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 Acupuncture is not used only in one form, but rather has many different styles.  The main one is called Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM).  TCM is a western medical form of Acupuncture:  Symptoms; Diagnosis; Treatment.  While most acupuncturists in America (including me) use TCM in some form, we also use a different theory called 5-Element Acupuncture. The five elements are: Wood, Fire, Earth, Metal and Water.  They have a cycle that follows the natural pattern of the seasons.  Treatment in the 5-Element style consists of two main varieties.  One is to figure out where in the cycle the pattern is off and fix it, the other is to treat a person on their constitution.  The constitution is their main elemental lens.  It is their main strength and weakness.  A gift and a curse. Take the following 10 question quiz to find out which element your constitution is! It’s possible to be […]

What is this?  Read more to find out! Awhile ago, I posted a 5 element quiz.  It included a 10 question quiz meant to give a general idea to what your 5 element constitution is.  I explained that your constitution is the lens that you primarily see life through.  It’s your greatest strength and weakness.  A gift and a curse. But the 5 elements are more than just a way of pigeon-holing people with specific emotions and symptoms.  It originated as a theory of life in ancient Asia before it became a health system.  It is also found in many different styles of acupuncture from Chinese, Japanese, and the specific 5 Element style which is out of England. The ancient asians noticed how the energy of the seasons changed.  The downward and powerful energetic of winter mimicking water.  The aggressive and anticipatory energy of spring mimicking plant life going straight up […]

Article from Acupuncture Today October, 2004, Vol. 05, Issue 10 What Conditions Does Acupuncture Treat (According to the World Health Organization)? By John Amaro, LAc, DC, Dipl. Ac.(NCCAOM), Dipl.Med.Ac.(IAMA) In contemporary applications of acupuncture in North America, it is becoming increasingly common to hear patients complain that they are being challenged by their insurance carrier with the comment that acupuncture is not effective for a particular situation, and therefore coverage is denied. Of course, it is obvious that insurance companies are in the business to minimize costs, and escalate productivity and profit. As a result, it is not uncommon or unlikely that our patients will be denied coverage only because the insurance carrier has deemed acupuncture is not an effective or approved treatment. The World Health Organization (WHO), whose authority concerning health-related matters internationally cannot be challenged, has compiled a list of symptoms, syndromes, disease processes, pathologies, traumas and conditions […]