Chinese alternative medicine is built on a number of eastern philosophies such as Buddhism, Neo-Confucianism and Taoism. Of these, Taoism has had the most influence on the traditional Chinese medicine guide.
Taoism holds that all the organs of the body jointly supplement each other. It is the balance of an individual’s different organs that ensures that the person leads a healthy life. The balance is attained by the two forces of Ying and Yang being in harmony. Ying and Yang are believed to be the two opposite but complementary energies that influence all aspects of life. A different theory is that two vital energies ‘qi’ and ‘chi’ flow all over the body through certain passage ways. If the energies are blocked then disease is likely to occur. Bringing back the balance of these energies is essential to achieving wellness.