Everyone's body is born with self-healing abilities. Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) helps the body recharge and get back into balance. TCM is based on Chi, the energy or life force within us. By increasing Chi and balancing the Five Elements (wood, fire, metal, earth and Water), the body will have the support it needs to heal itself. The body's pains and discomforts are clues that something is off. Medications and other treatments might mask the discomfort but may never really get rid of it. TCM methods of natural healing have been used effectively—without some of the harmful side effects like in medications—for thousands of years.
Each of the five elements in TCM represent certain basic biochemical processes that take place in the body. Unlike western medicine, which seek to isolate individual biochemical processes, TCM looks at what is going on in the whole body. This holistic approach works better with herbs, because herbs (being complex mixtures of nutrients and bioactive substances) also work on whole body processes.
The Wood Element – Wood relates to the liver and gallbladder. The liver is the biochemical mastermind of the body. It is the major center for neutralizing environmental toxins and the primary organ for preparing nutrients for transport through the blood stream. This is why the Chinese say that the liver builds the blood. The gallbladder digests fats, which are essential for healthy skin, nerves and glands. It also serves as an avenue for eliminating toxins found inside the fat cells.
When the liver is stressed and overworked, a person will tend to feel irritable and cranky. They may be restless and unable to get to sleep at night but feel groggy and “hung over” in the morning. Hypoglycemia, migraine headaches, PMS symptoms, allergies, and abdominal pains can occur when the liver is in a stressed state.
People who are deficient in wood energy experience weakness in the liver and gallbladder. This results in an inability to move forward in a constructive manner and possible feelings of discouragement and depression. Physically, this chronic weakness of the liver and gallbladder energy would result in anemia in women, intestinal inflammation, abdominal pain and chronic liver problems. To strengthen this deficiency of wood energy there are Chinese herbal formulas that are specific to individual needs. These can be especially helpful for people with vague health problems that doctors say are “all in their head,” making the person feel like a hypochondriac. These formulas have helped with anxiety, depression, sagging energy and digestive problems for many years.
To balance your body, book a $25 thirty-minute Body Balance Herbal Evaluation to guide you towards the Chinese herbal balancing formula that is best suited for you.