About five element acupuncture...

It is being acknowledged more and more in western medicine that there is a direct link between our physical ailments and our emotions.

Anxiety, feeling overwhelmed, grief, anger, worrying, depression… any of these in excess will lead to physical problems eventually.

Five Element Acupuncture brings these matters of the spirit into balance to heal injuries and illness as well as working to prevent future ailments.

Five Element Acupuncture also works to help heal your current physical ailments as well, even if they are caused by external forces, such as an accident.

How it works

Acupuncture is energy medicine. Your body has many defined energy pathways within it. The Chinese call this energy qi (or chi),” such as in “tai chi” or “qi gong.” The pathways are called meridians.

The fact of the matter is that there are stresses in life. Anything can stress us, from disease, shock, trauma and accidents to the emotional issues we all experience every day.

This stress effects the qi energy negatively in many different ways. If left untreated, this negative flowing qi will result in physical and/or emotional problems, for it is the energy body that makes the physical organs function.

Acupuncture is kind of like gardening

If you want to prepare a garden with vibrant, healthy plants, FIRST you need to clear the earth of any obstructions like rocks and roots, and SECOND you need to build healthy soil.

After you have composted and made a garden bed full of rich soil, you can sew your seed or put in your started plants.

As your plants grow, you need to keep the area weeded and add organic fertilizers to ensure your vegetable or herb is vital and healthy.

You work with the seasons and natural rhythms of nature to accomplish this.

Five Element Acupuncture works the same way…

We use very fine needles and mugwort (known as moxabustion) to first clear any energy blocks and obstructions within you.

Then, we work on “building good soil” within you, helping you to live in your strengths and not in your weaknesses. Living in your strength will help you heal emotionally and physically.

And, of course, life continues to happen. In other words, there is no way to really stop all stress causing elements to leave you life. Therefore, five element acupuncture treatments keep you healthy along the way… kind of like the weeding and fertilizing of your garden.

You can build and maintain a vibrant and healthy garden within.

What are the five elements?

The five elements are Wood, Water, Fire, Earth and Metal.

These elements are more like phases in nature’s never ending circle of life.

We have within us one of these phases that is a little more accentuated than the other four. This main element within you contains qualities that give you your strengths, but also your weaknesses.

“Tending” to this element with you is how we build that “healthy soil” within you. When you are ill or when life presents its challenges, we work on building your element’s strengths to facilitate healing and health.

“This seems really strange! Is this some sort new age thing?”

To some of you what I have written in the section above will make perfect sense. Others may be skeptical. 

Five element acupuncture has been around over 5,000 years. It is an ancient healing art and science based in Taoist tradition. It is as far from “new age” as you can possibly get.

Much of how I treat you may not make complete sense to you. The Eastern and Western ways of looking at the world are very different. Just know that I have spent years studying this medicine, and know how to make it work for you. It’s not important that you completely “get it” in order for it to be effective. However, there are moments during treatments when I can try to explain things if you are interested.

If you want to learn more about how this medicine works on your own, you can read Traditional Acupuncture: The Law of the Five Elements, by Dianne M. Connelly or Simple Guide to Using Acupuncture, the Five Elements, by Nora Franglen, which is an inexpensive little booklet.

What the World Health Organization says about acupuncture…

Though acupuncture can treat many more conditions as well, The World Health Organization Interregional Seminar drew up a provisional list of diseases that lend themselves to acupuncture treatment….

I hope this section on Five Element Acupuncture and how it works gives you a deeper understanding of this profound and powerful medicine.