I'm-Yunity Immune Community

The Yin and Yang theory is a traditional Chinese approach to viewing relative relations of objects to their wholes.  Yin and Yang are neither material nor energy, but rather a complementary combined method which explains these relationships.  This theory was then developed into a system of thought which was applied to other areas, as in TCM (Traditional Chinese Medicine).
TCM Basis describes as “Yin and Yang are the laws of Heaven and Earth, the outline of everything – parent of change, the origin of birth and destruction…” – representing two opposite aspects of every object.  The original concept came from observing Nature and the environment. Yin referred to the shady side, while yang was the sunny side.  We can almost relate the Yin and Yang theory to the Seasons: Fall into winter is Yin while spring into summer is Yang.  You also have the sky (yang) and earth (yin), day (yang) and night (yin), water (yin) and fire (yang), active (yang) and passive (yin), male (yin) and female (yang)…

According to ancient Chinese, the Yin and Yang can describe two relative aspects of the same phenomena.

Yin- Yang Theory Table 1

This awesome duo coexists and cannot survive in isolation.  The theory permeates all aspects of Traditional Chinese Medicine. It explains the organic structure, physiological function and pathological change of the human body, and guides clinical diagnoses of treatment and prevention. The physical form is yin while activities and/or function are yang, yet mutually complementary.

In TCM, the kidneys are viewed as the body’s Yin-Yang center; the place where nutrients are stored and physical functions take place.

• Kidney yin, or primordial yin, true yin or true water (essence), is the root of Yin fluid of the entire body. It moistens and nourishes our organs and tissues.
• Kidney yang, or primordial yang, true yang or true fire (qi), is the root of yang qi of our entire body. It warms and promotes the functions of the organs and tissue.

Kidney yin provides energy from physiological function while kidney yang promotes storage of kidney yin.  The Suwen: the Book of Plain Questions states that “when yin is stabilized and yang is well conserved, the spirit will be in harmony.  Separation of yin and yang will cause exhaustion of essence and qi, called disharmony or imbalance.

Imbalance of kidney yin and kidney yang leads to many disease of all organs in the body. Careful diagnosis can increase effectiveness of treatment, which consists of accurately identifying deficiencies as either yin or yang relation before finding which organs are affected.

Traditional Chinese Medicine believes that the human body has organic unity, based on opposing “complementary” relationship of yin yang.  Organs and tissues are classified according to yin yang theory, based on each individual function and/or site.  Upper body is yang while the lower body is yin.  The other pairs of yin yang in the body include interior (yin) vs. exterior (yang), front (yin) vs. back (yang), inside of the limbs (yin) vs. outside of the limbs (yang), and the five yin organs vs. the six yang organs.  Going even further, you can divide organs as heart yin and heart yang, and kidney yin and kidney yang.

Physiologically Aspect

According to TCM, health is achieved when yin and yang are in complete harmony. The body’s physical form and functions are dynamically balanced. This balance mutually restricts and depends on each other; they can’t function if it doesn’t have a physical form to carry out actions.

Pathological Aspect

Disharmony is caused by disease (outer evils) and physiological disorders, unequal and unbalanced. When one aspect is deficient, the other is excess.  There are many factors that cause this disharmony. All related to “evils” and the flow of qi throughout the body.  Normal qi flow (yang physiological & energy) means excellent immunity (I’m-Yunity), which allows body to recuperate easier. Yin fluid (physical form & physiological fluid) pernicious evils are composed of six evils (excess of yin evils or yang evils). The conflict between resuming normal qi and getting rid of the “pernicious evils” is what allows the disease to either progress or transform back to a healthy state.

TCM diagnostics is based on a disharmony pattern known as the “eight principal patterns”, which has “four pattern pairs”:  interior and exterior, cold and heat, deficiency and excess, yin and yang (most fundamental and essential pair).

Eight Principle Disharmony Patterns Table 2

Yin and Yang signs in the body Table 3

In TCM, the universal treatment goal is to restore yin yang harmony.

The Therapeutic strategy requires replenishment of deficiencies and removal of excess.  When one aspect is excessive and the other is normal, treatment aims to clear away excess, and vice versa, replenishing deficiencies when one aspect is deficient while the other is normal.  However, if both are excessive and deficient simultaneously, both removal of excess and replenishment of deficiencies is required.

Yang Excess

When yang is excess and yin is normal, this creates disharmony in the body, ex. A person with pneumonia (lung infection) may have high fever, red face, heavy respiration and a fast, full pulse.  The physiological signs such as the fever symptom are considered “heat” signals. Since yin aspect is still normal, the heat signals are an “excessive” type. The therapeutic strategy for this example would depend on cooling down “excessive heat” with “cold” herbs (nature of certain herbs that have yin properties). Once heat is removed, yin yang balance and health are resumed.

Yin Deficiency

With yin deficiency, yang excess develops; resulting in” excessive heat”, called “virtual heat” (because it’s caused by yin deficiency, not yang excess).  In these cases, “cold” herbs aren’t effective here. Instead, nourishing herbs are utilized.  TCM also refers to yin deficiency as deficiency of yin fluid (blood and body fluids) without sufficient nourishment; excitatory functions become dominant, leading to symptoms of low-fever and night sweat.

Signs of Yin Yang disharmony patterns Table 4

It is very important to distinguish the disharmony pattern. Remember, both “virtual and excessive” heat has “heat” symptoms, yet they are different in their presentation.  Excessive heat leads to high fever & rapid, full pulse while virtual heat causes night fever & rapid, thin pulse.

Herbs and their yin properties are classified in TCM according to “nature” and “taste”.

Table 5

It is vital, that when choosing different herbal treatments in TCM, one must first name disharmony pattern before continuing to select herbs based on proper nature, taste and effect. By following these simple steps, TCM can help support the body’s balance and health.