Five Element Constitutional Acupuncture & TCM
What is Five Element Constitutional acupuncture?
You have arrived at this point in your life when you want to find an answer but you don't know what question to ask, when you feel that something needs to change within you, but you don't know where and how to start.
Why do we get angry when we don't want to appear vulnerable, why do we laugh inappropriately when we feel uncomfortable, why do we deny grief when all we want is to burst into tears, why do we reject help when we desperately are in need of one?
Why do certain emotions rule our lives?
As nature is governed by The Five Elements: Wood, Fire, Earth, Metal, Water, so does the man have within him the qualities of these elements.
The emotions and the organs associated with Five Elements are:
- Fire - expression of Joy - Heart and Small Intestine
- Earth - needs sympathy - Stomach and Spleen
- Metal - expression of Grief; inability to let go - Lung and Large Intestine
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- Water - expression of Fear - Kidney and Bladder
- Wood - manifestation of Anger - Liver and Gallbladder.
In Five Element Constitutional Acupuncture, the primary imbalance that someone presents is called Constitutional Factor.
For instance, someone who feels angry all the time has the Element Wood in imbalance that needs to be addressed, because this causes all the other Elements to suffer. This type of person would have liver issues, pain under the ribcage, red and painful eyes, acid reflux.
Many of the most dramatic and profound changes that patients can experience are achieved by focusing the treatment on their main Element/Constitutional Factor.
The organs themselves may also become diseased if the person is affected by an intense and long standing emotion.
Repressed emotions are a secondary cause of disease in Chinese Medicine and the Five Element practitioner will treat both the person's spirit, as well as the physical complaints.
In Classical Five Element Acupuncture, it is believed that there is one main source of imbalance which triggers the manifestation of varying symptoms throughout the body.
Unless the treatment is directed to helping with the original imbalance, any other treatment would be considered a symptomatic treatment which is not treating the root cause of a problem.
Electro-acupuncture for Musculoskeletal Conditions
- Electro-acupuncture has been especially effective for treating neurological diseases, paralysis, chronic pain, and spasms. It combines especially well with acupressure to promote blood flow, muscle warmth, pain relief, and removal of blood stasis.
- Electro Acupuncture is the stimulation of acupuncture points with electric current, using needles.
- The therapeutic goal is to promote the circulation of Qi and stimulate healing and EA is suitable for conditions we would regard as caused by stagnation of Qi and Blood.
- Electro Acupuncture is particularly effective for invigorating the circulation in muscles that have become chronically contracted. By addressing the stagnation in the muscles we can bring the whole system back into harmony both on a physical and psychological level.
- From a Western medicine perspective, Electro Acupuncture works by stimulating muscles, nerves, circulation of essential substances, nutrient delivery to damaged tissues, and by removing inflammatory chemicals (Van Laethem, 2018).
- The effects of Electro Acupuncture can be faster and greater than manual acupuncture, and Electro Acupuncture can be used for conditions that are not responding to traditional treatment – both acute and chronic (Van Laethem, 2018).
- Contraindications: patients with pace-makers, epilepsy, heart conditions, active haemorrhage, fever, infection, or in pregnancy (Van Laethem, 2018).
- During the treatment the patient experiences a pleasant tingling sensation.
Cosmetic Acupuncture for Anti Ageing
- Constitutional Facial Acupuncture for Rejuvenation is different from other treatment modalities because it treats the patients constitutionally, observing their genetic predispositions, their habitual tendencies, repetitive patterns that undermine their innate vitality.
- Changes in our facial appearance are not only dependent on bone structure, the elastin layer of the skin, genetics and hormones, but also on the movement and intensity of facial muscles which are activated by our thoughts and emotions.
- This approach means that the facial acupuncture is performed in conjunction with needling specific points on the body which will help the patient heal at a deeper level.
- Face plays an integral part of the meridian pathways that flow from the soles of the feet to the extremities, and up to the head, skull and brain.
- Constitutional Facial Acupuncture addresses each patient as an individual - therefore, the patients are not treated the same way every time they come for an appointment
What you will experience during a session:
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- decollete, neck and face cleanse
- lymphatic drainage of the neck & face
- tiny needles will be inserted in specific areas on your face and body
- face & neck rejuvenation massage after the removal of the needles
- Anti ageing Frankincense face mask
- Finishing with Anti Ageing Frankincense serum and cream.
Are there any contra-indications?
- Facial Rejuvenation Acupuncture is contraindicated for some pituitary disorders, heart disorders, diabetes mellitus, high blood pressure, individuals who have a pacemaker or who have a problem with bleeding or bruising, or who currently suffer from migraine headaches.
- Facial Rejuvenation Acupuncture should not be done during pregnancy, during a bout with a cold or flu, during an allergic attack or during an acute herpes
Cupping
- Cupping therapy is currently all the rage amongst celebrities and athletes, but it is in fact centuries old.
- Cupping is a safe, traditional treatment that helps resolve chronic muscle tightness and pain faster than massage therapy alone.
- It increases circulation, it encourages tissues to release toxins.
- Cupping reduces anxiety.
- Cupping can reduce stretch marks and scars.
- Cupping is like a reverse massage – instead of pushing into the tissue, it pulls.
- Treatment involves placing cups onto the skin to create a vacuum which helps to increase blood and Qi flow, loosen fascia, stimulate healing and remove stagnation.
- Cups are usually placed on the back, neck and shoulders, or the source of pain.
- Cupping may leave temporary marks, depending upon the degree of suction created by the vacuum and the level of stagnation.
Moxibustion
- The purpose of moxibustion is to strengthen the blood, stimulate the flow of qi and maintain general health.
- It expels Cold and Dampness from the body.
- Moxa is a good choice for those suffering from aches and pains.
- The warming properties of moxa allow it to increase blood flow by warming the blood. Increased blood flow means increased oxygenation to the tissues, muscles and tendons that are sore.
- It relieves pain - back, neck, shoulders.
- It relieves menstrual pain.
- It relieves pain from arthritis.
- The herb material used is mugwort (Artemisia vulgaris, Ai Ye).
- Mugwort has a long history of use in folk medicine. It is believed that the Romans planted mugwort by roadsides to make it available to travelers to put in their shoes to relieve aching feet and protect them from exhaustion.
- Mugwort is used because of its acrid, spicy odor which makes it able to travel through all of the meridians, regulate qi and blood, and expel cold.
- One of mugwort’s active components, borneol, is commonly used in topical therapies for its analgesic effects.
- There are two types of moxibustion: direct and indirect.
- In direct moxibustion, a small, cone-shaped amount of moxa is placed on top of an acupuncture point and burned.
- In indirect moxibustion, a practitioner lights one end of a moxa stick, the shape and size of a cigar, and holds it close to the area being treated for several minutes until the area turns red.
- Another form of indirect moxibustion uses both acupuncture needles and moxa.
- A needle is inserted into an acupoint and retained.
- The tip of the needle is then wrapped in moxa and ignited, generating heat to the point and the surrounding area. After the desired effect is achieved, the moxa is extinguished and the needle(s) removed.
Infrared Heat Lamp Therapy
- Infrared light therapy provides effective relief for sore, stiff muscles and joints by directing heat deep into the tissues of the body.
- Light therapy produces heat both at the surface of the skin as well as deep into the tissues below. This increases circulation and brings fresh blood to the area to nourish the tissues and flush away any toxins that may be present.
- It is effective at relieving the pain and discomfort of ligament damage (sprains and strains), muscle spasms and chronic conditions like rheumatoid and osteoarthritis. Using light from the infrared spectrum, this form of therapy works deep below the surface of the skin.
- It is extremely effective when used in conjunction with acupuncture and other types of traditional Chinese healing methods. By temporarily raising the temperature of the area being treated, it increases blood flow and relaxes the muscles and tissues.
- Infrared light therapy is ideal for people who cannot tolerate deep tissue massage or require treatment in an area that is not easily accessible. An acupuncturist may choose to use infrared therapy during acupuncture or cupping session to enhance the benefits of the healing technique.
- Relaxing the body and the mind prior to a treatment session removes any resistance and will increase the healing benefits the patient receives. Patients who are nervous or frustrated because of their condition and how it affects them, may be anxious or upset during a treatment session.
- Using infrared light therapy will not only provide a means of relaxation, but will also stimulate the body’s own healing responses. Infrared light therapy is quite effective when it comes to treating the pain and discomfort associated with nerve disorders.
- Sciatica and various forms of neuropathy can be effectively treated with light therapy.
- Chronic conditions such as rheumatoid arthritis, fibromyalgia and chronic neck and back pain also respond well to this form of treatment.
- Patients with bursitis, tendonitis, carpal tunnel syndrome and various types of injuries can also receive relief.
- Edema or fluid build up around injured or damaged joints can also be addressed with infrared light therapy.
Guasha
- For millennia, a therapeutic healing technique, known as Gua Sha, has been widely practised in China.
- It involves using a round-edged tool, traditionally made from materials such as jade or metal, to press-stroke the skin until redness appears.
- It relieves muscular tension, breaks up adhesions in the fascia, eases up tightness.
- Speeds up the recovery process.
- Gua Sha has been used to treat a whole range of conditions from fever to chronic cough and migraines.
- In fact, it has been shown in studies to increase micro-circulation by 400%, clear inflammation and increase immunity.
The Acupuncturist
"The Acupuncturist
Told me how Chinese Medicine
Connects the Grief emotion
To the Intestines
And he treated me
For a painful
Somewhat mysterious malady
Today was a healing feeling experience
Some part of what is trapped inside
Could no longer be repressed, denied,
Had to be expressed, so may
My future life be blessed
With an ability to calmly flow
To let it go
To tell my story
In all of its intricate
Beginnings and endings
Beginnings and endings."
