The theory of Yin and Yang

In the Chinese philosophy of Taoism, the meaning of Yin and Yang are bright and dark sides of an object. The theory of Yin Yang helps define the inner functioning of nature, and it provides clarification of why there are night and day, winter and summer, cold and hot, slow and fast, low and high, negative and positive, female and male, etc.

The two energies of Yin and Yang are of direct opposites and so one feeds the other the energy it lacks. It is through this interchange that they convert from the inside out and become each other, creating the continually repeated cycle from life to death to life again.

YANG: In general, Yang has characterized as anything that is moving, ascending, bright, progressing, and hyperactive, including the functional disease of the body.

YIN: In general, Yin has characterizing as anything with stillness, descending, darkness, degeneration, hypo-activity, including the organic disease of the body.

The functioning of Yin and Yang is guided by the law of unity of the opposites or conflicting, but at the same time mutually dependent. The coexistence nature of Yin and Yang means neither being able to exist in isolation. Without "cold" there would be no "hot"; without "moving" there would be no "still"; without "dark,” there would be no "light."

Opposites in all objects and phenomena are in continuous and complimentary motion and change: the growth and advance of the one mean the decline and retreat of the other.

For example: day is Yang and night is Yin, but morning is considering as being Yang within Yang, afternoon is Yin within Yang, evening and before midnight is Yin within Yin and the time after midnight and before morning is Yang within Yin.

TCM considers human life as a physiological process in constant motion and change. The body’s organs and tissues can be classified as Yin and Yang based on their functions and locations. Under normal conditions, the increase and decrease of Yin and Yang are keeping within a certain range, reflecting a dynamic equilibrium of the physiological processes. When the balance is affected or disturbed, disease develops. Typical disease causing Yin-Yang imbalances include: excess of Yin, excess of Yang, deficiency of Yin, and deficiency of Yang.