A Short Course on the Five-Element Theory

Chinese medicine provides the missing link for us as dog owners when we try to diagnose symptoms of disease we see in our dogs that don't fall into any particular pattern. The Five Element Theory, which underlies Chinese Medicine, is the basis for acupuncture, herbology and other disciplines. Based on the concepts of balance and harmony and yin and yang (complementary opposites), this theory teaches that the constant ebb and flow of the energies of the universe influence health. Imbalances of these energies create disease. Through centuries of observation, the Chinese learned that there was a direct correlation between the seasons of the year and the prevalence of certain diseases. Studying the seasons, the life cycle of plants and animals and comparing them to their human counterparts, patterns emerged. So the natural elements, the seasons and the human body became linked. This linkage included the major organs of the body. Paired together at different seasons were yin and yang organs. The solid yang organs, found on the back of the body, are paired with hollow or yin organs, found mostly in the interior and front of the body. So we get pairings of organs such as liver (solid) and gallbladder (hollow), heart and small intestine, lungs and large intestine, kidney and bladder and stomach and spleen. These organs are in turn paired to seasons, color, emotions and the time of the day when symptoms are worse. Certain food groups support these organs.