate cycle of ecology. The life-giving quality of water energy gives rise to forests of wood energy. Lightning strikes forests and engenders fire energy. Through this process the soil is enriched and layered, producing earth energy. Over time, glaciers that contain metal energy cover the earth. Finally, the glaciers melt and water is created all over again—the five-phase cycle of energy transformation begins anew. This is natural law at work.

However, when the natural order is disrupted—often as a result of human intervention—ecological homeostasis becomes threatened. Take the unnatural, rampant burning of rain forests to make room for farming and industry. The carbon dioxide produced by both the fire and the burning of fossil fuel by industry gives rise to global warming, causing the ice caps in Antarctica to melt prematurely. Sea levels rise around the world, threatening not just humans who live near the oceans but arctic flora and fauna, including polar bears, whose habitats are lost.

All living things are homeostatic, otherwise they could not survive. The more complex an organism is, the more vital the process of homeostasis is. When homeostasis fails, an organism suffers and ultimately dies. In humans, if the normal cycle of energy transformation is disturbed, sickness and disease appear. The fundamental goal of Wellness Medicine is the maintenance of homeostasis through yin-yang balance and the five phases of energy.

Each phase has both dynamic and static characteristics. The metal element, for example, when viewed as dynamic yields such actions as contracting, organizing, and changing. Viewed as static, the metal element is exemplified by tools, autumn, and the lung–large intestine network. (More on the different organ networks below.) Some actions associated with the dynamic aspect of the wood element are upward, expansive, and controlling, whereas in its static aspect, the wood element is represented by varieties of vegetation, spring, and the liver-gallbladder network. The water element in its dynamic state represents downward, enduring, and cooling actions. Its static form is represented by fluids, winter, and the kidney-bladder network. The fire element is exemplified in its active state as explosive, warming, and excitable, and in its static state as fire, summer, and the heart–small intestine and pericardium–triple warmer network. The earth element demonstrates its dynamic states through stability, maturity, and centering and its static state through mass, humidity, and the spleen-stomach network.

The energies embodied by an individual and the energies of the cosmos follow the same natural laws. Thus the principles of yin and yang and the five phases of energy evolution operate within the human body just as they do in the vast body of the cosmos. The ultimate function of the five-element network is to establish equilibrium of the yang and yin energies and to bring harmony to the entire universe. The five-element network forms a complete system, which is self-contained, self-regulating, and self-renewing.

The five-element network has a corresponding internal organ network: Wood corresponds with the liver and gallbladder; fire corresponds with the heart, small intestine, pericardium, and triple warmer (the thermal energy and fluid circulations within the body’s three cavities); earth corresponds with the spleen, pancreas, and stomach; metal corresponds with the lungs and large intestine; and water corresponds with the kidneys and bladder.

In applied Wellness Medicine practices such as acupuncture and herbal medicine, the five-element network is an important tool for the diagnosis and treatment of disease. It is also the basis for an understanding of how the organs interact with one another. Through important indications such as the condition of the eyes, skin, palms, tongue, facial tone, the intricate reading of the pulse waves at the wrist, and general inquiries about lifestyle and habits, a comprehensive view of your health can be obtained. In this way, disturbances in your energy system can be recognized before they manifest as acute symptoms, and the real causes of disease can be treated directly. I’ll show you how to take a complete inventory of your health in Chapter 2.

We can also apply yin and yang and the five-element network to mind and spirit. Mind and spirit are very subtle states of energy. Emotion is a heavier form of mental energy that can be expressed in various modes. Anger, for example, is a manifestation of the wood energy, fear of the water energy, sadness of the metal energy, worry of the earth energy, and joy and anxiety of the fire energy. When the emotions shift from one to another in response to various stimuli throughout the day, the energy flows smoothly and health is maintained. When a single emotion dominates, however, the creative cycle of the five-element network is disrupted, internal energies stagnate, and disease manifests.

CONSTITUTIONAL ARCHETYPES

BY USING THE FIVE-ELEMENT NETWORK AS A GUIDE, you can identify your personality and health tendencies and determine your constitutional archetype. Understanding your constitution will help you make necessary changes, both physically and in mind and spirit, enabling you to continuously improve your state of well-being.

WOOD ARCHETYPE

Facial Structure: Rectangular, muscular, and slightly green in complexion.

Personality Profile: Wood-archetype people tend to be highly motivated and have very strong personalities. Sometimes identified as the type A personality, they can appear to be high energy, confident, intense, smart, decisive, responsible, and authoritative. Therefore, wood-type people tend to command respect and make good managers, but they are also prone to stubbornness and inflexibility, and can be overbearing and controlling.

WOOD ELEMENT: RECTANGLE

Health Tendencies: Wood-archetype people are prone to conditions of the liver and the nervous system, affecting the brain, throat, bronchial passage, esophagus, and stomach. They tend to suffer from frequent headaches, eye disorders, nerve pain, neck and shoulder pain, throat constriction, acid reflux disorder, and high blood pressure. Spring is the season that corresponds to the wood element, so wood-archetype people tend to experience their illness during the windy season of spring.

FIRE ELEMENT: TRIANGLE

FIRE ARCHETYPE

Facial Structure: Triangular face that narrows at the chin with prominent features and slight reddish complexion.

Personality Profile: Fire-archetype people tend to be very passionate, excitable, sensitive, and impatient. They are very quick studies, have an eye for detail, and are driven, ambitious, and persistent but frustrate quickly and do not easily adapt to change. They tend to be sociable and articulate, but because of a strong ego they may have a hard time getting along with others. This may lead to loneliness.

Health Tendencies: Fire-archetype people tend to suffer from circulatory and cardiovascular problems such as hypertension and heart conditions, varicose and spider veins, anxiety, insomnia, excess worry, palpitations, stress, neck and shoulder tightness and soreness, toothache, constipation, and menstrual problems in women. The season that affects their health the most is summer, with its hot weather adding fuel to the fire.

EARTH ARCHETYPE

Facial Structure: Oval, full, fleshy, and slightly yellow in complexion.

Personality Profile: This type is sincere, easygoing, giving, and nurturing. Thus earth-archetype people make friends easily. They act in a conservative, deliberate, methodical way and tend not to be initiators. They are also imaginative but prone to overintellectualization. Because of their easygoing personality, they may at times become pushovers.

EARTH ELEMENT: OVAL

Health Tendencies: The earth-type person tends to have digestive and intestinal problems, including disorders of the pancreas, stomach, spleen, and large and small intestines. Conditions may include stomach and duodenal ulcer, inflammation of the intestines, diarrhea, constipation, bloating, water retention, weak muscles, and low energy. Late summer or monsoon summer is associated with the earth element, so earth types tend to experience imbalances during the wet season.

METAL ARCHETYPE

Facial Structure: Round, wide shape with a prominent nose, and fair in complexion.

Personality Profile: Metal-archetype people tend to be intellectual, articulate, rational, meticulous, and very organized. When they focus their energy on a single task, they are persistent and often successful to the end. But because they are often optimistic and able to see the myriad possibilities, excessive deliberating coupled with a curious nature can cause them to change their minds easily, spread themselves too thin, and become scattered and unfocused. They tend to overexert and because they are so good at what they do, they tend to become obsessive and overextended. They are easily influenced by others. However, metal people are often motivated by the prospect of self-improvement.

Health Tendencies: Metal-type people are prone to respiratory conditions such as sinusitis, allergies, asthma, and laryngitis, as well as colitis and upper back pain. They are also prone to colds and flu as well as skin trauma, and they are sensitive to diseases of the mouth, teeth, skin, and bone marrow. Metal people will most likely experience imbalances or flare-ups during autumn, with its falling leaves and drying weather.

METAL ELEMENT: ROUND

WATER ARCHETYPE

Facial Structure: Square, filled-out face, large ears, and dark complexion.

WATER ELEMENT: SQUARE

Personality Profile: Water-type people tend to possess leadership qualities and are able to rally others to their cause. They like to please others and they get along with most people. Water-type people have amazing willpower and endurance, and are hard-working to boot. However, they can appear to be timid at times, hesitant and unsure of themselves. Therefore, water-type people can become too dependent on others or become extreme in their decision making, alienating those around them.

Health Tendencies: Water-archetype people tend to be prone to urinary-genital and reproductive problems with the kidneys, bladder, urinary tract, ovaries, testes, hormonal system, impotence, and infertility, as well as lower back and aging issues. Winter is the season connected with the water element, and water people tend to get sick during the cold weather of winter.

THE FIVE ELEMENTS AND THE HUMAN ORGAN NETWORKS

THERE ARE VAST DIFFERENCES BETWEEN HOW Western medicine and Eastern medicine understand the functioning of the body. Western medicine looks at the human body as a structure that may be taken apart like a piece of machinery to determine how it works. This approach implies that the form brings about the function. The Eastern approach, on the other hand, deals with an individual life as an interrelationship of body, mind, and spirit.

From this perspective we recognize that in the natural development of human life, all structure and form follow from function. Wellness Medicine deals not just with fixed, tangible entities but with functional systems, much as the immune system, which involves actions of the spleen, bone marrow, and the lymphatic and other glands, does. It is these energy systems in the body that enable a person to breathe, digest food, move, and think. The dynamic interplay of these energies is responsible for all the functions and expressions of the body, mind, and spirit.

When I use the term “organ,” I’m not simply referring to an anatomical entity but rather to a functional energy network, which may or may not, as in the case of the triple warmer, include a physical counterpart. Therefore, statements about a certain organ network can under no circumstances be made to agree completely with statements about the corresponding organ in Western medicine.

Each organ represents a specific phase in the cycle of energy evolution, so the definition of an organ is not limited to just the physical organ within the body. It also includes the physical, emotional, and spiritual qualities of the person, as well as the organ’s correspondences in the external universe according to the five-element network. The ancient understanding of these correspondences laid the foundation for healing with diet, color, and sound.

Since each element corresponds to a particular energy frequency that is affected by light and sound energies, colors and sounds have been used to help balance the energy within each element or organ network. For example, wood (liver) network disorders can show up as vision problems. By having patients visualize the color green or look at dense greenery, the eye muscles will often relax and vision may improve. Analyzing the content of a patient’s dreams can also be a valuable diagnostic tool because dreams frequently reveal the nature of disturbances in body, mind, and spirit.

THE HEART–SMALL INTESTINE NETWORK

The heart sphere is the control center of the body. It includes the invisible mind and the visible organ, the heart. It is considered the sovereign ruler of the body because it is the residence of the directing energy called shen, the spirit or divine energy of the individual. Shen participates in and regulates the activities of all the other spheres of the entire being. The heart sphere directs the working of the blood vessels and the pulses. When the energy of this sphere ascends upward to the brain, it functions as the mind. When it descends downward to the other organs, it functions as the balancing center of the organism.

Bitter is the corresponding flavor of the heart sphere, scarlet is its color, and the scorched smell is its corresponding odor. The sound of “hah” activates the heart. The heart and mind correspond with the faculty of speech. The emotions that correspond with the heart sphere are joy or pleasure and love. Laughter is its corresponding vocal expression. If the energy of the heart sphere is disturbed, it may express itself in the following dream themes (taken from The Yellow Emperor’s Classic of Medicine): “If the energy in the heart is exhausted, in dreams one will look for fire and yang things. At the right moment one even dreams of fire and blazes,” or “If the heart energy is abundant, one easily laughs in dreams or is afraid; or one may see blazing flames. If there is an acute deficiency of energy in the heart, in one’s dream there may appear hills of ashes and gray mountains.”

The small intestine corresponds with the fire phase in the cycle of energy evolution. It has the same general correspondences as the heart sphere, which is its paired sphere. Its main function is to separate the pure nutritive energy from the impure, and to transport the waste downward. If the energy of the small intestine is disturbed, it may be evidenced by the following dream theme from The Yellow Emperor: “If an extreme deficiency of energy exists within the small intestine, one will dream of populous town districts and of main thoroughfares.”

Diseases of the heart–small intestine network, which includes the mind and the anatomical organ of the heart, tend to produce the following symptoms: fearfulness, trembling in the heart, insomnia, general restlessness, mumbling to oneself, dizziness and fainting spells, constipation, abdominal pain, diarrhea, blood in the urine, painful urination, excessive sadness, or sometimes raucous, incessant laughter. Because the heart sphere is the master of the other spheres, any disease affecting it will quickly disturb all other functions.

THE PERICARDIUM–TRIPLE WARMER NETWORK

The pericardium sphere has two functions: to protect the heart sphere and to maintain the order of its energy. The anatomical correspondence of the pericardium sphere is the fatty membrane that encases the heart. Like the heart sphere, the pericardium corresponds with the fire phase in the cycle of energy evolution. Yet whereas the heart and its paired sphere, the small intestine, are known as the “emperor fire,” the pericardium and its paired energy network, the triple warmer, are known as the “ministerial fire.” All of the fire spheres share the same general correspondences according to the five phases of energy evolution.

The triple warmer corresponds with the fire phase in the cycle of energy evolution. Its paired organ is the pericardium and it shares the same general correspondences as the other three fire spheres. The triple warmer is not a single organ, but rather a group of physiological functions involving three groups of organs. The upper warmer involves the lungs and the heart; the middle warmer involves the stomach, spleen, and liver; and the lower warmer involves the kidneys, large and small intestines, and bladder. Although the triple warmer does not have a separate organ, its energy network extends through the membranes of the body cavities. The membranes combined with the fat deposits provide a protection for the organs and regulate body temperature. The triple warmer holds and adjusts the heat necessary for the various processes of energy transformation that take place in the body. It also influences the supply of subtle energy, blood, and other fluids for the muscles, skin, and the other eleven organ spheres. It is involved with the regulation of the body’s energy network in the form of thermal energy circulation, which flows parallel to the circulation of the lymphatic fluid, blood, and other liquid energies. The triple warmer is the source of the body’s protective energy. The corresponding sound for the triple warmer is “hee.” A disturbance of the pericardium–triple warmer network may express itself in the following dream themes from The Yellow Emperor’s Classic of Medicine: “If an extreme deficiency exists, one dreams of falling, and if excess is present, then one dreams of flying.”

Disease of the pericardium–triple warmer network is evidenced by symptoms of dizziness, loss of voice, delirium, fever, chills, and hot, burning urination.

THE LIVER–GALLBLADDER NETWORK

The main functions of the liver are to cleanse and regulate the supply of blood to the rest of the body and to maintain the body’s defense mechanisms. The liver also regulates the functions of the nervous system and is the storehouse of secondary energy. When a person is easily fatigued, it indicates that his or her liver energy is depleted and must be restored by food and rest. The liver sphere corresponds with the wood phase in the cycle of energy evolution. The sour flavor corresponds with the liver, as does the color green and the smell of urine. Its corresponding sound is “shih.” The liver outwardly manifests itself in the nails. The specific body openings and the corresponding senses are the eyes. By observing the appearance of the nails and the sharpness of sight, we may gather information about the functional condition of this sphere. Tears are the secreted fluid that is a manifestation of the energy of the liver.

The emotion that corresponds with the liver is anger. Shouting is its corresponding vocal expression. If the energy of the liver is exhausted, one will be overcome by fear; if it is excessive, by anger. If the energy of the liver is disturbed, it may be expressed in the following dream topics from The Yellow Emperor: “If the energy is exhausted in dreaming, one will see mushrooms. At the right moment one has the sensation of lying under a tree and not daring to get up,” or “If the energy is deficient and the direction of its flow is hence reversed, one dreams of trees in a mountain forest.”

The gallbladder participates in digestion and the transformation of nutrients. It corresponds with the wood phase of energy evolution. Its paired sphere is the liver; thus, it shares the liver’s same general correspondences. A disturbance of gallbladder energy may express itself in dreams: “If an extreme deficiency exists in the gallbladder, one dreams of being engaged in fights and battles or that one cuts open one’s own body.”

Diseases of the liver-gallbladder network tend to produce the following symptoms: outbursts of anger, impatience, migraine or tension headaches, dizziness, redness of the face and eyes, blurred vision, glaucoma, abdominal pain and bloating, nausea, belching, and soft, ridged nails.

THE SPLEEN-PANCREAS-STOMACH NETWORK

In the Chinese medical system, the spleen includes functions that according to Western physiology are attributed to the pancreas. The primary function of the spleen is to control the transformation, distribution, and storage of nourishment and energy for the entire body. In other words, it is intimately associated with the digestive system of conventional physiology. The spleen works in conjunction with the stomach, its paired yang sphere, to perform the role of digestion and absorption. The spleen also transforms the liquid from food and distributes it to the other organs for absorption. The physiological function of the spleen is the regulation of blood volume. It stores the nourishing energy of the body and it has an essential role in both imagination and creativity.

The spleen corresponds with the earth phase of energy evolution. The flavor corresponding to the spleen is sweet; the color is yellow; the smell is fragrant. “Hoo” is its corresponding sound. The extension of the energy of the spleen is the muscle fat and its outward manifestation is the lips. Its corresponding body opening is the mouth and its sense organ is the tongue. Saliva is a manifestation of the energy of the spleen.

The emotions that correspond with the spleen are worry and obsession. Singing is its vocal manifestation. If the energy of the spleen is disturbed, it may be expressed in the following dream topics from The Yellow Emperor: “If the energy of the spleen is exhausted, one dreams of lacking food and drink. At the right moment one dreams of erecting walls and buildings,” or “If the energy is abundant in the spleen, one dreams that one chants and plays music, yet one’s body is heavy and one cannot rise. If acute deficiency of energy exists, in one’s dream there appear hills and marshes, ruined buildings and storms.”

The stomach is referred to as the sea of nourishment. It governs digestion. The spleen, which is its paired sphere, is in charge of distributing and circulating the essences from the food. Because of the stomach’s central position and the importance of its role as the depository of nourishment for the body, any disease of the stomach will quickly be reflected in the other organs in the network. The stomach corresponds with the earth phase in the cycle of energy evolution. It shares the same general correspondences as its paired organ, the spleen. A disturbance of the stomach energy may be expressed in the following dream theme: “If an extreme deficiency exists in the stomach energy, one dreams of eating and drinking.”

Imbalance in the spleen-pancreas-stomach network tends to produce the following symptoms: indigestion, acid reflux, abdominal pain, bloating and distention, lack of appetite, diarrhea, constipation, and tiredness.

THE LUNG–LARGE INTESTINE NETWORK

The lung represents the respiratory system, and influences not only the rhythm of the pulse but all energetic processes in the body as well. The breathing function and the energy exchange it has with the external world are both fundamental factors in human life. More important, the lung represents the first line of defense against invading pathogens. Its corresponding organ, the large intestine, also functions in synchrony within the crucial function of immunity. The lung corresponds with the metal phase of energy evolution. Hot, spicy flavors correspond with it, as does the color white and the smell of raw fish. “Si” is its corresponding sound. The paired yang sphere of the lungs is the large intestine. The extension of the energy of the lungs is the skin and its external manifestation is body hair. The corresponding body opening as well as its sense organ is the nose. Consequently, the bodily fluid that corresponds with the lungs is the mucus secreted by the nose.

The emotion that corresponds with the lungs is sorrow or grief. Weeping is its corresponding vocal expression. If the energy of the lungs is disturbed, it may be expressed in the following dream: “If the energy of the lungs is exhausted, this causes white objects to appear in dreams, or cruel people,” or “If there is an excess of energy in the lungs one will be frightened in dreams, cry or soar through the air. If there is an extreme deficiency of lung energy, one dreams of soaring through the air or sees strange objects made out of metal.”

The large intestine functions as a means by which food is assimilated and food residue passed. It is in charge of transporting and transforming these residues. The large intestine is responsible for the elimination and absorption of fluids. It also corresponds with the metal phase in the cycle of energy evolution. It is paired with the lung and shares its general correspondences. If the energy of the large intestine is disturbed, it may be expressed in the following dream themes: “If an extreme deficiency in the large intestine exists, one dreams of fields and rural landscapes.”

Imbalance of the lung–large intestine network tends to show up as: cough, asthma, sinus problems, shortness of breath, constipation, skin breakouts, allergies, and food intolerances.

THE KIDNEY-BLADDER NETWORK

The kidney has two functions: to control the fluid in the body and to store essence. There are two kinds of essence that the kidneys store. The first is the essence derived from food and air and is the basic nourishment of life. This can be released on demand to any organ within the network. The second kind of essence that the kidneys store is reproductive essence, the basic substances of human reproduction. These essences are formed from the action of the prenatal, inherited energy upon the energy refined from food.

The kidneys correspond with the water phase of energy evolution. Salty flavor corresponds with it, as does the color black and the odor of decay. The sound “foo” is its corresponding sound. The kidneys correspond with the sense of hearing, and the paired organ of the kidneys is the bladder. The extension of the energy of the kidneys within the body is to the bone and marrow. The kidneys outwardly manifest their energy in the hair of the head. The corresponding body openings are the urethra and the anus, and the sense organ is the ears. The bodily fluid that is a manifestation of the kidney energy is urine.

The emotion that corresponds with the kidneys is fear. Groaning is its corresponding vocal expression. If the energy of the kidneys is disturbed, it may be expressed in the following dreams: “If the energy of the kidneys is exhausted, this causes ships and boats and drowning men to appear in one’s dreams. One dreams of lying in the water and becomes frightened,” or “If there is an excess of energy in the kidneys, in dreaming one has the sensation that the back and waist are split apart and can no longer be stretched. If an extreme depletion exists, one dreams of approaching a ravine, plunging into water, or being in the water.”

Excess fluids of the body convene and are stored in the bladder. Some excess fluid will be evaporated as sweat or passed out with the feces, but most will descend to the bladder for evacuation. The bladder corresponds with the water phase in the cycle of energy evolution. It is paired with the kidney sphere and shares its general correspondences. If the bladder energy is disturbed, it may express itself in the following dream themes: “If an extreme deficiency of energy in the bladder exists, in dreams one takes walks and excursions.”

Diseases of the kidney-bladder network tend to produce the following symptoms: sexual disorders, irregular menstruation, deterioration of the bones, lumbago, weak extremities, impaired hearing, forgetfulness, frequent urination (especially at night), incontinence, and water retention.

CAUSES OF DISHARMONY AND DIS-EASE

TWO FACTORS ARE NECESSARY FOR ILLNESS TO MANIFEST: A disease-causing influence and a receptive host. A receptive host is a body that is unprotected and weak enough to allow the influence to damage it. Causes of disharmony are either external or internal.

External causes are usually atmospheric factors that attack a person from the exterior. These climatic pathogens are associated with a particular season: spring is the season for wind, summer for heat and fire, Indian summer for dampness, fall for dryness, and winter for coldness. Each climatic pathogen has an affinity for one of the five-element organ networks. Each organ network is particularly vulnerable to disease during its corresponding season according to the five phases of energy evolution.

I had a sixty-four-year-old patient with the metal constitutional archetype. This element corresponds to the lung–large intestine network and autumn, and the patient would develop bronchitis every fall that sometimes was so severe that, despite the consistent use of antibiotics, it turned into pneumonia on three separate occasions. I worked on strengthening the metal element organ network, which included her respiratory and immune systems, with acupuncture and herbs. I also targeted her earth element. Earth is the source for the metal element, which involves the digestive system. After changing her diet, teaching her simple mind-body metal-element exercises, and putting her in a grief support group to help with the recent loss of her husband, she has remained free of respiratory problems for the past three years.

Although the types of pathogenic factors I’ve mentioned are prevalent in specific seasons, they exist in all seasons. This brings up the question of whether Wellness Medicine recognizes the existence of infectious microorganisms like bacteria, viruses, and fungi and their roles in illness. The answer is yes. But instead of chasing down the tens and thousands of different strains of microbes with specific treatments, our approach is to treat the body’s reaction to any invading aggressor. By categorizing the body responses based on the yin-yang energetic polarity and the five-element organ network model, the balance can be restored in a predictable fashion because all phenomena, even microbes, are governed by the same universal law.

Characteristics of a wind attack involve fever and chills, body aches, headache, congestion, and a sudden onset of the condition. Heat invasion creates fever, red face or body rash, thirst, scant and dark urine, and agitation. Cold penetrates and causes chills, paleness, abdominal and joint pain, back pain, frequent and clear urination, loose stools, and fatigue. Dampness seeps and leaves one feeling heavy, swollen, easily tired, and short of breath, with stiff body and joints, loss of appetite, nausea, and diarrhea. Dryness pervades and leads to parched eyes, nostrils, mouth, throat, and skin, dry cough, thirst, and dry stools. Summer heat is season-specific and often attacks without warning, causing fever, irritability, nausea, diarrhea, appetite drop, heaviness, and, in extreme cases, delirium.

Internal causes of illness are primarily related to emotional damage. Emotional damage weakens the organ whose energy is responsible for generating the emotion, which in turn causes imbalance and disorder in the other organs within the five-element organ network. Emotional stress can cause stagnation of energy flow, leading to functional imbalance and ultimately physical breakdown. Many cancer conditions may have their origin in a psychoemotional imbalance. On a typical day, I work with a number of oncologists to help cancer patients cope with their chemotherapy and radiation treatments. I have observed that many of these patients possess the type C personality: They are emotionally depressed and anxious, and they have difficulty letting go of negative experiences and memories. Wellness Medicine considers emotional well-being an essential indicator of health.

Other causes of illness include faulty diet, excessive exertion, toxins, traumatic injuries, animal-and insect-borne diseases (parasitic), hereditary factors, mechanical or radiation damage, and epidemics. Any disturbance of the natural balance of the body, if allowed to continue, will create a state of ill health, ultimately shortening the natural life span.

A HEALING PARTNERSHIP

“A SUPERIOR PHYSICIAN TREATS A PATIENT BEFORE HE IS SICK. A mediocre physician treats a patient as the illness has just begun. An inferior physician treats an illness after it has manifested,” says the Yellow Emperor.

I want to make it clear that I do not advise you to exclude Western medicine from your health program. Even if you understand the benefits of a preventive approach to health and you prefer to use Wellness Medicine most of the time, I recommend that you still have regular Western medical checkups. By taking regular health inventories, you can discover most problems at a beginning stage, but there is no replacement for good medical expertise. It is important to put together a team of health care practitioners whose personal character and philosophy of healing you respect and have confidence in. Your team may include an exercise coach or trainer, a Wellness Medicine practitioner, an open-minded medical doctor, a nutrition expert, a psychospiritual counselor or teacher, and a community of family members and friends who support you in your quest for health and wellness.

Health care is based around an individual, so your practitioners should be professionals who are sensitive to your needs, can personalize your care, and are capable of establishing a long-term rapport with you. Don’t forget that this person is your partner in health; he or she is there for you, and you want to cultivate that relationship effectively. In the West most people don’t think about seeing a doctor until they are sick. Well, that is too late. The Chinese philosophy is to develop a relationship with your doctor in which you work together regularly so that you never get to the point where you require drastic medical care. That is simply good health policy.

In ancient China doctors did not get paid when patients got sick. Doctors were paid regularly to maintain the health of their patients. Don’t wait until you are ill to establish a relationship with your practitioner. Preventive care and health maintenance are also sound financial policy for the individual and for society. The majority of people spend more money on their health care in the last two weeks of their life than during their whole lifetime. Often society ends up footing the bill. Find a practitioner, form a long-term relationship, and tell him or her that you want to be informed and learn how to maintain health and wellness so that you can take a proactive, preventive approach to your health care. Tell your practitioner, “When I have questions I want to be able to call you and get your advice over the phone, or when I have a problem I need to be able to come in quickly so that we can treat an imbalance or a problem when it’s still small.” Prevention is truly the best medicine.