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October is National Breast Cancer Awareness Month, so I thought it would be helpful to take a look at a Five Element perspective of breast cancer.
The Five Elements are Wood, Fire, Earth, Metal and Water. They are the metaphorical building blocks for understanding both Chinese Medicine and Feng Shui Design. In Chinese Medicine, each element contains within it a complex personality and health profile. In design, each element has a particular “feel” and set of attributes. The key to winning the Five Element game is “balance,” and that means all of the parts are working together in order to create a relative state of health and harmony.
Physical evidenced suggests that the most recent spread of cancer to the population is due to an increase in sedentary lifestyles, over-consumption of rich foods, depletion of nutrients in the soil, modern food processing, the general presence of low-level radiation, an increased susceptibility to infections, and environmental toxins (which seem to be disturbing hormone receptor sites).
As in all disease, these can be major contributing factors but there is always the mystery of how or why something actually takes root in a system. It has been theorized that the core emotional component at the foundation of breast cancer is a separation that causes a deep sense of loss. This theory implies that the breast represents an instinctive link to loved ones that is deeply affected by abrupt and traumatic separation. In holistic philosophies all disease is considered to be opportunistic and so the psychological and emotional traits in a person must play some part in the manifestation of breast cancer.
In Traditional Chinese Medicine the health and vitality of the human organism plays a huge part in treatment and the ability to heal or cure the disease. Breast cancer, called Ru Yan is represented by the character that is a mountain containing a rock. The Five Element relationship that is most prevalent in breast cancer is called Liver invading Spleen. The psycho-emotional interpretation of this is Wood insulting Earth. The imbalances of Wood due to excess emotional stress cause energy to cease its rhythmic flow throughout the entire body causing lumps to form. This manifests as Wood’s less desirable traits of stubbornness, repressed emotions, driving oneself to the point of exhaustion and a level of performance that denies oneself. This interferes with Earth’s natural tendency to nurture Self, create a life of peace and tranquility in relationships, and to conserve and appropriately distribute resources. A balance to these disharmonies could include bringing in the naturally calming and introspective influences of Water, some of Fire’s ability to put oneself first for health, and Metal’s ability to clear the Mind and offer a more direct and effective approach to challenges.
After having worked with the health of thousands of women, I a humbled by the mysterious combination of factors that are involved in the onset of disease — those things that defy being explored and evaluated under a microscope while demanding our immediate attention. I’m not implying that a simple shift in attitude will cure a disease as complex and potentially life-threatening as breast cancer; simply that it deserves some consideration as another aspect to be explored in the healing process.
Anita Alexandra is the owner and creator of Elemental Art Solutions. She has a background in Chinese Medicine and Alchemical Hypnotherapy. Contact information: www.elementalartsolutions.com
The Five Elements are Wood, Fire, Earth, Metal and Water. They are the metaphorical building blocks for understanding both Chinese Medicine and Feng Shui Design. In Chinese Medicine, each element contains within it a complex personality and health profile. In design, each element has a particular “feel” and set of attributes. The key to winning the Five Element game is “balance,” and that means all of the parts are working together in order to create a relative state of health and harmony.
Physical evidenced suggests that the most recent spread of cancer to the population is due to an increase in sedentary lifestyles, over-consumption of rich foods, depletion of nutrients in the soil, modern food processing, the general presence of low-level radiation, an increased susceptibility to infections, and environmental toxins (which seem to be disturbing hormone receptor sites).
As in all disease, these can be major contributing factors but there is always the mystery of how or why something actually takes root in a system. It has been theorized that the core emotional component at the foundation of breast cancer is a separation that causes a deep sense of loss. This theory implies that the breast represents an instinctive link to loved ones that is deeply affected by abrupt and traumatic separation. In holistic philosophies all disease is considered to be opportunistic and so the psychological and emotional traits in a person must play some part in the manifestation of breast cancer.
In Traditional Chinese Medicine the health and vitality of the human organism plays a huge part in treatment and the ability to heal or cure the disease. Breast cancer, called Ru Yan is represented by the character that is a mountain containing a rock. The Five Element relationship that is most prevalent in breast cancer is called Liver invading Spleen. The psycho-emotional interpretation of this is Wood insulting Earth. The imbalances of Wood due to excess emotional stress cause energy to cease its rhythmic flow throughout the entire body causing lumps to form. This manifests as Wood’s less desirable traits of stubbornness, repressed emotions, driving oneself to the point of exhaustion and a level of performance that denies oneself. This interferes with Earth’s natural tendency to nurture Self, create a life of peace and tranquility in relationships, and to conserve and appropriately distribute resources. A balance to these disharmonies could include bringing in the naturally calming and introspective influences of Water, some of Fire’s ability to put oneself first for health, and Metal’s ability to clear the Mind and offer a more direct and effective approach to challenges.
After having worked with the health of thousands of women, I a humbled by the mysterious combination of factors that are involved in the onset of disease — those things that defy being explored and evaluated under a microscope while demanding our immediate attention. I’m not implying that a simple shift in attitude will cure a disease as complex and potentially life-threatening as breast cancer; simply that it deserves some consideration as another aspect to be explored in the healing process.
Anita Alexandra is the owner and creator of Elemental Art Solutions. She has a background in Chinese Medicine and Alchemical Hypnotherapy. Contact information: www.elementalartsolutions.com
