Western Energetics

WESTERN ENERGETICS: HUMORAL THEORY IN PRACTICE

Humoral theory is the western herbal medicine version of Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) and Ayurvedic medicine theories. There are parallels between humoral theory and other energetic models, which are interesting to observe and practice. In this article I will detail certain aspects of Humoral theory that practitioners can relate to, or use in professional practice. I am passionate about keeping this traditional knowledge as part of our modern natural healthcare practice. Many western natural health practitioners have an interest in western energetics, or have heard of it, but might not have an understanding of how this knowledge can add to an existing modality to enhance clinical practice and improve patient outcomes.

Humoral theory was the dominant medical paradigm in the west in the time of Hippocrates and Galen. This was well before they started looking at the body a bit more closely through the reductionist model. Before they started seeing that this bone was connected to that bone,  that there was a nervous system and identifying how the muscles all connected together, the study of the humours was what physicians used in their practice to effectively treat people.

Humoral theory primarily focuses on four types of fluid in the body. It incorporates influences from diet, lifestyle, seasons, nutrition and herbal medicines as well as an individual’s attitudes and emotions. All these factors create a truly holistic approach to treatment. Lifestyle activities and dietary practices were seen to have a very important impact on the body. Today, there is a large focus on the physical attributes of disease presentations. Natural health practitioners still consider the emotional and mental, but the physical approach to disease mechanisms garners more attention and validation than emotional or mental approaches. In Humoral theory the mental, physical and emotional aspects of a person’s health are just as important as each other.

Naturopaths often look towards Eastern medicine to give us those energetic answers we seek, when they also occur within traditional Western medicine. Humoral theory is not well understood today, perhaps because in the west the science paradigm prevailed, whereas in Eastern medicine, the traditional approach survived our pharmaceutical revolution. Ayurveda and TCM are holistic energetic models that survived the test of time, whereas western energetics got phased out and fell into disrepute. However, there is a growing interest in this model of energetic understandings. Strong parallels between humoral theory, TCM and Ayurveda do exist, but they don’t match exactly. For example, one difference is in the naming and understanding of the elements.

The essence of humoral theory is the humours (fluids) and temperaments (constitutions). Practitioners saw a person’s body through the humoral lens as ‘a big bag of fluid’. What happens when you get sick, when you get unwell? Fluid comes out! They saw that health was a matter of balancing these fluids – Blood, Yellow Bile, Black Bile and Phlegm. For example, when a person has a cold, an excess of phlegm (cold and wet) is produced, so you would have to balance that excess phlegm with hot and dry. If you had intestinal upset, you might be vomiting or you might have diarrhoea and an imbalance of fluid there as well, which would be the yellow bile (hot and dry).

Every person is made up of all of these four humours that can vary in predominance depending on many factors including constitution, lifestyle and dietary habits. Here I will detail the most common characteristics and patient management tips that I can offer based on my own clinical practice when looking through the humoral lens.

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