Within Chinese Cosmology, all of creation is born from the marriage of two polar principles, such as Yin and Yang: winter and summer, night and day, body and mind. Harmony of this union means good health, while disharmony leads to disease. The strategy of Chinese medicine is to restore harmony.

In the Eastern belief, life force Qi ("chee") flows through the body. Chinese medicine body constituents are both physical and nonphysical. They are Qi, Moisture, Blood, Spirit, and Essence. Health exists when body constituents flow smoothly, resulting in a state of ease and well-being. Chinese philosophy suggests that we function through these constituents as nature does.

In Nature, extreme weather wreaks havoc in the world and these same forces can cause imbalance within the human body. As winds shake the trees, internal wind manifests as vertigo, unsteady movement, and trembling. As saturated earth generates swamps, so dampness becomes phlegm and edema in the body. As aridity withers vegetation, so dryness causes chapping or cracking of mucus membranes. Just as ice inhibits the rush of water in a stream, so internal cold retards circulation and depresses metabolism. And just as fire scorches the earth, so internal heat may inflame tissue.

All illness is understood as a consequence of either a depletion or a congestion of Qi, Moisture, and Blood. Depletion leads to weakness and illness. Congestion leads to aches, pain, irritability, and swelling.

Nonphysical body 

Spirit (called Shen) is the immaterial expression of the individual; and Essence (called Jing) is the body's reproductive and regenerative substance. Even though it is impossible to touch or measure Spirit or Essence, they are acknowledged as inextricably linked to the physical. 

Physical body

Just as Nature contains air, sea, and land, the human body is comprised of Qi, Moisture, and Blood. Qi is the animating force that gives us our capacity to move, think, feel, and work. Moisture is the liquid medium which protects, nurtures, and lubricates tissue. Blood is the material foundation out of which we create bones, nerves, skin, muscles, and organs. 

Organ Networks

Kidneys

Heart

Spleen

Liver

Lungs

Chinese medicine divides the body into five functional systems known as Organ Networks (Liver, Heart, Spleen, Lung, Kidney), just as nature is organized by five primal powers- Wood, Fire, Earth, Metal, Water. These Networks govern particular tissues, mental faculties, and physical activities by regulating and preserving Qi, Moisture, Blood, Spirit, and Essence

The Kidney Network extends beyond the job of managing fluid metabolism which we in the West ordinarily associate with the kidneys. Rather, the Kidney stores the Essence responsible for reproduction, growth, and regeneration. It controls the teeth, bones, marrow, brain, inner ear, pupil of the eye, and lumbar region, and is associated with the emotion of fear, the will, and the capacity for sharp thinking and perception. So problems such as retarded growth, ringing in the ears, infertility, low back pain, paranoia, fuzzy thinking, weak vision, apathy, or despair are viewed as dysfunctions of the Kidney Network.

The Heart not only propels blood through the vessels, but harbors the Spirit and governs the mind. Symptoms as varied as anxiety, restless sleep, angina, and palpitations occur when the Heart is agitated.

The Spleen is in charge of the assimilation of food and fluids, as well as ideas, so when this Network is disturbed, indigestion, bloating, fatigue, scattered thinking, and poor concentration ensue.

The Liver is responsible for the storage of Blood, flow of Qi, and evenness of temperament- so when the Liver is thwarted, tension in the neck and shoulders, high blood pressure, headaches, cramping, moodiness, and impulsive behavior may follow.

Through the breath, the Lung sets the body rhythm, defends its boundaries, and affords inspiration. A troubled Lung might trigger tightness in the chest, skin rashes, vulnerability to colds or flu, rigid thinking, or melancholy.

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