14. I Heal My Own Body : Shui Sheng Huo Jiang (Water Rises, Fire Descends)

The foundation of life is based on Yin and Yang. Heaven is Yang, and Earth is Yin. The sun is Yang, and the moon is Yin. Fire is Yang, and water is Yin. Men are Yang, women are Yin. Active forces are Yang, passive forces are Yin. Dynamic energy is Yang, and static energy is Yin. Without the opposition of Yin and Yang, life, including birth and death, would not exist. The Taegeuk symbol on the Korean flag embodies Yin and Yang, and Sasang medicine classifies Yang into Taiyang and Shaoyin, and Yin into Taeyin and Shaoyang. From Sasang come the Eight Trigrams, and from them the 64 hexagrams, explaining the transformations of all phenomena.

Breath that receives the heavenly Qi (Yang energy) belongs to Yang, and food that receives earthly Qi (Yin energy) belongs to Yin (“Yang transforms Qi, Yin forms shape”). Food is further divided into warm Yang energy foods and cold Yin energy foods. If a person with a cold body habitually eats cold foods, health problems will naturally arise.

The phrase Shu Sheng Huo Jiang (水升火降) means “Water rises, fire descends.” This natural convection phenomenon—in which cold water rises and hot fire descends—is also applied physiologically and pathologically within the body. After middle age, the body’s water content decreases, so the cold energy of water cannot control the hot energy of fire, leading to deficient heat rising, which causes facial flushing. Acupuncture or herbal medicine that supplements water energy and reduces deficient heat treats this well, based on the principle of balancing Yin and Yang. Western medicine similarly explains this as hormonal imbalance: estrogen (Yin) decreases while testosterone (Yang) relatively increases. When angry, the Yang energy of fire is said to surge up to the head, expressed as “anger pierces the crown.” The saying “don’t shake the acupuncture needle without feeling the pulse” refers to pulse diagnosis based on Yin and Yang states. Everything is the harmony and interaction of water and fire, Yin and Yang. Without birth, there is no death; without coagulation, there is no dispersion. The laws of the world—birth, aging, sickness, death—are ceaselessly changing within the harmony of Yin and Yang.

It is recommended to drink a cup of warm water (50%) mixed with cold water (20%) on an empty stomach. Also, keep the head cool and the feet and abdomen warm—this “cool head, warm feet” practice also harmonizes Yin and Yang within the body.

​

Dr. Jin-man Kim, director of Peace Oriental Clinic