Balance: Traditional Chinese Medicine’s Simple Must-Have Key for Total Well-Being, Enduring Health and Quality Longevit

In PHYTO5’s descriptions of five element skincare products, no matter the season or element, and in most of our customer communications whether by email or blog, we very often talk about balance. For us, the word balance isn’t an arbitrarily chosen word we attach to our products. Rather, it’s a highly vital concept to be embraced if you want to understand why you have a certain skin condition or even why you may be sick or unhealthy. If you want to reverse your unpleasant conditions or poor state of health, the concept of balance must be embraced and further, it must be sought after and lived in your life every single day. The pursuit and maintenance of balance applies to not just physical health but emotional, mental and spiritual health just as importantly. 

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In traditional Chinese medicine, all disease is seen as a result of imbalance or disorder in a system or a number of systems of the body. The primary target of traditional Chinese medicine, on which PHYTO5’s five element lines of skincare are based, is to support and maintain balance within the human body in order to maintain a state of wellness. PHYTO5 energetic lines are vital energy balancing because the products of each line uniquely contain proprietary blends of natural essential oils selected and combined according to the Five Element theory of traditional Chinese medicine.

Within the human body, as we know, there exist many organs and tissues all of which provide nutrients to each other by means of their interdependent relationship. A complex system of meridians or vital energy pathways connects organs and tissues all over the body in order to nourish the body with vital energy and nutrient-rich blood. This nourishing symbiosis of organs and tissues works to maintain balance between yin and yang energies, fluids, our essence and our spirit. 

Chi (qi) is also called life force. It is the unseen vital energy that flows through not just all of us but through all things. It gives us life. It animates our being. It is the foundational “fluid,” according to traditional Chinese medicine, that must exist and flow correctly for total well-being.

This is why we urge everyone, no matter their skin condition, to incorporate into their skincare regimen some of the products of the Wood line of skincare because Wood products encourage the flow of vital life force throughout the body. Think of Wood as the energy of the vital energy and in that sense it is fundamental to all treatments and any skin care regimen. For that reason, the use of the Wood line should not be limited to the typical Wood conditions or to the time of energetic Spring. Clearly, without proper vital energy flow health and balance cannot occur.

Our vital energy or chi energy moves through our bodies in a flow similar to the flow of breath and blood. We keep it nourished with healthy diets, adequate sleep and exercise.

Yin and yang chi, the fundamental feminine and masculine energies, respectively, help establish the balance and harmonious flow of vital energy which is crucial to maintaining balance throughout the body.

Yang chi is protective chi and yin chi is nutritive. Disturbing the balance between yin and yang chi can result in conditions and illness.

Yin and yang are affected by each other. When yin is stronger, yang is weaker. When yang is stronger, yin becomes weaker. Maintaining balance between yin and yang creates a body in balance.

Traditional Chinese medicine has observed the human body as a holistic organic system with functionally interrelated parts influenced by the same fundamental forces that govern nature and the cosmos. It sees the human system as a microcosmic yet complete reflection of nature and the cosmos (often termed the ‘heavens’ in ancient Chinese texts).

Author Daniel Reid, a leading Western authority on traditional Chinese medicine and Taoist healing practices offers the following synopsis of states of balance or imbalance in the body system using metaphor. He pays attention here to not just telluric energies which affect our state of balance but cosmic ones as well.

“When the elemental energies within the human system remain in a natural state of dynamic balance and functional harmony, ‘fair weather’ prevails within the body and the garden of human health flourishes,  both mentally and physically. But when balance is upset and aberrant energies invade the system, flood and drought, wind and rain, heat and cold, and other types of ‘stormy weather’ may occur, causing damage to the internal landscape. Because the mircrocosmic energy system of humans (ren) stands midway between the cosmic powers of ‘Heaven’ (tien) and the natural forces of Earth (di), drawing power from both sources, human health depends not only on internal energy balance within the system, but also on harmony with the macrocosmic powers of ‘Heaven’ (the cosmos) and Earth (nature).”

— Daniel Reid in Shambhala Guide to Traditional Chinese Medicine

One of the keys of traditional Chinese preventive medicine is to detect and correct abnormal patterns in the human energy system before they have a chance to become somatically rooted in the body thereby causing potentially permanent physical damage or harm.

In traditional Chinese medicine, the occurrence of disease represents a failure in preventive healthcare that seeks to maintain or reestablish balance and harmony among the systems of the body. It is far easier to prevent sickness and maintain balance than reverse a condition or sickness once it arises, although reversing these can often be achieved.

“Before an omen arises,
It’s easy to take preventive measure…
Deal with things in their formative state; 
Put things in order before they grow confused.”

— A classic verse from the Tao Teh Ching

Traditional Chinese medicine works to slowly but surely restore the human system to a state of equilibrium. It does this by eliminating the symptoms at their root which inevitably arise whenever human energies lose their internal balance and fall out of harmony with natural and cosmic environmental forces.

Traditional Chinese medicine also finds that as soon as normal balance and harmony have begun to be restored to an energy system, that system immediately goes to work to repair physical damage, flush toxins, replace cells and rebuild tissues. The body is imbued with a healing master plan contained in the DNA and when we begin to reestablish balance, the body innately follows that restorative master plan.

Creating internal balance in the major aspects of our being—physical, energetic, emotional, mental, spiritual—and maintaining harmony among all of these are the keys to total well-being and longevity.

“By promoting and protecting our natural balance and inherent harmony… we can just as easily prevent disease, arrest degeneration, and prolong life as we can destroy health and hasten death through ignorance and violation of the natural laws that govern life on earth. All that life really requires to accomplish the goals of health and longevity is to synchronize its enemies with the natural pulses of the planet and the rhythms of the cosmos from which life springs. Traditional Chinese medicine endeavors to facilitate this harmonic balance on all three levels of body, energy and mind with nutrition, herbs, acupuncture, massage, qi gong, meditation and other holistic methods that restore nature’s patterns to the human energy system and weave it back into its proper position in the great web of life on earth.”

— Daniel Reid in Shambhala Guide to Traditional Chinese Medicine

The idea of finding and maintaining balance for enduring health and well-being may seem simple but then truth is always simple.

Rather than chasing after symptoms and treating the surface manifestation, traditional Chinese medicine drills down to the root cause and then goes into motion to bring alignment and harmony where chaos and disorder have been allowed to grow, often without our conscious knowing.

The more we learn to embody balance in all aspect of our lives, the more we will prevent conditions and sickness. Learning to create this balance is an enjoyable, exciting and a refreshing way to live. To learn how, continue to read our blogs and subscribe to our e-newsletters for the keys.

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Endnotes:

Stiles, Kg. Chinese Medicine Guidebook to Balance the 5 Elements and Organ Meridians with Essential Oils (Summary Book Version). N.p., Draft2Digital, 2020.

Twicken, David. I Ching Acupuncture - The Balance Method: Clinical Applications of the Ba Gua and I Ching. United Kingdom, Jessica Kingsley Publishers, 2011.

Zhaoguo, Li, et al. Key Concepts in Traditional Chinese Medicine. Germany, Springer Singapore, 2019.

Healthcare with Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM). N.p., Glittery Aurora, 2012.

Reid, Daniel. Shambhala Guide to Traditional Chinese Medicine. United Kingdom, Shambhala, 1996.

Photo courtesy of Lucas Pezeta at pexels

The Five Phases of the Aging Process According to Traditional Chinese Medicin

Most people only look at genetic influences, lifestyle and natural cell aging to predict how they might age. But energy medicine, in particular, traditional Chinese medicine (TCM), recognizes additional factors of an energetic nature for insights on aging. When you understand energetic influences specific to you, you can better anticipate the likely trajectory of your aging process.

This email has been updated for freshness and comprehensiveness on March 23, 2024.

The Five Phase Theory provides the framework for understanding our natural phases of life.

Traditional Chinese medicine’s basic tenet, the Five Element Theory, is also called the Five Phases Theory. There is a distinct reason for this. TCM recognizes that, barring a premature and mortal disease or accident, we move through five phases of life from birth to death.

Each of the five energies or elements of TCM exerts its own particular influence on a corresponding phase of life. The five phases of traditional Chinese medicine are: Wood, Fire, Earth, Metal and Water.

The ancient Chinese identified each phase of life as approximately 15 years long. They based this calculation on an average lifespan of seventy five years. But in modern times people are beginning to live much longer. This is why we typically add from three to five years to each phase of life today.

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We also consider the energetic effects we experience from January to December of every year.

Each of the year’s five energetic seasons corresponds to one of the five elements of traditional Chinese medicine.

The unique energies of each season along with its particular climatic effects also affect us. These effects influence our physical, mental, emotional and spiritual health.

Additionally, the moment of our birth—the hour, day, month and year—also influence our aging process. With specific energies embodied in those moments they combine to create our individual energetic biorhythm. One of the five elements becomes the dominant energy of each person.

The Wood element harmonizes with the first phase of life.

The first phase of life begins at birth and lasts until age 15 or slightly older. This is the Wood phase of life.

Youth associates with the energy of Wood. A burst of dynamic sprouting yang energy drives the growth of the body. During this youthful Wood phase, vital energy is very alive and needs to be directed.

Skin is likely to reflect the Wood skin condition during this phase of life. Excessive oiliness, blackheads and out-of-control vital energy flow describe the Wood condition. Using products from PHYTO5’s quantum energetic Wood line will help balance those conditions.

As we know, children experience intense growth during the Wood phase of life. Still learning and growing, they sometimes lack confidence while they process knowledge about the world and themselves. They also tend to feel frustrated, anxious, restless and angry. It’s easy to feel restless considering all the energy surging through their young bodies. 

PHYTO5’s quantum energetic Wood line of skincare does more than balance oily skin and vital energy flow. It also helps bring emotions to balance. Wood products will help you balance anger, frustration and lack of confidence. They’ll assist you to have a greater sense of self-confidence and a kinder affect.

If Wood is your dominant energy you have a Wood biorhythm. This means you’ll likely tend to express some degree of Wood conditions through the rest of your life. Eventually, if you’re not a Wood type you’ll grow out of Wood conditions for the most part.

To learn more about the Wood type, read our article, Describing the Wood Type Personality According to Traditional Chinese Medicine here.

The Fire element harmonizes with the second phase of life.

The next fifteen-year phase of life from age 15+ to age 30+ is the Fire phase. During this time we become young adults. We continue our natural quest to acquire life skills and build our lives.

In the previous phase, vital energy circulation was dominant. Now it’s our red blood circulation that often needs balance and support.

Out of balance blood flow creates hot, sensitive, blotchy allergic skin during this phase of life. Using products from PHYTO5’s quantum energetic Fire line will help balance those skin conditions.

During young adulthood and the Fire phase of life, we’re building a life as we prepare to leave our family units. We encounter many stresses as we get educated, trained, find work and build relationships. It’s also the time when we discover pleasures of life we couldn’t experience as children.

Both stresses and pleasures can knock our emotions out of balance as we strive to find our balance. Now is when we’re more likely to experience the extremes of Fire’s emotion of joy. We may express the extremes as joylessness or over-the-top expressions of joy.

Joy-in-balance is the balanced emotion of the Fire element and what we should strive for. PHYTO5’s quantum energetic Fire line of skincare does more than balance sensitive skin conditions. It also helps bring emotions to balance. Fire products will help you balance a lack or overabundance of joy. The Fire line helps you achieve just the right expression of joy for joy-in-balance.

If Fire is your dominant energy you have a Fire biorhythm. This means you’ll probably experience Fire conditions more than other conditions through the rest of your life.

If you’re not a Fire type chances are high you’ll eventually grow out of the Fire skin and emotional conditions.

To learn more about the Fire type, read our article, Describing the Fire Type Personality According to Traditional Chinese Medicine here.

The Earth element harmonizes with the third phase of life.

Earth is the next phase of the more mature adult aged approximately 30+ or older to 45+.

During this phase, we’ve established families and nurturing family and friend relationships is important to us.

We’re busier than ever with family, home, friends and career. Life can be rigorous and demanding and our skin might respond by becoming toxic. Enlarged pores, acne and blemishes may show up in skin because our lymph flow might become sluggish.

Lymph is a colorless fluid containing white blood cells that bathe our tissues. Balanced lymph flow drains waste through its system of capillaries and vessels into the bloodstream. Less toxic skin means our lymphatic system is flushing toxins.

Using products from PHYTO5’s quantum energetic Earth line will help balance toxic skin conditions and support lymph flow.

It’s admirable to care for our relationships and others as many of us do during this phase. But we can easily get caught up in over-caretaking. If we try to be all things to all people we start to go into overwhelm. And this emotion will spill into other aspects of our lives. It can keep us from finishing projects and stagnate our creative expression. But these emotions can be brought back to balance.

PHYTO5’s quantum energetic Earth line of skincare does more than balance skin conditions. It works on the level of emotion as well. This means that if you feel in over your head overdoing and over-caretaking, the Earth line can help you come back to center. You’ll be able to clear out the chaos and finish unfinished projects. Your creativity will bubble to the surface once again and you’ll start feeling more free to express it.

If Earth is your dominant energy you have an Earth biorhythm. This means you’ll probably experience Earth conditions more than the other four of the five conditions through the rest of your life.

If you’re not an Earth type you’ll most probably grow out of the Earth skin and emotional conditions.

To learn more about the Earth type, read our article, The Earth Type Personality According to Traditional Chinese Medicine: Understanding Your Archetype for Harmony and Balance here.

It is only a matter of time before we all experience some degree of the elements that mark the most visible phases of the aging process, namely, Metal in our fifties and Water in our sixties and beyond.

The Metal element harmonizes with the fourth phase of life.

Metal, the fourth phase of life begins somewhere around age 45+ and lasts to roughly age 60+. Well established adults, we're now better equipped to meet life where it is. We’re more able to focus on what’s important including a greater awareness of our true self.

We lose important age-mitigating minerals in our skin during the Metal phase of life. We also might start noticing blue blood circulation issues. Typical skin conditions include surface dryness and flakiness, congested dull lifeless skin and more visible veins, particularly on our legs.

Using products from PHYTO5’s quantum energetic Metal line will help balance these skin conditions.

Many people tend to grief and sadness during the Metal phase of life. These negative emotions can be balanced creating a sense of contentment and a sense that all is well. 

In addition to balancing Metal’s skin conditions, the quantum energetic Metal line works on the level of emotion. This means that if you’re plagued with feelings of grief, regret and sadness, the line will help bring you back to a more even emotional state. It will help you achieve that sense that all is well.

If Metal is your dominant energy you have a Metal biorhythm. his means you’ll probably experience Metal conditions more than any of the other five conditions through the rest of your life.

To learn more about the Metal type, read our article, The Metal Type Personality According to Traditional Chinese Medicine here.

The Water element harmonizes with the fifth phase of life.

Water, the energy of Winter, is the fifth and last of the five phases of life (after sixty+ years of age). Rich with wisdom from life experience, people in balance with the Water element are more than wise. They’re sages.

The Water phase of life influences body shape and skin condition. During this phase, the body's water circulation tends to be out of balance. Dehydration increases and causes loss of skin tone, collagen and elasticity. Loss of skin tone amplifies the appearance of wrinkles. The body begins to stiffen.

The quantum energetic Water line can help balance these skin conditions. It also works on the level of emotion.

The out of balance emotion of the Water energy during this phase of life is fear. When this emotion is brought to balance by the products from the Water line, we’re more able to face our fears and thus achieve a state of zenitude. 

If Water is your dominant energy you have a Water biorhythm. This means you’ll probably experience Water conditions more than the other conditions through the rest of your life.

To learn more about the Water type, read our article, The Water Type Personality According to Traditional Chinese Medicine: Understanding Your Archetype for Harmony and Balance here.

Many factors determine how we age:

• the energetic influences of our biorhythm according to the time of our birth;

• how we respond to the effect of each yearly and seasonal energies and their climatic effects;

• our lifestyle and how we manage our emotions;

• how we live through each fifteen year+ phase of life.

All these factors influence and affect our health, body shape, skin conditions and emotions.

Your age will show you where you stand on the cycle of the five phases of life. The energies of each phase will point to the symptoms of aging you might be likely to experience as you age.

You can, however, anticipate and even mitigate many likely skin conditions and emotional imbalances. Do this by understanding the energetic influences in your current phase of life and bring them to balance now to your best ability. Then look at the potentials you’re likely to experience in the next fifteen+ year cycle. By being proactive now, you can slow and lessen many conditions others endure in advanced phases of life.

Your Symptoms Point to the Root Cause of Illness or Conditions

Our bodies are constantly giving us feedback on the root cause of illness and the state of health and vitality of all our inner systems. When one of the body’s ten major systems(1) is out of balance, we receive feedback on the root cause of illness in the form of a set of symptoms.

Many energy medicine disciplines see illness as a disruption, an imbalance in or a blockage of the body’s natural energetic flow. They believe and have proven that restoring our internal energetic balance is key to healing the root cause of illness.

Root cause of illness or imbalance is the focus of a traditional Chinese medicine treatment.

While traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) examines the symptoms feedback being provided, it very much focuses on the quality of the patient’s vital energy moving along pathways called acupuncture meridians. It also focuses on the function of the system and how to improve it.

TCM might prescribe herbs and other natural ingredients that have balancing energy properties. Treating the root cause of illness may demand changing a pattern or diet.

TCM often offers treatment at the level of skin where energy flow can be accessed, in particular, when acupuncture is involved. The relatively painless practice of placing small needles into strategically prescribed points on the skin helps balance vital energy flow and put healing into motion.

An imbalance often shows up as a number of symptoms simultaneously. The root cause of illness showing up as surface symptoms is systemic. This means more than one organ or component of the system is affected.

Traditional Chinese medicine understands the symbiotic relationship of all organs with each other, perhaps more than any other medical discipline. Armed with this very holistic and comprehensive understanding, it approaches the root cause of illness usually with a very deliberate multi-pronged approach involving every aspect of the cause.

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This example points to how TCM addresses the root cause of illness.

For example, traditional Chinese medicine understands gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) as a condition involving the pivot mechanism of the digestive system. This mechanism involves stomach, intestines, liver and spleen.

TCM acknowledges the symptoms of heartburn, reflux, bloating, gas and more. But TCM always goes straight to the cause of the condition in order to achieve not just relief but healing for the patient.

In the case of GERD, we can usually trace its causes to the pivot mechanism’s organs. By addressing what causes the root cause of illness in digestive imbalance, symptom alleviation, relief and even a complete non-invasive turnaround can occur.

Even esthetic skin conditions result from either an internal balance or imbalance.

The five elements of TCM classify all possible skin conditions into five groups. Your skin condition as well as your body shape can also point to an energetic lack or excess proceeding from any of the five elemental energies.

Skin manifestations often indicate it’s important to start looking for the root cause of that condition. They’re telling you that certain energies aren’t balanced.

Sometimes conditions stubbornly reoccur after symptoms were first temporarily diminished. This points to a chronic systemic energetic imbalance.

Wellness is a sustained state of well-being—feeling good—consciously experienced. It demonstrates an absence of symptoms of physical, emotional, and mental disease. All of these contribute to a state of peace and contentment.

True wellness can be achieved after experiencing a sickness or a chronic condition only when we get to the root cause of illness having pinpointed them through the lens of symptoms. They provide valuable feedback about our state of health and balance and then utilize that feedback constructively by treating the cause.

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Endnotes:

(1) The ten major systems include the skeletal, muscular, nervous, endocrine, cardiovascular, lymphatic, respiratory, digestive, urinary, and the reproductive system.

Image credit: china view from Getty Images via Canva

The Virtue of the Five Elements With Specific Exploration Into The Virtue of Woo

While the five elements of traditional Chinese medicine—Wood, Fire, Earth, Metal, and Water—exist as a harmonious collection of energies governing the functions of the human body, they are also manifested in action in the human psyche through what are known as the five Virtues of traditional Chinese medicine.

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The physicians of ancient China treated patients with acupuncture but they also very much examined their patients’ lifestyles and psychological states to assist them to determine the various changes the patient would need to make in order to achieve balance.

They saw embracing the Virtues of the five elements as a way for people to fulfill the potential of their five element ‘type’ and ultimately, achieve emotional health leading to holistic balance and well-being of not just emotions, but mind and body as well.*

Not only does each of the five elements in traditional Chinese medicine embody a Virtue, there exists within the element's energy the potential for its negative emotion, also called a poison.

These five element Virtues and their poisons are:

Wood
Virtue: patience, forgiveness, kindness [poison: anger, frustration, anxiety]

Fire
Virtue: politeness [poison: overbearing exuberance]

Earth
Virtue: integrity [poison: blame, overwhelm or over care-taking]

Metal
Virtue: innate ability to know right from wrong while not passing judgment [poison: grief, sadness, agitation]

Water
Virtue: wisdom and inner peace [poison: annoyance, worry]

Traditional Chinese medicine believes it very valuable to contemplate the presence or absence of these Virtues in our lives, but it’s particularly valuable to first examine our relationship with the Virtue of our constitutional element. Traditional Chinese medicine points out that we all tend to be one predominant constitutional ‘type’ from among the five elements of Wood, Fire, Earth, Metal, and Water, though no one is one hundred percent one constitutional type alone.

As any given Virtue erodes, an habitually occurring behavior arises depending on the presence of an excessive negatively expressed emotion. Put simply, the Virtues of our constitutional element most exalt us if we cultivate them or they can cause us to be very out of balance and ill if we do not.

According to the Yellow Emperor’s Classic of Internal Medicine (the Nei Jing Suwen), if you are ‘sick’ you are not living according to the laws of nature which are the basis of the five elements and types. And if you live with Virtue—correct and authentic conduct—you will be less susceptible, illness will be lessened and you will live a long life of quality.

Virtue and knowing how to live according to your well adapted element type definition include the Virtues of compassion, responsibility, honesty and integrity, among others. The five Virtues can be avenues for personal growth and the unfolding of one’s unique path in life. A Virtue for your type is usually one which seems most difficult to accomplish yet what is very much needed in order to move beyond certain key limitations in your behavior, personality and character. In fact, when persons are maladapted or out-of-balance with their dominant element, the antidote for their maladaptive behavior can often be found in the Virtue for their element and type.

Virtues for Wood

Patience and forgiveness are virtues for the Wood type. These come from the innate and natural vision and insight of the Wood energy. These virtues of patience and forgiveness can neutralize the toxic emotions of the out-of-balance Wood type: frustration, anger, impatience and hostility.

The Wood Virtues can help create a path back to balance so the Wood type may more clearly see how to make necessary life and character changes and adjustments and how to create new plans and more realistic goals.

The practice of forgiveness, especially for the Wood type, can help resolve feelings of anger, resentment, frustration, and hostility. It allows a more positive experience of life by accepting responsibility for one’s perceptions and actions. By doing so, Wood becomes less of a victim of circumstances and the actions of others, because he takes responsibility for the manner in which he has responded to those events. The Virtue of forgiveness can ultimately lead to Wood’s feeling like she has a greater sense of control—the very thing Wood strives for most in life.

The Virtue of patience may actually assist the Wood type to prevent cortisol dysregulation when Woods allow patience to bring balance to their sense of time pressure and competitiveness that is common with this type.

Wood types should practice having patience with themselves first, breathing deeply when feeling any tension of time contraints, stress and resulting impatience. They should adopt an attitude of non-attachment to outcomes and they will tend to find that patience comes more easily. Wood types should be wary of projecting their own needs for things to change or to materialize quickly onto others, always aiming to simply give others a break in the spirit of non-judgment.

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Endnotes:

*We have published an article on the following five element types:
Wood Type Personality
Earth Type Personality
Metal Type Personality
Water Type Personality

Kirkwood, John. The Way of the Five Seasons: Living with the Five Elements for Physical, Emotional, and Spiritual Harmony. United Kingdom, Jessica Kingsley Publishers, 2016.

Po-tuan, Chang. The Inner Teachings of Taoism. United Kingdom, Shambhala, 2001.

Image courtesy of Thirdman at Pexels (pexels-thirdman-6599730.jpg)

Enhance Your Wei Chi to Increase Your Well-Being

For thousands of years, mystics have known and advocated this truth and for several recent decades, so have quantum physicists: “ALL IS ONE.” Expressed in different words, this truth is fundamental to both religion and science but the core idea is the same.

The truth that all is one is becoming clear to an increasing number of people regardless of their religion or degree of scientific education. Still, this core idea is held as truth by a minority of people.

This is evident given the degree and spread of violence, disease and disparity around the world and the many other forms of man’s inhumanity to man. Peace, vitality, equanimity and justice for all in the world will occur only when enough people understand that hurting anyone else is actually hurting oneself and that hurting the environment including our animals is destructive to ourselves.

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The extent to which we feel connected to or separated from whatever we feel necessary to make us whole, happy and fulfilled, creates the root of all our emotions which, in turn, becomes the driving force in our lives.

If the absolute truth is that ALL IS ONE, the evidence of our physical senses, supported by our mental interpretation of our human situation, points exactly to the opposite. We appear totally separated from each other, and in most instances, from what we desire, be it relationships, material possessions, or conditions.

From the moment of birth, the baby separated from its mother longs to be reconnected physically and emotionally.

This is deeply embedded in all of us. It takes different forms as we grow older but it stays with us. The need to connect with others and to feel like we belong is very much a part of the human experience.

For some, the most expedient and available solution might be to belong to a street gang. But for most, there are a number of connections we feel driven to make, such as with a spouse or partner, a family, a sports or social club, a church or other place of group worship or philosophy, a professional association, or organizations celebrating ethnic or national identity.

All of these are attempts to feel connected. That feeling is key to a sense of self-actualization, contentment, and well-being.

The sense of separation is, of course, the opposite. It prevents personal fulfillment. It permeates all our endeavors and human relationships. And, as we saw in our earlier Wei Chi blogs, emotionally-nourishing human relationships are one of the few natural ways we have to improve Wei Chi, our energetic immune system.

At the same time, we learned that the “5 devils” that attack Wei Chi are the negative emotions associated with the 5 elements of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM). And, here again, we are invited to emotional maturity by gaining greater mastery over our emotions. We must avoid negativity and foster positive emotions. It is incumbent on each of us to gain an awareness of our emotions–what triggers and what controls them. That is how we develop our E.Q.–our emotional quotient, commonly known as emotional intelligence.

This sense of separation is pervasive. Mystics are among the few who experience the ultimate connection–communion with their Source, whatever that might mean to each one of them. For Jesus of Nazareth, it is what caused him to say, “I and my father are one.” 

Quantum physicists and others who embrace their conclusion experience intellectual communion and the satisfaction of embracing fundamental truth. Their vision, not unlike TCM’s vision, is that each one of us is made of energy and each with our own energy field that evolves in an infinite energetic substance (or field) that we call space.

A singularity of energy fields is that they can exist as a multitude within any given space. But as energy is polarized in positive and negative phases, there is an interplay between opposite energies while there is harmony with same polarity. More positive energy is elevating. More negative energy is abasing. This is our choice to make.

Now, back to wellness. We learn that we can’t ignore our emotions. They give us a clues on as to how to increase our sense of well-being, by increasing what adds to it and by eliminating what makes us feel unhappy, sorry for ourselves, fearful, or angry.

Once we have gained a fuller awareness of our emotions as a sort of guidance system, there are ways to mitigate the negative and enhance the positive.

PHYTO5 has developed one such exciting method with a new generation of wellness spa treatments. 

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This article was originally published May 2, 2017 and has been updated on March 12, 2020 for freshness and comprehensiveness.

Endnotes:

We are inspired by many authors when writing on the vital energy subject, but in particular, by:

1. Haas, Elson M. Staying Healthy with the Seasons. Berkeley: Celestial Arts, 2003. Print.

2. Beinfield, Harriet, and Efrem Korngold. Between Heaven and Earth: A Guide to Chinese Medicine. New York: Ballantine, 1992. Print.

3. Elias, Jason, and Katherine Ketcham. The Five Elements of Self-healing: Using Chinese Medicine for Maximum Immunity, Wellness, and Health. New York: Harmony, 1998. Print.

4. Gerber, Richard. Vibrational Medicine: New Choices for Healing Ourselves. Santa Fe, NM: Bear, 1996. Print.

5. The abundant writings of Deepak Chopra, M.D.

Late Winter Lifestyle Pitfalls and How to Avoid Them

The Earth element in traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) relates to transformation. It’s active four times a year in 18-day transition periods between the four major seasons (Spring, Summer, Fall and Winter). Although we tend to associate the attributes of Earth with late or Indian Summer, Earth also occurs in late Winter, late Spring and late Fall. 

In other words, as the end of each of the traditional four seasons approaches, the “heavenly” (cosmic) seasonal energy goes back to the Earth for transformation into the energy of the next season.

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According to Chinese medicine:

 “…its influence manifests for 18 days at the end of each of the four seasons and it does not pertain to any season of its own…” – The Classic of Categories (1624) by Zhang Jie Bin.

Earth is not unlike the center of the compass. It is a pivot point, so to speak, around which the four seasons and the other four elements spin. But, occurring four times a year for 18 days each, these periods totaling 72 days and which bear similar characteristics are referred to as the Earth energetic season or fifth season of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM).

The next Earth energetic period is from January 18 to February 4. An Earth imbalance creates any one of the following group of conditions affecting the skin:

• blemishes

• toxicity

• acne

• psoriasis

• enlarged pores and

• lymph circulation problems.

PHYTO5 has created a very specific skin and hair care line designed to help address these imbalances.

Unlike Wood and Fire elements in TCM defined by a rising and peaking yang, and unlike Metal and Water elements with a rising and peaking yin, Earth represents a balance between yin and yang energies. As such, the Earth element represents warm, stable, grounded, loving, emotional characteristics. It is nurturing, comforting, calm, solid and stable. Earth is all about family, community and gathering, eating now and gathering, collecting, holding and storing for later.

Earth energy type people are sentimental and maintain their attachments to other people, things, and places. Earth types tend to savor the sweetness of life and being human and they find enjoyment in all the comforts and pleasures of life. But, as with each element, Earth types can become imbalanced and demonstrate physical and emotional challenges.

According to TCM, Earth is about ingestion and absorption, not just of food but of ideas and emotions. An Earth element imbalance in the body is the result of ingesting too much, or its opposite–stagnation, the slowing down of chi energy flow in the body, or an outright inability to consume or subsequently digest ideas, emotions, or food.

Earth types are thoughtful but can worry too much. They can feel sympathy, deeply allowing them to feel connected to others, but these same emotions taken too far can cause them to feel stuck, unable to act or think clearly, with an over-dependence on others for their opinions, judgment and advice.

Earth types are quite good at maintaining family and friend relationships. They love situations that require them to work with others. They enjoy teamwork and collaborative work environments.

Well-balanced Earth people usually have a healthy complexion, soft facial features, sturdy and balanced body frame, exhibiting an earthiness to their appearance.

The organs most closely associated with Earth are the spleen and the stomach and the digestive system as a whole. The Discussion of Prescriptions from the Golden Chest (c. AD 220) by Zhang Zhong Jing says:

“During the last period of each season, the Spleen is strong enough to resist pathogenic factors.”

Earth also has influence over the pancreas, the large muscles of the body on the upper arms and lower legs, the abdomen, the middle back, the lymph system and the diaphragm. Of course, proper lymph circulation is important in keeping a strong immune system and a healthy complexion.

The Earth periods are the best time to address Earth conditions. They are also the times when Earth energy can make existing Earth imbalance in people worse, therefore balancing Earth energy during the Earth periods with Earth treatments and products is highly recommended, particularly for Earth type people.

…

Sources:

Maciocia, Giovanni. The Foundations of Chinese Medicine: A Comprehensive Text. Edinburgh: Elsevier, 2015. Print.

Bridges, Lillian. Face Reading in Chinese Medicine. Edinburgh: Churchill Livingstone/Elsevier, 2012. Print.

Stay Well. Don't Ignore the Transition Period Between Summer and Fall.

In traditional Chinese medicine (TCM), we strive to live in harmony with the seasons: Spring, Summer, Fall and Winter. But TCM also has a fifth season which occurs four times a year. These are TCM’s 18-day "between seasons" periods called Earth that form bridges of energy from one season to the next.

"...the Earth element governs the change in the seasons, and ... thus the Earth element’s season, by definition, is the transition point between all seasons. By this logic, a weakness in the Earth energy of the body (which governs our Spleen, Stomach, and digestive function), could lead the body to be susceptible to outside illnesses when it is dominant–the time between all seasons." – from "Why Do I Get Sick When the Seasons Change?" by Marcie Griffith Bower, Lic.Ac., MAOM, Dipl. OM

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We are an inherent part of nature. We are not separate from it. Logically speaking, living in harmony with nature will assist us to have physical bodies that are in harmony in all its internal systems. We will eat in a certain way, exercise in a certain way, sleep and wake accordingly, give, love, contemplate, and nurture ourselves in alignment with the ways of the Earth season in TCM. Not only our physical bodies will benefit with health and vitality thereby preventing illness, our mental, emotional and spiritual aspects will be kept on balance and thrive as well.

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The element associated with this transition period is Earth, the color is yellow, the organs are stomach and spleen, and it's now the time to think about harvesting what we have sown throughout the summer. It's a time of "decrease" or slowing down and at the same time, abundance, when we can:

• realize the fruits of our labor (in the relationships we enjoyed this summer, in our exuberance of life, in the care of our hearts, both literally and figuratively);

• begin again to nurture ourselves in whatever way that looks;

• to intend to digest not only our food very well but our thoughts and emotions enabling them to reach our minds and spirits;

• start slowing down and gathering in all that we have created throughout the Summer;

• recognize the bounty of the earth as harvest is about to begin and to see how we can be bounteous in our lives in our giving to others;

• contemplate the harvest aspect of our lives to see the areas that are bearing fruit and which are not; then to determine in the Fall (beginning August 7) which ones can be let go or given focus;

• determine what is truly necessary in our lives and what is superfluous and a distraction then take steps in alignment with our discoveries; this is important as we prepare to enter the Fall season where letting go is paramount;

• observe and mirror nature at this time of year; the metaphor of the cycles of nature has much to teach us; now is the time to begin contemplating how the seeds we plant (both physically and metaphorically) reap corresponding harvests; we can contemplate the seeds we have sown and realize that every harvest bears the seeds for the next one.

6 Important Foods to Keep You Cool as a Cucumber This Summer

The heart and small intestine are partners in the human physiology according to Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM). Heat disperses and eliminates itself from the body through increased urination. This is why you want to stay hydrated and cool with these six foods. They'll help you keep heart in balance during the lazy hazy days of Summer.

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6 Cooling Foods for Summer Heat (No spicy-greasy here!)

1. Coconut milk; slightly sweet and a relatively neutral food. Buy the better brands in the health food stores. You can make your own in a high speed blender by blending some young Thai coconut meat with pure water. It is very nourishing to the spleen, stomach and kidneys, generating fluid and relieving thirst.

2. Mung beans; they're great sprouted. Learn to sprout them. They only take a couple days or else find them in the produce aisle in the grocery store. Mung beans are sweet and cooling and they nourish both heart and stomach. They're rich in protein, iron and fiber and they help lower blood fat and strengthen arteries. They help clear toxic heat and promote urination.

3. Cucumber, of course! This fruit is sweet and cold, and very nourishing to the stomach and small intestine. It helps relieve thirst, promote urination and clear toxins.

4. Eggplant; it grows in abundance in the summer–you just have to learn how to prepare it to make it taste great. Eggplant is relatively sweet and cooling, and renews the spleen, nourishes the liver and keeps the stomach regulated. It helps reduce swelling and promotes urination.

5. Watermelon, absolutely! Sweet and cold, watermelon is great for the heart, bladder and stomach. Believe it or not, it helps eliminate restlessness. It's thirst relieving and promotes urination.

6. Bitters*;  so good for you, they're actually important to eat every day. See list below for veg examples of bitters. And hey! have some Jägermeister, but not too much! It's a German digestif made with 56 herbs and spices at a strength of 35% alcohol by volume. Bitters such as Jägermeister are used as a medicinal substance to promote digestion.

*amaranth, arugula, beet greens, broccoli raab, chard, chicory, cress, collard greens, curly endive, dandelion greens, kale, endive, escarole, frisée, mizuna, mustard greens, nettles, puntarelle, radicchio, rapini, rocket, spinach, turnip greens, watercress

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8 Tips for a Radiant Summer Heart

Summer is the season of the heart and small intestine (in Traditional Chinese Medicine on whose tenets we base our PHYTO5 skincare philosophy). Today, we're looking at how to keep our heart in tip top shape taking advantage of the Summer's energy.

In Western medicine, the heart does nothing more than pump blood. In traditional Chinese medicine (TCM), the heart is so much more. In Chinese medicine, life is more than form just as are our lives which include relationships, career, emotions, traumas, education, finances, love, and joy.

Fire Element • Summer Season • Heart Organ

In TCM, they are one and when aligned with each other, we live in harmony and our vitality results in every aspect of our lives.

When there is too much fire in any fire pile, heat blazes upwards. In the human, anger bubbles up, emotions get charged and the face and neck turn red.

When there is too little fire, warmth begins to dissipate and so does its light. In the human, necessary heat cannot reach the head as well and the face becomes pale and the person lethargic. Heart palpitations may occur intermittently.

With just the right amount of fire, all systems are go! The blood is circulating optimally and the human feels at ease, relaxed and happy. His or her facial complexion looks balanced and robust.

In TCM, the heart is the Emperor Fire, governing the blood and blood vessels and actually housing the mind which interprets our feelings and emotions. It is the king of all organs meaning all the other organs will sacrifice for the heart so that balance may be achieved.

The small intestine is partner to the heart and the liver is known as the mother of the heart. They both work to support the heart.

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So how do we keep the heart in balance? Take care of the liver and the stomach! Let's begin with the liver. Here are several arenas to focus on for liver health:

1. Consume bitters. They strengthen digestion by causing a reflexive secretion of gastric juices and they tone the muscles of the digestive tract.

2. Take herbal purgatives, if necessary, to keep your bowels moving. There are tasty teas in the health food stores designed for this purpose.

3. Take liver tonics such as what your Doctor of Oriental Medicine will prescribe for you. Or consume milk thistle, commonly found in health food stores.

4. Do juice fasting. If the liver is burdened, fasting will assist it to bounce back resiliently.

5. Eat high fiber foods and keep well hydrated. Both of these keep the bowels moving.

6. Practice breathing. Stress can exacerbate liver congestion. Breathing is very calming.

7. Avoid overeating and putting undue stress on the liver. We really don't need to eat as much as we do!

8. Cut the chemicals. Chemicals can overload the liver especially if we've never done a liver cleanse or if we don't consciously read product labels and buy with discernment.