Why it's so great and how it can help you...
My focus is wonderful Five Element acupuncture. I’m also trained in other branches of acupuncture and integrate them; tailoring treatment to exactly what you need. All involve the insertion of needles into particular points just below our skin to help us self-heal.
The concept of 5 ‘types’ dates back to 2600BC with much history and fascinating theory around them. The Five Elements are Wood, Fire, Earth, Metal and Water. In geographical terms - north, south, east and west and centre.
The Chinese saw the Five Elements as symbols for the cycle of life and related each to a season in nature.
Water symbolises the seed of all things, the rest associated with winter. Wood is its forceful shoot which pushes its way up above ground in spring. Fire is it blossoming at the height of summer, which leads to Earth at its fullness and harvest in late summer. Metal is it shedding and composting goodness in autumn, coming back to Water as winter closes in again.
They also regarded the Elements as forming different organs of our body. For example the heart is associated with Fire, the kidneys with Water, the liver with Wood. They then recognised that how the Elements related to each other within us created our unique characteristics.
We have all of the Elements within us to varying degrees with one dominant Element that determines our gifts and potential and conversely our weaknesses and what can hold us back.
When we’re in balance and healthy, our dominant Element helps to protect us making sure the vital energy force within us circles as it should so we remain healthy. But of course life has inevitable ups and downs with physical and emotional stress which adversely affects our vital energy force and it tends to be our dominant Element which struggles.
I work out which is your dominant Element by using my senses -so I pay attention to the sound of your voice, the colour on your skin, the subtle natural smell on your body and the emotion you demonstrate or evoke in me when we talk. These subtle signs help me decide which Element is under stress, and then I can focus on correcting this imbalance by using very fine acupuncture needles to activate certain points on your body. This encourages the body to self heal and restore balance.
This individual approach means that whilst two patients might seek my help for headaches for example, I might treat them using different points based on their dominant Element and how they present as a whole person. Where Western medicine diagnoses a specific illness and seeks to treat the separate symptoms, my focus is more on you as a whole. For example, you might find your headaches improve along with your tendency to be irritable and suffer with period pain because in Chinese Medicine these can be connected.
In summary, Five Element acupuncture’s key distinction is it that it centres diagnosis and treatment on an understanding of what makes you unique - how the Five Elements combine in you.
Treating you at your core gets to the root cause of imbalance. This can be very powerful. Finding a real sense of harmony within yourself enables you to discover the things that matter to you at a deep level and you can start to feel like your best true self. I have experienced many patients’ report their health and well-being has transformed - at all levels - body, mind and spirit.
If you’d like to read more there's a brilliant little pocket book that I often hand out in clinic: ‘The Simple Guide to Five Element Acupuncture’ by Nora Franglen, an accomplished practitioner. It's a great introduction and in reading about the different Elements, it’s likely that one will resonate more with you.
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I'm passionate about the benefits of Five Element acupuncture.... to find out more about how it could help you, get in touch and I''ll be happy to answer any questions you may have.
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