This article introduces the philosophy of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) and discusses the concepts of yin-yang balance, qi (energy or life force), and the five elements—wood, fire, earth, metal and water—in relation to health and healing. In addition to qi, an overview of jing (essence) and shen (spirit) are presented in this article. The effects of one’s emotions on health and specific organs are detailed within this article, identifying the emotion and its correlative effect on the organ(s) involved and TCM approaches to harmonizing the effects of these emotions on health.
