In Part 1, it was seen how all natural phenomena can be classified into opposite pairs of Yin & Yang, and Part 2 described how these opposite pairs can influence each other in sickness or health.

Another aspect of Yin – Yang is that of constant change – nothing in nature is truly static and unchanging but instead is always in a state of transformation from one extreme towards the other. When these changes occur within set boundaries, it produces stability and order rather than instability and chaos.

A common example of this would be the regulation of your body temperature. Although it normally appears to be stable, the temperature is in fact constantly increasing and decreasing within a small range, similar to how a thermostat controls a heater.

In Western medicine, this concept is known as homeostasis and is responsible for keeping all of your body’s systems in healthy balance between extremes, ranging from the oxygen – carbon dioxide levels of the respiratory system to the acid – base pH of the blood.

Diet, lifestyle, emotions – so many various factors can have an influence on a person’s health, and the more out of balance things become the greater the tendency to fluctuate between extremes of Yin & Yang in order to maintain equilibrium.

For instance, if someone suffers from fatigue they may tend to overuse artificial stimulants such as sugar, caffeine, or other drugs to regain their energy, often beginning the cycle of highs followed with the crashing lows. Another example would be a menopausal women suffering from hot flashes, as the extreme heat and night sweats is often followed by cold chills.

A large part of the focus of Eastern Medicine, whether through acupuncture, shiatsu massage, herbal medicine, or other treatment modalities, is to help regulate the various systems of the body and allow the person to return to a healthy state of balance.

Improving your health is an ongoing process of change, a constant journey of small positive steps.

To add further to this concept is what can be described as the “see-saw” effect – when one side of something increases, the opposite side tends to decrease in the opposite direction.

In Eastern science, this was most clearly seen observing things in nature such as the sun and moon – as the sun came up in the morning, the moon lowered below the horizon, and mid-day was the brightest when the sun reached the highest point in the sky. The exact opposite then happened as the sun disappeared below the horizon and the moon came up and reached its peak at night.

Although it appears to be a simple concept, it has extremely important clinical value in acupuncture. One common example of this is in the treatment of migraine headaches. The acupuncture pathway usually corresponding to the headaches is called the Gallbladder meridian – this pathway starts at the eyes, travels through the temple area and the sides of the head, down the neck and the tops of the shoulders, and then down the body and legs, ending at the feet. In Traditional Oriental Medicine, it views migraine headaches as usually being caused by stagnant and congested circulation along this Gallbladder pathway.

Treatment is often focused on its opposite pair, which in this case is the Liver system. By working to strengthen the Liver, the see-saw effect is achieved: the Liver becomes stronger, in essence siphoning off the excess that had been trapped in the Gallbladder pathway. As both systems reach a better state of balance, the symptoms of the migraine headaches tend to improve as well.

Other health problems are viewed in a similar way – strengthening the weak areas of the body, and calming down the tense ones. As a healthier state of equilibrium is reached, the body is then better able to recover and heal itself.

What kinds of things in your life are creating imbalance in your health?

Yin – Yang is actually a concept that comes from ancient Chinese science and philosophy and was an important part of their approach to viewing nature. Originally meaning “the shady side of the mountain” and “the sunny side of the mountain”, Yin and Yang came to symbolize opposing forces of Nature, such as:

• Moon & Sun
• Winter & Summer
• Darkness & Light
• Water & Fire

(It is interesting to note that much of Western science is also based on this concept, such as positive & negative terminals for electricity, north & south poles for magnetism, acids & bases for chemistry, etc.)

This Eastern way of categorizing everything in Nature as Yin and Yang was later introduced into their system of medicine, and is one of the main ways that both sickness and health is analyzed.

Although at first glance Yin – Yang theory appears to be a very simple and basic idea, it is one of the most important concepts in Traditional Oriental Medicine, including acupuncture and shiatsu treatments.

An example of using these opposite-quality pairings can be seen when treating someone experiencing pain:

• is the pain acute or chronic?
• is it at a fixed location or does it move around?
• is the pain sharp and piercing or more of a dull ache?
• does it improve with rest or with movement?
• is it better with heat or cold?

Because health problems are regarded as an imbalance in the body, treatment is intended to bring a person back into a healthy state of balance thereby allowing their body to heal itself. For acupuncture, this can be viewed as regulating the meridian energy pathways that flow throughout the body – some of them may be weak and need to be strengthened and nourished, while others are stagnant and blocked and need to flow better.

However, it’s also important to realize that everything we do in life can also be categorized in a similar way, and that nothing can truly be considered as neutral – it’s either creating balance or imbalance in our lives.

As you go about your daily routine this week, why not try to take some time just to observe how you respond to various things such as:

• the foods you eat or crave
• how much sleep you get
• the thoughts in your head
• your work environment
• the people you spend most of your time with
• your posture throughout the day
• exercise habits

Can you identify anything that’s helping to improve your health, or is there something contributing to the problem?