Yin Yang Medicine

    The ancient Chinese observed the patterns of nature to achieve greater understanding. Modern science dissects nature in order to better understand it. But both ancient China and modern science used the scientific method of observation, hypothesis, and trial and error through experimentation. The theory of Yin and Yang, which dates back as long ago as the I Ching, is the theory of complimentary opposites, and of relativity; which is seen through out nature and within the human being.

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There are many different forms of the Yin and Yang symbol, but the underlying principles remain the same:

• Yin and Yang are dynamic and in constant motion

    This is why the symbol looks as though the opposites are moving. It explains why it never stays night forever. The sun will rise again.

• One cannot exist without the other

    Nothing can exist without there being an opposite. We are only happy because we know sadness. Health exists due to sickness.

• Yin and Yang are both mutually consuming

    When Yin is weak, Yang will take over. Similar to a desert. The water is yin, and scarce. And so the land become dry and very Yang, making up for the weak yin of the land. Our bodies act the same way. For example, in menopausal women the hormone estrogen, which is yin, becomes scarce. This leads to hot flashes, which are very yang in nature.

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• Yin and Yang transform into the other

    The Yang of day turns into Yin of night. The Yin of sleep turns into the Yang of awakened consciousness. And since the human body is a living organism of nature, it's important to regulate your sleep patterns to the natural order of the planet we live on.
    Be Yin when nature is yin; sleep before 11pm and don't expose yourself to bright lights or screens once the sun has set. The body secretes certain hormones only after dark, such as melatonin; a powerful sleep aid and antioxidant. Also, be Yang when nature is Yang. Wake up once the sun has risen. This will help regulate your adrenal hormones to help you wake up full of energy in the morning.

• There is always Yang within Yin, and Yin within Yang

    This is why you see the small dot of the opposite within the Yin and Yang side of the symbol. A good example is: "It's always coldest before the dawn." This is because the sun's warmth begins to reach over the horizon, evaporating the condensation of dew created during the night. Evaporation is a process of cooling, and so the temperature decreases. Cold is Yin, and in the coldest moment of night there is just the smallest amount of the sun's warmth, the Yang.

• Yin and Yang are relative   

    Up is relative to down, just as time is relative to speed. Yin is relative to Yang depending on the situation. Which leads to the next principle...

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• There is no Yin or Yang
  

    Those things which we believe to exist, only exsist due to the nature of opposites, or duality. Yet, before there was Yin and Yang, there was Taiji, the great ultimate of being. Taiji is the exact same thing as Wuji, the ultimate of non-being.
     To the left you will see part of an ancient Taoist diagram with a large red circle; this circle represents being and non-being. In other words, oneness or non-duality.When the Taiji and Wuji began moving, it created Yin and Yang; the nature of opposites.

    As you can see the second circle down shows a Yin and Yang symbol represented by black and white in equal proportions. Yet, there remains a small red circle in the center between Yin and Yang. This is because Yin and Yang are the same; they are both taiji and wuji, being and non-being; they are both created by oneness.

    At Fremont Acupuncture, we balance the Yin and Yang within the body using acupuncture, herbs, and life style recommendations. I'm here to teach you to live a healthy life style, while correcting the imbalance your body may already have suffered: emotionally, physically, and spiritually.

Wishing you the Best in Health! And remember to live in harmony with the patterns of the natural world!

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