Chinese Food Therapy What is Chinese Food Therapy - Chinese food therapy dates back as early as 2000 BC. Chinese food therapy is a practice of healing using natural foods instead of medications. Chinese food therapy is a modality of traditional Chinese medicine, also known as Chinese Nutrition Therapy. The Yellow Emperor's Classic of Internal Medicine, which is also known as the Niejing, was written around 300 BC is important in forming the basis of Chinese food therapy. Philosophy of Chinese Food Therapy - The philosophy behind Chinese food therapy is that everything must be balanced. This begins by discovering the polar opposites of foods that are available and combining them for a middle ground. Yin and yang are the philosophy that is used for foods, giving the best combination of elements for health. Yang is known to increase body heat, which will raise the metabolism to process nutrients. Yin then combines with this to decrease the body heat, which will balance the nutrients that are being processed in the metabolism. Causes of Illnesses - According to Chinese medicine, improper meal and unbalanced diet can be one of the major causes of illness. Not eating balanced and proper meal can lead to a stop in the right energy flow in your body, causing your body to not have the ability to process its nutritional needs correctly. The alternative that is suggested is Chinese food therapy, where there is a balance between the food that you eat and the nutrition that you get. Treatment Methods - In order for Chinese food therapy to work properly, there has to be an understanding of how your body reacts to specific things. If you are completely balanced, too much of either yin or yang will cause a reaction by your body, allowing you to stay balanced. Everything that your body does, when using Chinese food therapy, will be communicating to you how to use your food and balance it out properly. The ideas of yin and yang are used in the sphere of food and cooking. Yin foods are believed to decrease the body's heat (e.g.. lower the metabolism) while Yang foods are believed to increase the body's heat (e.g.. raise the metabolism). So if your body is imbalanced, you can use some foods in order to use the Chinese food therapy correctly. For example, some foods may cause your energy to be lower. You can use roots of foods in order to increase this, which are directly linked to the Yang foods. Ginseng is one popular example that will help to increase circulation and the metabolism. This is one of several examples that can help you to heal and balance naturally. Benefits of Chinese Food Therapy - So the next time you are ready to eat your meal, make sure that you have both Yin and Yang in combination with each other. Over time, you will notice that the balance of your energy, as well as the various effects of the food makes a difference in how you function. Using Chinese food therapy as a method of health is one of the easiest ways to help chewing in your health.