44. The Principles of TCM. 10. Yin and Yang 3

Yin and yang in equilibrium. Homeostasis

Yin and yang (陰陽) are opposing concepts, but are interdependent entities that cannot be completely divided. In Oriental medicine, essence is a liquid with a shape and belongs to yin, and qi belongs to yang, which cannot be seen but constantly moves through the body. Jeong and Qi, Qi and Blood, or Yin and Yang, sometimes suppress and sometimes complement each other to maintain balance and continue life activities. It is said that “when yin and yang are balanced, the body and mind are healthy.”

Likewise, there is a concept of homeostasis in biology. It is a function that maintains life by maintaining a constant physiological state by reacting the internal environment of a living organism to changes in the external environment surrounding the living organism. For example, body temperature, blood pH level, blood sugar level, osmotic pressure regulation in the kidneys, blood pressure and blood flow, hormonal regulation, sympathetic and parasympathetic nerve regulation, etc. Disease is also seen as an imbalance in this physiological state, that is, a failure of star quality or yin-yang malfunction, while treatment, on the other hand, is seen as restoring this imbalance, that is, in the Yin and yang in equilibrium.

The fever that occurs when you catch a cold is an immune response in which your body raises its body temperature and heals itself to resist invading germs from the outside and to achieve a balance of yin and yang. This is because if your body temperature rises by just 1 degree, your immunity becomes 4 to 5 times stronger. In general, children with good immune systems develop high temperatures when they catch a cold, but elderly people only have a mild fever because their immune systems are weak. This is why when a dog gets sick, it refuses food and rests in a sunny place. Cancer rarely occurs in the heart and small intestine. There are many reasons for this, but in Oriental medicine, the heart and small intestine are organs of fire, which can be interpreted as having the most heat. Just by avoiding cold foods as much as possible and keeping the body warm, our body automatically achieves optimal health, the state of Yin and yang in equilibrium.
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Dr. Jin-man Kim, director of Peace Oriental Clinic