Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) is based on the understanding that an equilibrium within an organism is the key to health and well-being.
The essence of life is “Qi” – the Chinese word for “power” or “energy” – that flows through an organism and keeps it alive. Qi has two opposite poles which are called Yin and Yang; Yin representing the female, the cold and the obscure, while Yang stands for the male, the heat and the light. These opposite poles need and complement each other to become a whole.
Health means that both poles are well equilibrated within an organism. Illness appears when there is imbalance between them. This imbalance can have many distinct causes such as emotional stress, external influences, lack of exercise or unhealthy nutrition.
Acupuncture, for example, reestablishes the normal balance of Yin and Yang and assures the unhindered flow of the Qi through the body. By inserting needles into specific points in the meridians, the main channels through which the energy passes, a stagnation of the Qi or rather the lack thereof can be balanced out.