For the stage of gathering Qi from the five elements, can I gather Qi only from one element and skip all the other elements?
No, you cannot. The philosophy of treating just the head when the head aches is wrong. If you understand the Chinese traditional theory of yin-yang and five elements, you will know that the cause of disease in an organ does not limit to that one organ. Every organ of the human body belongs to one of the five elements. They generate and restrict each other at the same time to maintain harmony and balance. For instance, the kidneys belong to the water element, the liver belongs to the wood element and the element wood is also related to the element fire. The liver is like a tree, it needs water for nourishment. If there is not enough water, the tree will dry out and the dryness may bring about fire. If there is fire condition in the liver then it can cause diseases in the liver and other related organs. This is why we cannot treat only the part that hurts and have symptoms. The localized approach by modern medicine is the main reason for the proliferation of many incurable chronic diseas
