Pronounced “chi” it is often translated into English as “energy”, but this definition is quite poor.

There is no single word to describe the meaning of Qi, as each Chinese character tells more of a story than a definition. The modern character for Qi describes the steam coming off a bowl of rice and floating up into the heavens to become clouds.  This symbolises that Qi is something both nourishing and transforming, it can be both solid and insubstantial. To the Chinese Qi is what makes up the universe, everything we see, experience or feel is a manifestation of a form of Qi. 

Within our body there are many manifestations of Qi; Heart Qi, Spleen Qi, Liver Qi, Zhong Qi, etc…
To say these are different forms of Qi is false as they are all the same Qi, but as the Qi passes through each organ it assumes a different role.  It is the same principle for Qi within the universe and the world around us.

There are two components to Qi, Yin Qi and Yang Qi.  This is the “Yin and Yang” that everyone knows about.  Some say it is the interplay between Yin and Yang which creates Qi.

 

 

Before the universe existed it was said that Yin and Yang where separate entities, their union created Qi and the Universe.  They are two forces which compliment, sustain and nourish each other.  The Western perception of them being purely in “opposition” is a very limited view of their incredibly dynamic relationship.

The Classic diagram of Yin and Yang shows that they are a part of each other, with a small piece of Yin within Yang and vice versa. Yin is described as being more substantial and heavy, Yang is more pure and light.

To quote the Nei Jing “In nature, the clear Yang forms heaven and the turbid Yin Qi descends to form Earth.  The earthly Qi evaporates to become clouds, and when the clouds meet with the heavenly Qi, rain is produced”.

This constant interplay very much sums up the difference between the Western and Eastern mind set. To the Chinese everything in life, health and illness is about relationships, the Western perspective is more focused on dissection, classification and definition.

The organs are divided into 6 Yin and 6 Yang organs.  The Yin organs are considered “solid”, meaning they store a form of refined Qi (essence).  They are related mostly to the production and storage of Qi and blood. The Yang organs are considered “hollow” as they fill up and then empty to keep things moving, their primary role is related to digestion and waste removal.

Perfect health is when Yin and Yang are in balance, and Qi and Blood are plentiful.  This is the state I strive to return each patient to whilst treating them.

 

Please click on Diagram for a more detailed view

Originally the five elements system was used in predicting social trends and politics in ancient China. Over time the model was also integrated into the system of medicine as a theory of explaining organ interaction.

In the Detailed view of the five elements, you can see how all the Yang organs are on the outside and the Yin organs are on the inside. This is because the Yang organs are considered more "external", meaning they protect their Yin partner and are always affected by exogenous pathogens first. If a pathogen gets through to the Yin organs it is called an "internal" condition, as it has managed to penetrate through the body's protection and reached the deeper energetic levels. These types of conditions are considered more serious.

The Sheng Cycle (blue lines) is the nourishing cycle, showing how wood flows on to nourish fire, fire to earth and so on. In turn it explains how a deficiency in one organ can directly affect the next in line.

The Ke Cycle (orange lines) describes the controlling cycle. Think of it as a older brother keeping and eye on his younger sibling to ensure s/he doesn't misbehave. However it can have a negative impact if one element over-controls another. For example; wood is easily upset by stress and anger (as discussed here), this can cause it to over-control the Earth and bring about digestive problems.

Please click on Diagram for a more detailed view

This is a much older model of the Five Element relationship.  The primary difference here is the Earth (Spleen/Stomach) is the centre, supporting and nourishing all the other elements.  It also shows that the Earth is a bridge of communication between the elements. 

Water (kidneys) is the reservoir of all yin and yang, it is the base or root of the diagram representing its role as the foundation of the whole system (and body).

The heart (fire element) is the most yang organ, and is associated with the emperor who is in charge therefore it sits at the top. Fire and water have a Yin Yang relationship so they are at opposite ends. Water flows up to nourish the heart, and fire goes down to control the kidneys.

Wood and metal are at either side working to support and control each other, as wood energy naturally expands and metal energy naturally contracts.

This model easily explains how a deficient or damaged Spleen and Stomach can have a massive  effect on the entire body. The body will lose its ability to support itself (both physically and emotionally), and the organs will have great difficulty communicating with each other.  This demonstrates the importance of the old saying how any structure must have a strong centre (Earth) in order to function and survive.

The Stomach is described as an emaciation chamber. It is responsible for beginning the breakdown of food to help the Spleen perform its function of transforming and transporting. The Stomach then sends the turbid substances down into the Intestines.

When the Stomach is injured instead of sending the turbid down, it can rebel and send it upwards; this leads to nausea, reflux and vomiting. The Stomach prefers dryness and warmth, but too much and it generates excessive heat, this leads to excessive hunger, foul breath and thirst.

The “three burning spaces” or “three heaters” is not so much an organ but more a way of explaining how organs in different parts of the body communicate with one another.

Compared to the other organs whose theory has been around for a thousand years, the San Jiao is considered quite young as it was only included into the general organ theory approximately 500 years ago. It explains how multiple organs can be affected at the same time and how their functions link to one another.

The Upper Jiao contains the Heart and Lung

The Middle Jiao contains the Stomach, Spleen, Gall Bladder and Liver

The Lower Jiao contains the Small Intestine, Colon, Bladder and Kidneys

Here the body has extracted all the nutrients it can from the food we have eaten and is now ready to excrete the waste. It is through the Colon the body also tries to remove pathogens from the body, such as heat, cold and damp. This results in several different pathologies which cause painful diarrhea or constipation.

The Colon also plays an important role in skin conditions. It is paired with the Lung (whose corresponding tissue is skin), if the Colon is blocked and unable to remove the waste, it will try and vent these toxins through the lung which results in skin conditions.

The Gall Bladder is considered an “Extraordinary Fu”, it is a Yang organ which stores a form of refined essence (like a Yin organ). This refined essence is ‘bile’ which is made from a surplus of Liver Qi. Bile is used to aid digestion (which is activated by the Liver) when we eat. Stress stagnates Liver Qi and generates heat which the Gall Bladder tries to vent. As the Gall Bladder channel runs along the sides of the body, shoulder blades and head; people with high stress levels have tight upper back and neck muscles, they can even suffer digestive problems.

Emotionally the Liver and Gall Bladder work together to help us plan and provide courage to follow through with our desires.

The Bladder is responsible for the excretion of fluid waste which have been passed on from the small intestine and kidneys.  This too is another means whereby the body tries to excrete pathogens from the body like the Colon.  UTIs, painful urination and other genital disorders are often viewed by Chinese medicine as Damp or Heat trapped in the Bladder.

The Bladder energetically has a very strong connection to reproduction, especially the uterus in women.  This is why I use Bladder points to rotate a malpositioned fetus.