To learn about acupuncture you must first study the five main elements or the most fundamental things of acupuncture, and you will be able to study the traditional Chinese medicine. You will find that there is an important part of the universe that controls something. You will find that there is earth, water, fire, metal, and wood. You will learn how the five elements and their meanings can affect the body and how it is important for any acupuncturist to take these ideas in mind. If you are interested in acupuncture or in the Chinese culture, you will want to research more about the five elements and get a better understanding of the Chinese world of view.

Most of the time Chinese ideas of the elements sound something of mythology or mystical to the Western Society, but these elements will bring you to the same conclusion of Western Medicine, except it has a different way of relating life to medicine. The five elements relate closely with the idea of “qi”, or energy in the body. Acupuncture seeks to resolve imbalances in the five elements, which result in the disruption of the flow of "qi" in the body.

As you may know, the Chinese look at everything in the aspect of yin and yang; everything has a positive, everything as a negative. The Chinese also look at everything with a view of yin and yang. You can think of yin and yang as opposites in the terms of spring and winter. Yin is associated with all of that is positive. You will find that the rebirth, warmth of life, spring, and all of the light in the world is Yin. Yin is the beauty of the world. It is the beauty of nature. When it comes to Yang, you will find that it is everything dark in the world. Things like winter, downward actions, hibernation, and dying of summer is what Yang is referred to. Each element can be associated with either yin or yang, and each of these pairings in turn represents a part of the body.


When it comes to the spleen and stomach, you will find dampness or yang. You will find that coldness is linked to the kidneys and bladder. Then the heart and the small intestine is paired with fire, while metal is associated to the large intestine, lungs, and dryness. As for the wood, you will find it to be associated with the liver and the gallbladder is the wind. When you study these elements and the body, you will begin to know how you can treat your ailments and you will be able to use acupuncture to help your body get back in line. In fact, many studies will support all of these associations. You will need to remember that you need to be open to new ideas and then you can find ways to live in a healthy way.