The doctor of the future will give no medicine, but will interest her or his patients in the care of the human frame, in a proper diet, and in the cause and prevention of disease.

—Thomas Edison

CHAPTER 4

It’s Elemental

The trees (or Wood), the sun (or Fire), the Earth, Metal, and Water. For the Chinese, these five elements are what make up all of existence. They play a role in nature and in our health. Without a sound balance of all five elements, each of them doing their part, and interacting and supporting each other, we cannot live a balanced life.

So what does this have to do with being happy?

Just as the yin and yang theory is an integral part of TCM, the 5-element theory is also very important in helping you decide which foods are best for your whole body health. Each of the elements—Wood, Fire, Earth, Metal, and Water—is related to specific organs, illnesses, and emotions. As with most Chinese medical theories, the 5-element theory is based on the natural cycles of nature and the body. Each of the five elements is closely related to pairs of organs, one organ being a yin organ, the other yang.

Each element is also connected to particular emotions—anger, heartbreak, worry, grief, and fear—as well as a specific season, tastes, colors, and even planets. The Earth element, for example, is paired with the spleen and the stomach, and related to overthinking, late summer, sweet tastes, the color yellow, and (not surprisingly) planet Earth. Much of the time, it is a good idea to eat foods that bear the same color as the color associated with the organ/element. Thus, a naturally occurring color like the yellow of squash is great for the Earth element, and the spleen and stomach. As you will learn, black is the key color for the Water element, so black beans nourish the kidneys and bladder and help fix Water imbalances, as well as address fear and anxiety.

What is meant by the taste of an element? If you have a weakness of a certain element/organ, you might crave certain tastes or flavors, and foods with this specific flavor will benefit or worsen your condition. The tastes associated with 5-element theory are sour, sweet, bitter, spicy, and salty. But remember that the sweetness found in most sugary items and the saltiness in processed foods are not beneficial. Sorry! Only naturally occurring flavors and tastes support wellness.

For example, when your Water element is weak or imbalanced, you may crave salty foods. You might suffer from anxiety and have low back pain or ringing in the ears. Salty foods (as long as it’s not from excess or chemically processed salt, such as monosodium glutamate or refined table salt) will benefit your kidneys. But remember, bacon, pizza, and potato chips will impair your kidneys and bladder. Naturally salty sea vegetables, such as seaweed—nori and kelp—would be good for someone with a Water imbalance.

Once again, please keep in mind that saying an organ is imbalanced doesn’t necessarily mean the actual organ. So don’t worry if you have symptoms of a liver, or Wood, imbalance. An actual problem with the organ in question should only be determined by consulting your physician.

I’ll be using the terms manifests, benefits, and opens to in relation to an organ and its associations with other parts of the body. What do I mean by this? When an organ or element is out of whack, it will present itself in ways we’re not used to connecting in our Western mind-set. One example is that a heart imbalance can manifest on the tongue, which may cause speech issues like a lisp or an inability to get words out, or even muteness. You may also recognize this by a lack of joy in your life. A Wood imbalance may be noticeable by a presence of anger and can cause blurry vision or dry eyes, because the liver “opens to” the eyes in TCM.

The chart on p. 23 gives a quick overview of what each element represents. Let’s delve in deeper and see what they’re all about.

5 Elements

	WOOD	FIRE	EARTH	METAL	WATER
Viscera	Liver	Heart	Spleen	Lung	Kidney
Bowels	Gall Bladder	Small Intestine	Stomach	Large Intestine	Urinary Bladder
Five Sense Organs	Eye	Tongue	Mouth	Nose	Ear
Five Tissues	Tendon	Blood Vessel	Muscle	Skin & Hair	Bone
Emotions	Anger, Frustration, Resentment	Joy	Overthinking	Grief	Fear
Season	Spring	Summer	Late Summer	Autumn	Winter
Environment	Wind	Heat	Dampness	Dryness	Cold
Sound	Calling Sound	Laughing	Singing	Crying	Deep Sighing
Color	Green	Red	Yellow	White	Black
Taste	Sour	Bitter	Sweet	Spicy	Salty
Direction	East	South	Middle	West	North
Time of Day	11 p.m. - 3 a.m.	11 a.m. - 3 p.m.	7 a.m. - 11 a.m.	3 a.m. - 7 a.m.	3 p.m. - 7 p.m.

Wood

Let’s start with the Wood element, which is related to the liver (yin) and gallbladder (yang). Wood is associated with spring; it is a time for rebirth. This is easy to remember: Think about trees and their growth during this time. People who have a weak Wood element tend to have their symptoms aggravated or get sick more often at this time of year. The taste associated with Wood is sour, and the color is green. The main emotions associated with Wood are anger, frustration, and resentment. Dark, leafy greens such as kale, broccoli, and spinach support the Wood element and can help balance these emotions. This is another example of how ahead of its time Chinese nutrition has always been, especially when compared with Western nutrition, which now accepts that dark greens support the liver and help flush out toxins.

Case Study: Steven was an active alcoholic looking for help in getting sober. He had recently been diagnosed with cirrhosis of the liver after blood found in his stools sent him to the hospital for tests. While Steven would drink a fifth of vodka before going to work every morning, he definitely wasn’t your stereotypical drunk. He was the CEO of a major corporation, divorced with one child, and worked out six days a week. Steven was known for his fits of rage, but somehow this didn’t keep him from being highly respected in his field. He came in to see me also complaining of high blood pressure and cholesterol, fatigue, yellowing of the skin, and occasional disorientation, which he attributed to intoxication. While his alcoholism was a cause, from the perspective of TCM, he suffered from an imbalance in the Wood element. My first food suggestion for Steven was to drink a green juice three times a day to aid in his detoxification and support his liver. His green juice consisted of celery, spinach, kale, romaine lettuce, cucumber, an apple, cilantro, parsley, and ginger. Steven kept to his sobriety and now lives free from the anger he used to spew out onto everyone around him.

Fire

The heart and small intestines are the yin and yang organs, respectively, of Fire. Summer is the season of Fire, which is easy to remember since it’s the hottest time of year. It is a time for growth, and those with a weak Fire element will have their symptoms worsen during the summer months. The associated taste is bitter, and the color is red. Heartache and lack of joy affect the Fire element. Red fruits like strawberries and pomegranates nourish the heart and work to appease these emotions.

Case Study: After the death of his wife of forty-five years, Benjamin’s heart was broken into a million pieces. Benjamin said he experienced chest pain constantly, but his doctors said his heart was fine. He was a very stoic, old-fashioned guy who didn’t like to share or express his feelings with anyone. But Benjamin was so distraught over the loss of his wife that he opened up to me. I recommended he eat beets, radish, red bell peppers, and saffron, all foods designed to nourish his heart. Benjamin slowly started to heal and eventually met a girlfriend he adored.

Earth

The organs associated with the Earth element are the spleen (yin) and stomach (yang). Earth’s season is late summer, notably the transition of summer to fall, the time of harvest. People with a weak Earth element will experience more symptoms during this time of year. Worry, overthinking, and obsessive thoughts can weaken the Earth element. The Earth element has a corresponding color of yellow and is sweet in taste. Mangoes, oranges, and peanuts all support and strengthen this element.

Case Study: Sugar addicts all have weakened spleens. Did the weak spleen come first, causing the cravings? Or did overindulging in sugar cause a weak spleen? It’s hard to say for sure. Sally drank two liters of soda every day and usually enjoyed a dessert with lunch and dinner. She was a Type II diabetic and diagnosed with obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD). Sally literally couldn’t stop worrying. She spent hours every day concerned about germs and whether her home was locked. Sally was even thinking of quitting her job to avoid getting sick and to make sure her house was safe. It’s no wonder she had a sickly spleen. Getting Sally off sugar took a while, but once she quit, her OCD symptoms lessened.

Metal

The element of Metal is also paired with two organs, the lungs holding the yin, and large intestines holding the yang. Metal is connected to fall, the time of transformation and shedding old habits. The affiliated taste is pungent or spicy; the color is white. People with a weak Metal element are prone to being sick during the fall. Grief and sadness can also cause an imbalance in the lungs and large intestine. Pears are a healthy and delicious way of healing the Metal element.

Case Study: Laurence was the prime example of someone whose cravings were the result of his health problems. He loved spicy food. He would put hot sauce, peppers, or cayenne pepper on everything—even foods you wouldn’t think to make spicy, like tuna salad or macaroni and cheese. He bought jalapeños like there would soon be a shortage. Laurence also had several health issues that made sense when viewed as an imbalance in his Metal element. He had suffered from asthma and eczema since he was a toddler. He had bronchitis every November for as long as he could remember. Laurence also suffered from irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), with abdominal cramping and painful diarrhea daily. He knew the spicy foods were probably aggravating his IBS, but he couldn’t help himself. After about a month of treatments Laurence shared that he never resolved the death of his father when he was six years old. He knew logically that it was OK to move on, but he just couldn’t. With all of his lung and large intestine concerns, it was no wonder he loved his peppers. I suggested he eat sweet potatoes, kale, spinach, tofu, cabbage, miso soup, and oranges regularly. As he got healthier, the need to continually burn his mouth lessened.

Water

In TCM terms, this element is related to the kidneys and the bladder, which are the yin and yang organs of Water. The color of the Water element is black, and its taste is salty. It correlates to winter—the time to go inside, rest, and get ready for rebirth in spring. Fear and anxiety are the main emotions related to the kidneys and bladder, which can be helped by eating black foods such as wild rice and black sesame seeds.

Case Study: Anxiety is one of the more common concerns I see in my clinic. Helen was diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder and anxiety after serving in Iraq, where she’d seen things no one should have to see. Her anxiety made it almost impossible for her to function normally. She also ate salty, fried foods at every meal. Hash browns, french fries, potato chips, mozzarella sticks, and lots of Chinese food were her staples, which falls right in line with how TCM looks at food cravings relating to specific organs and emotions. Helen’s Water element was so weak from her experience as a soldier that she wanted salt all the time, which harmed her health. Overconsumption of white table salt and monosodium glutamate was making her Water element weaker and the cravings even stronger. She should eat only naturally occurring salty foods such as seaweed, celery, or artichoke. After I explained to Helen why she craved all this salt, she switched to seaweed snacks and celery sticks to satisfy her salt cravings, and we got her anxiety a little bit under control.

The basic information in this chapter should help you understand the 5-element theory and its relation to Chinese nutrition. As you can now also see, nature is a reflection of our bodies and vice versa. Finding the right things to eat for what ails you is as simple as counting to five.