Traditional Acupuncture
Traditional acupuncture uses very thin, disposable, sterile needles to activate a person's energy at specific points along energy meridians of the body. This treatment helps create balance within the recipient, which in turns helps alleviate discomfort. This type of acupuncture is also called Five Element Acupuncture and is practised to be both complementary to other therapies (including 'Western' medicine) or to help where these therapies have not had the desired results.Traditional acupuncture treats ailments of the body, mind and 'spirit'. Patients receive treatment for recent or long term discomforts ranging from muscle aches through to a lack of energy / fatigue and panic attacks - to name a few. The benefits are not limited to an alleviation of symptoms, as a healthier immune system and an overall sense of wellbeing can accompany treatment. Not only does traditional acupuncture work on many common musculo-skeletal complaints, it also touches at a deep level to help those afflicted by wounds of the heart and psyche that affect quality of life in much less obvious ways.
My patients come from all walks of life, and are aged from young adult to those in their retirement. Many come for treatment purely to maintain a health and balance that allows them to function at their best in their everyday lives.
The one benefit of receiving acupuncture treatment that cannot be emphasised enough is the harmony it can bring into an individual's life. Many find that after receiving treatment, the situations that before would cause extreme distress can now be dealt with in new and positive ways; e.g. difficulties in interpersonal relationships are often seen from a new perspective.
What are the Five Elements?
The Five Elements are constructs used by the Ancient Chinese to describe the flow seen in the Natural World. Specifically they are Water, Wood, Fire, Earth and Metal corresponding to Winter, Spring, Summer, Late Summer (harvest time), and Autumn respectively. Ideally, energy flows within us and through the Elements much as the seasons move – unidirectional and constant. Ill health arises when the flow of energy is impeded.
We each have a 'Causative Factor' of disease.
Each person has a major imbalance within them that corresponds to one of the Elements and is called our "Causative Factor of Disease". In Five Element Traditional Acupuncture, we concentrate on finding this fundamental imbalance, as we know that treating the specific Element is necessary to get to the root of the disorder. As such, diagnosis does not rely on the presence of symptoms to decipher the imbalance, although the fading of symptoms can help gauge the effectiveness of treatment.The aim of Five Element Acupuncture
At the heart of Five Element Acupuncture is healthy and honest communication between the patient and the practitioner. This communication facilitates the discovery of the Elemental imbalance within a patient and allows treatment to help bring about not only increased wellbeing and better health but eventually for the patient to find a greater sense of purpose and self.Links
There are many avenues to find out more about the Taoist theory of the Five Elements and the related healing modality of Five Element Acupuncture. On the web there are a few sites, generally associated with teaching institutions, that have wonderful explanations about the Elements and the correspondences in Nature - our ultimate teacher. The sites listed below are a good first start - but please don't hesitate to get in touch if you simply want to know more about the Elements!I did my licentiate at The School of Five Element Acupuncture and had a wonderful experience. I have a lot to thank Nora Franglen and the associated tutours for, including teaching me the tools to practice such a tremendous healing art! Currently you can go there to learn directly from Nora for post-graduate training.
The London Institute of Five Element Acupuncture has come in to do acupuncture training in London almost where SOFEA left off - plus they do postgrad stuff. They have some eloquent descriptions of what Five Element acupuncture is about.
Gye Bennet in Australia runs a discussion forum for Five Element acupuncturists and as such deserves a mention too. His website is: Five Element Acupuncture Information.