The Five Element Theory

Five Element Theory, sometimes known as the Five Phases, is a philosophical approach within traditional Chinese medicine, and has been used for more than 2,000 years as a method of diagnosis and treatment. According to Five Element Theory, wellness may be described as a balance or harmony between the Yin (feminine) and Yang (masculine) aspects of the physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual aspects of a body. A Five Element approach includes examining the energetic balance between the various elements.

Natural phenomena can be classified into the Five Elements:  wood, fire, earth, metal, and water.  Each phase describes both a supporting and diminishing cycle of interaction.  For example, water supports (feeds) wood but diminishes (overcomes) fire.

Each element corresponds to an organ system, pulses, colours, emotions, sounds, smells, etc, which may be examined when assessing a client’s well-being.  For example, the Water element is associated with the Bladder (Yang) and the Kidney (Yin) organs. An imbalance may show itself in many ways, perhaps frequent urination.  Treatment will depend on a holistic assessment of the client.