Chinese Medicine Theory
Five Elements
Last Updated: July 31, 2026The five phase elements (or 五行 wǔ xíng) of classical Chinese thought is one of the most foundational, and well known, concepts in Chinese medicine. Dividing the world up into elements was a common philosophical move in ancient times, and every culture did it somewhat differently. In Chinese thought, these really weren’t seen as solid…
Six Conformations
Last Updated: July 31, 2026The Six Conformations 六經 liù jīng, sometimes called the six warps, is one of the most well known systems of pathophysiological understanding in classical Chinese medicine. Like the 5 phases and the 12 organ systems, the 6 Conformations take all the structures & functions of the body and classify them according to a numerological framework….
Yin & Yang
Last Updated: July 31, 2026陰 Yin & 陽 Yang is one of the most foundational concepts in Chinese philosophy, with applications in every domain of life – not just medicine. The image most of us think of when we hear “Yin Yang” consists of two interlocking pieces, one dark – representing yin, and one light – representing yang. Everything…
Gu Syndrome
Last Updated: July 31, 2026I have been fortunate to receive training in the treatment of a unique disease concept discussed in classical Chinese medicine called Gu syndrome. The word in Chinese is 蠱, which in the most ancient scripts of Chinese language, looked like the image here, and is a picture of a container with worms in it (image…
Organ Systems in Chinese Medicine – Overview
Last Updated: July 31, 2026Overview Chinese medicine has a rich and unique theoretical foundation that includes anatomy, physiology, pathology and ideas about how healing takes place. While all US Chinese medicine students learn Western biomedical versions of all these disciplines, we find that acupuncture and Chinese herbs work best when the ancient Chinese concepts are used to direct diagnosis…