By Julie Bibleheimer, LAc
In ancient China, ‘as above, so below,’ was not just a philosophy, but also a medical paradigm. What is outside of us is also to be found internally, and these ancient healers defined the natural world by the elements of Water, Wood, Fire, Earth and Metal. Based on their observations from living attuned with nature, they linked each element to a host of things, including but by no means limited to a season, emotion, color, sound, and body organ system. In Classical Five-Element Acupuncture, diagnosing the play of these elements within our bodies is the key to treatments intended to guide the body back to its original, natural state of health.
Classical Five-Element Acupuncture itself, however, is not ancient. Rather, it is an adaption of ancient Chinese medicine to meet the health needs of post-industrial societies like our own. J.R. Worsley, the founder of this system, saw that, in most cases, the cause of physical, mental and spiritual distress resides within us rather than in external circumstances (unlike those original healers, who were literally invaded – and often killed – by the cold of winter and the heat of summer). As many have already pointed out, historically in human culture we were born into a system of belief and community that informed the way we lived our lives. Today, however, we are more individualistic than ever, and left without guidance to find the way through the terrain of our lives. This is freedom! But it can be difficult to navigate through so many choices. A lot of us experience unhappiness, alienation, and chronic diseases. Worsley identified the cause of these problems as a lack of integration in our spirits. At the heart of Five-Element Acupuncture are treatments that address the root of disease in the body, be it at the body, mind or especially the spirit level.
Classical Five-Element Acupuncture is set apart from other systems of acupuncture by its fundamental premise of diagnosing and treating a patient’s Causative Factor: your root imbalance, and where you will tend to develop the most challenges in your body and spirit. To do this, a typical first treatment includes a lengthy interview, in which color, sound, odor and emotion are diagnostically used to determine your Causative Factor. The first three treatments, approximately, are spent removing shock – those spiritual, emotional, and physical blows stored within the map of your body. Great healing often springs from these initial treatments, as toxins and pollutants of a lifetime are mobilized and discharged.
Once the debris of the past has been cleared away, Classical Five-Element Acupuncture becomes a poetic healing methodology in which acupuncture points are utilized to support transformation and healing on all levels. And in healing ourselves, within an ‘as above, so below’ paradigm, we will be helping to heal our communities as well.
To schedule a 5-Element acupuncture treatment with Julie or for more information, call 541-482-1650 or email us at info@ashlandholistichealth.com