Your Five Elements and the Seasonsby Mark Force, DC

The seasons are not only outside of you; they occur within you, as well. For you to be truly healthy, your mind (spirit) and body must be in accord and your system must be in harmony with the season. In Chinese philosophy and medicine, there are five seasons and five elements and each season and element has certain characteristics relative to your body and mind.

Five Elements RelationshipsFive Elements RelationshipsFive Elements RelationshipsFive Elements RelationshipsFive Elements RelationshipsFive Elements Relationships

Quality Wood Fire Earth Metal Water

Season Spring Summer Late Summer Fall Winter

Yin Organ Liver Heart/Pericardium Spleen Lung Kidneys

Yang Organ Gall BladderSm

Intestine/Triple Heater

Stomach Large Intestine Bladder

Tissues Tendons Vessels Muscles Skin Bones

Sensory Organ Eyes Tongue Mouth Nose Ears

Sense Sight Speech Taste Smell Hearing

Taste Sour Bitter Sweet Pungent Salty

Smell Rancid Scorched Fragrant Rotten Putrid

Color Green Red Yellow White Black

Emotion Anger Happiness Love Grief/Sadness Fear/Dread

Climate Windy Hot Damp Dry Cold

Body Fluid Tears Sweat Saliva Mucus Urine

Energy Generative Expansive Stabilizing Contracting Conserving

Development Sprouting Blooming Ripening Withering Dormant

Mind Sensitivity Creativity Clarity Intuition Spontaneity

Life Birth Youth Adulthood Old age Death

The Elements of Health… …functional & natural healthcare Scottsdale, Arizona, USA theelementsofhealth.com

How The Elements Can Affect YouHow does this show up? I have a patient that I see once a year within a week or two of when I saw him last. He shows up with the same pattern of right-sided headache and neck, shoulder, and scapular (shoulder blade) pain. He tends to be irritable or angry by nature and often complains of something or other (usually having to do with politics). His symptoms are aggravated by the wind and he tends to be very tight and inflexible throughout his body (and mind). He has a slight green tint to his skin.

We see all these patterns because he has too much wood element by nature and this excess, or stagnation, is worsened by the increase of wood energy in the Spring. He could balance his nature by finding out why he holds so much anger and resentment, but he is rather dogmatic and isn’t open to the relationship between his emotions and his body.

So, I treat him, make him better through chiropractic care and some acupuncture, and figure I will probably be seeing him roughly the same time next year.

In practice, I will often see a wave of certain symptoms or health problems show up at certain times of the year in relation to the element associated with that season. In late summer, I will see people with summer flus because of imbalances of the Earth element and Spleen meridian. Allergies are typically strongest in the spring with windy days because of their relationship to the Wood element. In the fall, people tend to have more problems with their skin due to skin being related to the Metal Element.

These patterns relative to the elements and the seasons are especially noticeable around the solstices and equinoxes.

In traditional Chinese medicine, it is recommended that one get acupuncture every change of season for optimal health. This is part of the rationale for recommending quarterly care as a solid long-term strategy for protecting and enhancing your health.1

The five element characteristics and relationships can be used by a physician trained in them to understand and solve many chronic, complex, and undiagnosed illnesses that make no sense from a western medicine perspective.

Understanding some of the patterns associated with each element can help you understand those aspects, qualities, elements, etc. that you may need more of or less of to improve your health. This improves your self understanding and, therefore, your selfcare.

The Elements of Health… …functional & natural healthcare Scottsdale, Arizona, USA theelementsofhealth.com

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1 Though late summer is a separate season, for practical purposes, I recommend quarterly acupuncture and this tends to balance people through the late summer transition from Fire to the Earth elements.

Patterns of the Elements of Chinese MedicineThese elements provide the characteristics and energy that we draw from for the structure and movement of our body and spirit (mind). These concepts sound very strange because they are a completely different perspective from that of conventional medicine and even the “normal” understanding we have about the way our bodies function.

Yet, the ideas in this article come from thousands of years of very careful observation and are impressively astute concerning how we work, get sick, and heal. I can tell you from over 25 years of practice that health problems in patients that have otherwise gone undiagnosed and unresolved will often be perfectly clear and heal in short order once their illness is viewed through the perspective of Chinese medicine. What follows is an overview of the patterns seen with each of the five elements.

WoodWhen Wood is balanced it allows people to have a clear vision and goals and to plan, decide, and implement. They tend to be focused and dynamic.

Excessive, or stagnant, Wood can make people rigid, dogmatic, arrogant, and angry. When people shout or lose their temper, they have excess Wood. Overworking and tending toward addictions are signs of excess Wood, also. Digestive problems like gas, bloating, and intolerance to fatty and spicy foods can be due to excess Wood.

Deficient Wood can cause people to be without direction, indecisive, and unable to express their emotions, especially anger.

Migraine headaches, eye problems, sinusitis, and male or female hormonal problems are often due to imbalances of Wood, as are allergies in the spring and many muscle problems or pain that doesn’t clear up with other therapies.

FireThis element gives people charisma and the ability to take charge. It provides joy, passion, and compassion. Laughter is the sound associated with Fire.

When Fire is excessive or stagnant, people may have hypertension, palpitations, and inflammation of the joints and muscles, tend to chronic infections, and not tolerate hot weather.

People with weak Fire tend toward feeling “blue,” or depressed, and anxious. Weak Fire results in feeling cold, constant fatigue, and a lack of sexual desire or feeling. They will tend to feel uncomfortable and may stutter or talk too much or inappropriately. Insomnia is often related to deficient Fire.

The Elements of Health… …functional & natural healthcare Scottsdale, Arizona, USA theelementsofhealth.com

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EarthEarth is associated with the qualities of nurturing, acceptance, compassion, and magnanimity.

Too much Earth can result in obesity, diabetes, and heart disease. It can cause people to be smothering in their relationships and have foggy-headedness.

Weak Earth can lead to constant worry, obsessive thinking, eating disorders, low blood sugar, sugar craving, underweight or other sign of poor absorption, and emotional coldness. Feeling like there is never enough can be due to deficient Earth. Weak Earth also can result in fatigue, diarrhea, gas and bloating, food allergies, and heartburn.

MetalOrganization, self-discipline, persistence, and conscientiousness are qualities related to balanced Metal. Acceptance and acknowledgement are also qualities of Metal.

Excessive or stagnant Metal can result in excessive and prolonged grief and/or sadness along with the inability to let go. An overly critical nature can be from excessive Metal.

Deficient Metal energy is weak, there can be illnesses of the lungs – asthma, allergies, and frequent colds.

Imbalances of Metal can lead to skin problems (rashes, psoriasis, eczema) and digestive problems such as constipation, diarrhea, or inflammatory bowel diseases. Metal moves chi energy through the meridians, so when Metal is out of balance fatigue can result.

WaterWater produces the qualities of strength, endurance, will, perseverance, and longevity.

Excessive fear, caution, worry, and dread are caused by imbalanced Water.

Deficient Water results in coldness, fatigue, lack of energy and libido, sexual dysfunction, infertility, and weakness of joints. Dark circles or “bags” under the eyes denote deficient water. Groaning, or sighing, is the sound of deficient Water associated with exhaustion.

Winter is the season for Water and represents the need to have enough rest and relaxation in our lives to replenish our reserves of Water and regenerate our body and spirit.

The Elements of Health… …functional & natural healthcare Scottsdale, Arizona, USA theelementsofhealth.com

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Some Practical ConsiderationsBalancing the five elements can require acupuncture, or other meridian therapies, Chinese herbal remedies, or very specific lifestyle recommendations. There are some fundamental things you can do, however, to keep your elements in harmony.

Use the Elements of Health dailyRefer to the Choosing Health workbook to be aware of and incorporate the elements of health into your daily habits. In this way you support having these elements of selfcare present on a daily, or at least regular, basis.

The Elements of HealthThe Elements of HealthBreathing Being Present and Doing Nothing

Water Recreation (Play) Salt Moderation

Foundation Diet Meditation, Contemplation, and Prayer Non-Toxic Environment Relationships

Detoxification and Fasting Mission and Purpose Exercise Contribution

Sleep, Rest, and Relaxation

Learn Tai Chi or QigongThe moving meditation of Tai Chi or Qigong naturally opens the communication between the meridians and increases the reserves of energy (jing, qi, and shen) for the five elements to have sufficient energy and prevent stagnation.

Internalize The SeasonsAct in accord with the seasons. Winter is naturally associated with resting, spring for planning, and summer for doing. Respect these seasons through the year and these principles regarding the seasons weekly and even daily.

Get Acupuncture SeasonallyGetting acupuncture seasonally complements the effects of chiropractic care and applied kinesiology. The acupuncture balances the flow of qi through the meridians and the chiropractic and applied kinesiology optimizes function of your nervous system.

The acupuncture graphing that we do in our office allows you to see exactly the imbalances in your acupuncture meridians and the improvement in your system over time.

The Elements of Health… …functional & natural healthcare Scottsdale, Arizona, USA theelementsofhealth.com

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