The Chinese Five Element Philosophy
Health In Every Season ...
In ancient Traditional Chinese Medicine, every season has its own dominant element and therefore a unique set of body issues, symptoms, temperment, foods and tendencies. By identifying the dominant seasonal element in your birth chart, you can recognize the tendencies that you will have and the chronic challenges your body will face as you age.
Your dominant element has an influence over the harmony of your body and your skin. The effects of these elements will rise and fall throughout the various seasons of the year creating different symptoms. Influences such as weather, humidity, environment, terrain, pollution can all stress your natural element creating disharmony between the body, the skin and your environment.
At ISIS our therapies are designed to create harmony within as well as without, maintaining balance with the season and the environment so that your body can be healthy, strong and vital. Our therapists are highly skilled and trained extensively in body characteristics, symptomatic evaluation, energetic influence as well as detoxification methods. Therapy at ISIS is unique, personalized and unlike anything you have experienced before. It is the future of wellness ...
Find out what your element is...
Five Elements
Fire People - these individuals tend to have weaknesses and over-dominance issues of the heart and the pericardium. Energy disturbance will carry over into the small intestine and the Triple Heater (metabolism) creating issues such as Irritable Bowel Syndrome, Crohn's Disease and Colitis. Their tongue and blood vessels tend to be out of balance and they will tend to laugh when stressed. They have a great deal of heat and tend to develop cysts more easily. They are energetic, quick and have pointed features. Summer is when they experience the most difficult symptoms.
Earth People - these individuals have chronic immune issues with weakness of the spleen and stomach dominant features. The mouth and muscles are core structures and they have sing-song voices. They tend to worry and be pensive and experience conditions of damp quite often, such as Candida and fungal infections. They have large features, strong legs and are calm and generous. They tend to be at the center of things and are greatly transformative.
Metal People - these individuals are focused on the lungs and the large intestine. The nose and skin are dominant features and they tend to cry when stressed. Grief and sadness are dominant emotions for them, and they thrive in the autumn months. They tend to experience dryness and are meticulous as well as strong-willed.
Water People - these people are based around the kidneys and the urinary bladder, which makes sense when thinking of water in the body. They are very hydration-based and have a difficult time maintaining water balance. Because of this, they tend to prefer salty foods and fear is a strong emotion. They have a tendency to be cold, even in the heat of the summer They have strong digestion, are loyal and constantly moving.
Wood People - these are liver and gallbladder people, although the eyes and tendons tend to have trouble healing from injury. They have loud voices, tend towards anger in the face of stress, love the spring and the wind and are hard workers, making tendon injuries much more common. They have strong bones and joints, and make ideal parents.
The Seasonal Energies
Spring energy is a time for the element of Wood when the energy of arterial circulation, blood flow and the movement of vital energy are all at their peak. Wood is the structure and what holds the reserves for any plant. This is not only nature’s time for birth, but it is also the time to begin new projects, create things and move outward. That outward movement can create symptoms when blocked such as blackheads, hyper-pigmentation, saddle bags and muscle tightness. A sluggish lymphatic system, poor flexibility, poor hydration or restrictions to the blood reaching the skin can all make the spring a time for allergies, fatigue and lack of concentration. Removing blockages and congestion is the key to the growth process of the body, including cellular renewal and healing. This is the time to detoxify the body, the intestinal tract, the liver, and the gallbladder.
Organs: Liver and gallbladder
Food: Minimize fats, animal fat and dairy products. Avoid alcohol, recreational drugs and coffee.
Flavor: Onions and sour flavors.
Action: stretch of the ligaments and tendons, lengthen the hamstrings, extend the spine, release the muscles.
Emotion: Anger, frustration.
Take a walk in the woods...
Summer energy is the time of Fire when we are affected by the heat and energy of the weather to bring all our circulation to the surface, thin the blood and lengthen our muscles. It is a time of the pericardium of the heart (the protective sac enclosing the heart) and the small intestines. The small intestines represents our ability to take in, select, utilize and excrete, it is our connection to the outside world. But in many those who are Fire by nature, these influences can create inflammation, redness (such as rosacea), excessive heat and perspiration, blotchiness and irritated sensitive skin. Women approaching the Change will also experience an increase in peri-menopausal symptoms such as hot flashes, night sweats, anger, irritation and perhaps an increase in menstrual flow. Since fire creates smoke, an increase in cigarette smoking during this time may be an attempt to increase internal Fire energy. Replace the cigarettes with warming baths, massage for increased circulation and Infrared Sauna sessions. Doing this will make it easier to give up smoking altogether!
Organ: Heart, Pericardium, Small Intestines
Flavor: Bitter
Food: Olive oil
Emotion: Ritual, habit
Fall energy is the time of Metal and mineralization. This means that issues with lymphatic and venous circulation can give you the feeling of heaviness in the legs and hips and your skin can become dull and lifeless without the minerals it needs to glow. Mineralization is the most important focus during the fall months to regain a feeling of lightness. Heavy metal toxicity will be more prevalent, as well as issues with nails and hair. This is the time to do deep hair and skin treatments such as our Chinese Five Element Body Cure. This is when calcium issues such as osteoporosis, osteopenia, bone spurs and gallstones can develop and varicose veins can erupt. Constipation is common during this time with a lack of magnesium and asthma and breathing difficulties may be worse. Maintaining effective lymphatic circulation can be a strong factor during this period of time for keeping skin looking great and preventing signs of aging from developing.
Organs: Lungs and colon, skin and hair
Action: Deep breathing, lung and colon cleansing and detoxification
Emotion: Grief, the healing of scars
Winter energy is about hydration and toning which are important because of the circulation of water that is the energy focus of this season. Water is what gives us our reserves and our resources, something that every living thing relies on in the winter months. Dehydration, edema, lack of skin tone, water retention, even black circles and puffy eyes are all common in the winter months. This is the season of Water, so keeping the kidneys and urinary system healthy are very important to prevent the development of urinary tract infections or a weakening of the bladder. During the snowy period, Kangen ionized water becomes essential for drinking, cleansing and bathing. You should be drinking an additional pint of water than you normally would during this crucial hydration time. This is the time that prepares us for the next season. We even recommend spraying 2.5 pH Kangen Water in the nose, mouth and throat to prevent the typical winter strep infection.
Organs: Kidneys and bladder
Herb: Dandelion leaves for water and urination, Dandelion Root for bowel function.
Taste: Salty foods
Minerals: Sodium and Potassium
Method of Cooking: Steaming to retain moisture
Soak in ionized water...
Many people experience illness, fatigue and symptoms more during the change of season than in any particular season. In Chinese Medicine, this is a weakness in the transitional energy which is governed by the element of Earth. The Inter-Season is a time when the nervous system will be most affected and the spleen and stomach are . Discovering the benefits of intensive body and skin cleansing during the change of season can help to eliminate localized weight gain in the abdomen and legs along with lymphatic circulation, cellulite, cysts and acne. This time is the basis of all elements and the Earth element is most often experienced as the core of disharmony. Disconnection with the Earth element is the major contributing factor to all disease by burdening the body with toxins, debris and pathogens. When we feel "grounded", we feel rejuvenated and balanced. Our energy is shared through the earth keeping our feet on the ground and keeping our electrical bodies balanced. During this time we recommend our ISIS Change of Season soup as well as our 21 Day Purification Program to cleanse the body from the inside out.
Read an article about seasonal energies
Hair Care Following the Five Elements