Bernie explains the ancient wisdom of the five elements within Traditional Chinese Medicine. Here in our third episode we explore the earth element.

As Bernie describes, the earth element relates to late summer or harvest time. Within our lives it can relate to reaping what we have sown and enjoying the culmination of hard work.

Associated with the colour yellow, a sweet flavour and the organs of the spleen and stomach, the earth element is intimately connected with our gastric system and digestive secretions. Bernie explains how sweetness at the end of a meal can help us to assimilate what we have eaten, bringing completion and clarity of mind. Broadening our understanding of digestion, he notes that we now consume far greater amounts of information and it can be difficult to digest and assimilate all of our modern sensory and intellectual inputs. When the earth element is out of balance we can over-think and become overwhelmed.

Element: Earth
Colour: Yellow
Season: Harvest
Organ: Spleen, Stomach
Emotion: Over-thinking / rumination

Having intuited from a young age the body’s natural capability to restore balance and heal itself, Bernie dedicated himself to the study of ancient Traditional Chinese Medicine. He acquired a masters degree in Chinese Herbal Medicine and specialized in the style of Jin Shin Do. With decades of hands-on experience he uses a combination of acupuncture, cupping, moxibustion and massage to support people restore their natural health and wholeness.