Yin & Yang

The light and dark side of the mountain: the symbolism of energy within and without.  The two opposing forces which consists in every aspect of being, yin and yang, impacts our very existence. Within our existence, is our life force energy, or qi, which flows in everything and through everyone.  Maintaining a proper balance of qi, particularly yin and yang, creates harmony, a sort of homeostasis; similarly, an imbalance begets disharmony. It is this imbalance that allows our entire being to succumb to disease, our organs to fail and increases our susceptibility to disease.

Understanding a little more about qi: Master Duan Zhi-Liang Wuji Qigong Master Shur Qigong Master

One major disease yin and yang imbalance is associated with is cancer. It is suggested that lin28/let-7 signaling link can be viewed much like a yin and yang balancing act. Consistent with this concept, lin28 and let-7 have been shown to have opposing expression patterns suggesting that this yin and yang imbalance is mainly associated with tumor progression and functions in development and tumor progression.  In mast cells where the suppressor and activator roles of mast cells in allergic inflammation are opposites. During allergic exacerbations there is an imbalance of mast cell functions which result in the symptoms related to allergic asthma and food allergy. During remission the balance is restored.  

One more disease viewed differently in Chinese medicine is diabetes, which is called xiao ke, or "wasting thirst syndrome". It is believed in Chinese medicine that there is a deficiency of yin, thus creating fake heat which affects the lungs, stomach and kidneys. The Chinese medicine understanding of what causes diabetes is very similar to Allopathic medicine in that those who eat/drink too much alcohol, sugar or fat (all yang foods) and live a sedentary life will develop xaio ke. Toxic heat develops which is thought to consume vital organs’ fluids and causes malfunction and disharmony between lung, stomach and kidney.
The combination of Allopathic and Chinese medicine can be shown in the example of insulin and glucagon:

We can ascertain by their functions, insulin would represent yin energy while glucagon represents yang energy.  One cannot function without the other, and without both in balance, the body becomes diseased.
Knowledge of yin and yang energy can help in the prevention, diagnosis, and cure of diseases, even where Allopathic medicine lacks.  It would behoove Allopathic medicine greatly to adopt this paradigm, and it would also benefit the millions of people who suffer from diseases in which there is no known cure for in Allopathic medicine. 






Sources:
A.D. Kraneveld, et al., The two faces of mast cells in food allergy and allergic asthma: The possible concept of Yin Yang , Biochim. Biophys. Acta (2011)
Ageless Herbs. Traditional Chinese Medicine .Yin Yang Theory. Catherine Browne, L.Ac., MH, Dipl.Ac . Retrieved on 11/4/11
Ho, L. Robertson, M. The Yin and Yang of Diabetes. Exploring Chinese medicine's understanding of diabetes mellitus.
J.B. Soriano, A. Agustı, Eur Respir J 2008; 32: 1426–1427 COPD: or balancing repair (yang) and inflammation (yin)
Junfang Ji, Xin Wei Wang A Yin-Yang balancing act of the lin28/let-7 link in tumorigenesis
Journal of Hepatology Volume 53, Issue 5, November 2010, Pages 974-975
K. Maiese, Yin Yang: A Balancing Act for Oxidative Stress, Volume 3 (2010), Issue 4, Pages 227-227, Oxidative Medicine and Cellular Longevity
Monti, Daniel A. and Yang, Jingduan, "Complementary medicine in chronic cancer care" (2004).Jefferson Myrna Brind Center of Integration Medicine Faculty Papers.
Source: adapted from"Protein Power."
Diabetes Health, Investigate, inform, inspire. Yin and Yang: Balancing Insulin and Glucagon. Retrieved on 11/4/11 from http://www.diabeteshealth.com/read/2000/02/01/1789/yin-and-yang-balancing-insulin-and-glucagon
Shen-Nong Limited 2002-2005 “Understanding Kidney Yin and Kidney Yang” April 25-2009 http://www.shen-nong.com/eng/principles/kidneyyinyang.html