Accu Blog 005 HISTORY AND PHILOSOPHIES OF ACUPUNCTURE five element theory

 

five element theory

                                A seed having its yin (hidden) soul enhances its growth to become tree (yang).  This is an example to explain that both hidden and unhidden growing matter gets balanced through five elements Qui presents in this atmosphere.  

                The food what we eat are blend with five elements Qui. The world where we live is also blended with the same five elements Qui.  Means both world and body are nonetheless the same.

Henceforth ancestors tried to understand the body to understand the world in he lives.

Siddha narrates a song in which he duly stresses on the unification of both world and self.

“Andathil ulladhe pindam

"அண்டத்தில் உள்ளதே பிண்டம், 

Pindathil ulladhe andam

பிண்டத்தில் உள்ளதே அண்டம்.

Andamum pindamum onre

அண்டமும் பிண்டமும் ஒன்றே

Arindhu dhaan parkumbozhudhu”

அறிந்துதான் பார்க்கும்பொழுது"

Acupuncture is the only treating technique where the usage of five elements theory been recognised completely. Where other medicines use this theory partially!

The excess and shortage in the activities of the five elements in the atmosphere and an individual’s body is the cause for Unhealthiness, reveals acupuncture.

In these activities, we find the movement of Qui in soul and the organs of the body whether   they are in balanced condition or not? If found UN balanced, acupuncture tries to find the solution through five elements theory.  There are three cycles that can be listed for the balance in atmosphere and the body through five element theories:

1.       Generative cycle (உற்பத்தி சுற்று)

2.       Control cycle (கட்டுப்பாடு சுற்று)

3.       Destructive cycle (அழிக்கும் சுற்று) or Insulting cycle

Generative cycle:

                Birth of the world, galaxies and universe on the whole is considered through Nebula theory (big bang theory).   To understand the five elements cycle, nebula theory is the due fact. 

Nebula is a fire distribution of an atmosphere, in its state several activities take place during the course.  It creates a big bang.  With this bang, the matter gets thrown away in all its direction and settles with due rotation and revolution of itself.  In this course of action we find sun (fire the first element) as the primary source for every other and nearby objects around it.  One such object is earth (second element) with basically the same as of sun, which is from the same explosion.  In the beginning earth behave as sun (fire) later its proportion changes due to activity in its atmosphere and reaches as earth.   During the course of understanding earth, its heat energy gets subdued due to the presence of activity from air (third element).  Means when earth rotates on its axis generates air in its atmosphere.  This air subdues water (fourth element) and life (wood fifth element).

                For earth element, fire behaves as mother and air behaves as daughter.

                For air element, earth behaves as mother and water behaves as daughter.

                For water element, air behaves as mother and wood behaves as daughter.

                For wood element, water behaves as mother and fire behaves as daughter.

                For fire element, wood behaves as mother and earth behaves as daughter.

This is constructive cycle in acupuncture.

CONSTRUCTIVE CYCLE-Generative cycle

Any problem in an element can be solved with its mother or daughter getting connected to it.

If an element gets troubled due to daughter, mother comes into help.

“Every element behaves as mother for subsequent element and behaves as daughter for previous element”, in constructive cycle.

Fire generates earth

Earth generates air

Air generates water

Water generates wood

Wood generates fire

Constructive cycle or healthy cycle                                                                                       Generative cycle

 

CONSTRUCTIVE CYCLE-Control  cycle 

Control cycle:

                For earth element, air behaves as daughter and water behaves as grand daughter.

                For air element, water behaves as daughter and wood behaves as grand daughter.

                For water element, wood behaves as daughter and fire behaves as grand daughter.

                For wood element, fire behaves as daughter and earth behaves as grand daughter.

                For fire element, earth behaves as daughter and air behaves as grand daughter.

Any problem in an element can be solved with its daughter or grand daughter getting connected to it.

If an element gets troubled due to grand daughter, daughter comes into help.

“Every element behaves as daughter  and for subsequent element and behaves as grand daughter for previous pen ultimate element”, in control cycle.

Fire controls air,

Air controls wood,

Wood controls earth,

Earth controls water,

Water controls fire.

Control cycle

 

An element in control cycle controls the other element and gets controlled by another element.

·         What it is the need for control cycle?

                Control cycle is used when an element is getting destroyed by its grand daughter; mother comes into rescue to keep the cycle balanced.

·         Check the relationships between the elements in both generative cycle and control cycle:

Generative cycle: it is the relationship between two consecutive elements with the relationships as such as mother and daughter.

Control cycle: it is the relationship between alternative elements with the relationship as such as grand mother and grand daughter.

Counter cycles (எதிர் வினை சுற்றுக்கள்)

                During these cycles one element dominates the other but counter clockwise which makes the system unhealthy.

Degenerative cycle (strength less cycle):

Generative cycle	Degenerative cycle (strength less cycle)
Fire builds earth	Earth destroys fire
Earth builds air	Air destroys earth
Air builds water	Water destroys air
Water builds wood	Wood destroys water
Wood builds fire	Fire destroys wood

 

Un control cycle (Insulting cycle): 

Control cycle	Un control cycle (insulting cycle)
Fire controls air	Air tries to control over fire
Air controls wood	Wood tries to control over air
Wood controls earth	Earth tries to control over wood
Earth controls water	Water tries to control over earth
Water controls fire	Fire tries to control over water

 

Comparative studies between the elements and its organs:

Yin	Yang
spleen, lung, kidney, liver, Heart, Pericardium	stomach, large intestine, urinary bladder, gal  bladder, small intestine, triple warmer
Weighed organ	Weightless organ
Firmness in the structure	Looseness in the structure
Generative in nature	Distributive in nature
Qui generative	Qui distributive
Chillness	Warmness