All material, which makes up our universe, is based on the qualities of 5 basic elements, which are described in the ancient physics depicted in Tibetan medicine. Tibetans, as all traditional people, lived in direct contact with the natural environment. They understood through experience and study that the forces manifest in the natural environment directly correlated with and influenced the functioning of the human organism. In the theory of the five elements we see an effort to define the qualities of the basic forces that exist in nature. Fire due to its heat creates transformation and activity and therefore is expressed as for example metabolic functions.
Wind creates movement and therefore all aspects of circulation in the body.
Space provides the potential for existence to be created in the first place. Combinations of these qualities make up the physical aspect of our bodies as well as its distinct physiological energies. As with any medical system, understanding the various functions of the body is essential in Tibetan medicine. However, the underlying physiological principles, which create and maintain those functions, are of primary importance. Tibetan medicine defines three main systems which control the body's processes.