The TCM View on How Your Body Handles Water We all drink water — but are we really doing it right? Understanding how to drink water properly can make a significant difference in our hydration habits. Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) sees the body much like the Earth: about 70 % water. Just as Chinese history […]
Author: Ya Zhu Gabriel
Radiation Therapy in Action: A Case Example Highlighting Whole-Body Health
Radiation therapy is a common treatment for cancer, but as we discussed in our previous post—Radiation Therapy: Two Perspectives & Why Your Whole-Body Health Matters, it affects more than just the tumor. Understanding its impact on the whole body—fluids, energy, and organ balance—can make a significant difference in recovery and comfort. Before we start: This […]
Radiation Therapy: Two Perspectives & Why Your Whole-Body Health Matters
Radiation therapy is a powerful medical tool. In Western medicine, it’s used to target and kill cancer cells by damaging their DNA. In Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM), we see it as a form of intense heat-toxin that can damage both the disease and the body’s healthy energy if not managed well. In this article, I’ll […]
Case Insight: When Tinnitus, Nausea, and Fatigue Won’t Let Go — A Chinese Medicine Perspective
👤 Mr. Myhre’s Story Mr. Myhre, 66 years old, experienced a sudden shift in health on October 7, 2022 — the day a constant ringing in his ears (tinnitus) began. On that very same day, he lost his appetite, and things never quite returned to normal. Over the next year, his symptoms lingered. But three […]
Real Case: Stress-Linked Constipation and Digestive Imbalance — A Chinese Medicine Approach
Let’s walk through a real case to see how Chinese medicine looks at chronic IBS-C (constipation-dominant irritable bowel) — and how stress, hormones, and digestion all intertwine in the Five Element system. Patient Background Cira is a 29-year-old woman with a Yang Wood constitution and Yang Fire Yue Ling, a type of body that thrives […]
Case Study: Fatigue, Food Sensitivity, and the Five Elements — Finding the Real Root
Let’s walk through a real-life case to help us understand how Chinese medicine uses the Five Elements to see patterns in the body. Patient Background A 65-year-old woman with Hashimoto’s (autoimmune thyroid condition) came in with these main complaints: Step 1: Tongue Diagnosis — What the Body Shows Us In Chinese medicine, the tongue is […]
How to Read the Tongue in Chinese Medicine
A gentle guide to what your tongue says about your health In Chinese medicine, the tongue is like a mirror of your internal world. It reflects how your organs are doing, where energy is flowing — and where it’s getting stuck. Tongue diagnosis is one of the most direct ways we observe what’s going on […]
Emotional Patterns and Over-Control: Restoring Flow Through the Five Elements
In Chinese medicine, the mind-body connection is emphasized as emotions are not just psychological experiences — they are expressions of Qi(Energy) movement. Just as the organs have functions, they also generate emotional states. These emotions are meant to move, rise, fall, transform, and ultimately support your health. But when that movement is blocked, excessive, or […]
Emotional Patterns and Control: Restoring Flow Through the Five Elements
In Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM), emotions are not just mental states—they are energetic expressions rooted in the vital organs and animated by the dynamic balance of the Five Elements: Wood, Fire, Earth, Metal, and Water. Achieving emotional balance is essential to maintaining the harmony of these elements. Each emotion belongs to one of these elements […]
Food and Herbs to Regulate Excess: A Controlling Cycle Approach
In Chinese medicine, food is more than fuel — it’s medicine. In our earlier posts, we explored how eating in harmony with the seasons and your Five Element constitution can nourish health and prevent depletion. But there’s another role food and herbs play that is equally important: regulating excess. As we’ve learned in the Five […]