*Relative Properties - Yin and Yang : The Physiology of Chinese medicine holds that the human body's life is the result of the balance of yin and yang. Yin is the inner and negative principles, and yang, outer and positive. The key reason why there is sickness is because the two aspects lose their harmony. Seen from the recovery mechanism of organs, yang functions to protect from outer harm, and yin is the inner base to store and provide energy for its counterpart.
*Basic Substance : Doctors of traditional Chinese medicine (abbreviated to TCM) believe that vital energy - moving and energetic particles, state of blood, and body fluid are the essential substances that compose together to form the human body, and the basis for internal organs to process. They are channeled along a network within the body - Jing Luo as their channels. On the physical side, vital energy serving to promote and warm belongs to the properties of yang, and blood and body fluid to moisten possesses the properties of yin.
===Yin & Yangand The Four States of Imbalance:===1. Excess of Yin<br>2. Excess of Yang<br>3. Deficiency of Yin<br>4. Deficiency of Yang<br>
In terms of the human body, yin is associated with the lower parts of the body, while yang is associated with the upper body and back. Given yin and yang’s interconnectivity, diseases are not seen as entities separate from the body, but instead are understood as states of yin and yang imbalance.
In Traditional Chinese Medicine, this interconnectivity is understood as a group of four opposites, collectively known as the Eight Principles. The table below shows the inverse relationship of yin-yang.
[[File:The eight principles table.png]]<br>Yin and yang are in constant flux. If one becomes unbalanced in the body, illness occurs. For example, since yin is cold, an excess of yin can cause illnesses such as insomnia and dry-mouth. Conversely, a yang deficiency can cause cold limbs and a sickly-complexion. Good health then, is maintained by balancing yin and yang.<br>[[File:Yin and yang chart.jpg]]
===Five Phases theory===
[[File:420px-Wuxing en.svg.png|thumb|300px|left|Interactions of Wu Xing]]
Correspondences between the body and the universe have historically not only been seen in terms of the Five Elements, but also of the "Great Numbers" (大數)For example, the number of acu-points has at times been seen to be 365, in correspondence with the number of days in a year; and the number of main meridians – 12 – has been seen in correspondence with the number of rivers flowing through the History of China|ancient Chinese empire.
<br>While the change of yin and yang may seem random, they actual follow a pattern known Xu Xing or the Five Phases, which shows how and when yin will shift to yang and vice versa. Typically, Xu Xing is used to describe the change of seasons and states of elements. For example, Spring giving rise to Early Summer, which turns into Late Summer, which then becomes Fall, then Winter, then Spring again.
[[File:Wu Xing pattern.png|thumb|350px|left|]]<br>In terms of the human body, the organs follow a similar Wu-Xing pattern, called Zang-Fu. Zang refers to organs that are yin in nature. They are the pericardium, heart, liver, spleen, lung, and kidneys. Fu refers to organs that are yang. They are the triple burner, small intestine, large intestine, gall bladder, urinary bladder, and stomach. Each zang has a fu, and every zang-fu pair corresponds to one of the five phases. The diagram below better explains this relationship.<br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br>
[[File:Zang fu 5 elements.jpg|thumb|450px|left|]]<br>
The chart below shows the analogous relationships between the Xu Xing and Zang-fu organs.
[[File:Xu xing table.png]]
The purpose of the Zang-fu Organs is to produce the Five Vital Substances, which are the five building blocks of life: Qi, Xue (Blood), Jinye (Body Fluids), Jing (Essence), and Shen (Spirit).
==Diagnosis==