Yin and Yang:

Yin and Yang are a fundamental concepts in TCM.  They are simultaneously both broad yet simple ideas.  Everything around us in nature and in our modern surroundings can be categorized into Yin and Yang. 

Yin is rest, storage, and night.  Yang is activity, use, and day.  

By categorizing our environment into Yin and Yang, we become observant and aware of the relationships that affect our health and our relationship with our environment.   For example, by becoming aware that Yin is night and a time of rest and that Yang is day and a time of activity, we can begin to understand why people who regularly work the night shift will develop chronically poor health.   

It is when we live in accordance with the laws of nature that we will enjoy the greatest health.  Though categorizing the entire universe into only two things can seem overly simplistic, the root of great complexity is sometimes a simple idea.  The goal of TCM is to balance Yin and Yang.  We do this through the use of both acupuncture and Traditional Chinese herbal medicine  along with adjustments in lifestyle, like what you eat or what time you go to sleep.