Fire Element - the warming heart

Excerpt (full article coming soon):

Although we are supremely focused on the 5 elements in Chinese medicine, the fact is that the elements have been part of the history of every worldwide health related system.  The classical Greek system, founded by Hippocrates about 2,500 years ago, is the foundation of our medical system today.  In this system, the four elements of fire, water, air, and earth were part of the basic understanding of the functioning of our human bodies and their relationship to the environment we live in.

Back to ancient China. The ancient Chinese doctors did not know about the hypothalamus and the concept of thermoregulation. But they did understand that the fire element, of which the heart is the supreme commander, was responsible for maintaining the warmth in the body. Thermoregulation (the balance of warmth and cold in the body) is a strong determinant of our health.

Homeothermy is a very fancy term for describing the maintenance of a stable, optimal body temperature.  In acupuncture college, we were trained to run our hands over the surface of a patient’s body, testing for warm and cold areas.  The most consistent the skin temperature, the greater the chance of quick recovery. Homeothermy appears in animals that are adequately nourished and hydrated. Heterothermy, on the other hand, (the struggle to maintain a normal body temperature), is associated with inadequate nourishment and hydration.

 Certain conditions such as hypothyroidism and eating disorders such as anorexia have associations with depression and feelings of cold.

 And today, modern medical miracles include whole body hyperthermia (heating the entire body to temperatures between 102 F and 109 F) to treat conditions such as Lyme disease, metastatic cancer, and depression. (National Cancer Institute, Hyperthermia in Cancer Treatment).