Autumn

Autumn is the time of year when the harvest is over - the light changes - the air smells differently. Leaves begin to change color and the trees let go. Sap is drawn inward. Acorns and chestnuts fall from the trees - a bit of precious DNA and enough energy to grow a whole new tree. Having provided the harvest, Nature now makes everything bare. In this season Nature lets go of its abundant creation of the past year in a grand final display. Autumn marks the end of the growing season - a turning inward, a falling away of outer-directed energy. Leaves turn color and drop. The old leaves go back to the earth, enriching it to promote the coming of new leaves, a new harvest.

Nature instructs us about our own cycles of creating and letting go: Trees in autumn don't stubbornly hold onto their leaves because they might need them next year. Yet how many of us defy the cycle and hold onto what we've produced or collected - those decayed leaves, that old negativity? How can we hope for a harvest next year unless we let go of the old and start afresh?

The energy of this season, more than any other, supports our letting go of the waste, the old and stale in our lives, leaving us receptive to the pure and new, granting us a vision of who we are in our essence.

For more information see The Center for Classical Five-Element Acupuncture in Seattle.

Some of this text is from Neil Gumenick's site - an amazing resource for Information on Classical Five-Element Acupuncture.

Does Acupuncture help with Non-Physical Problems?

Yes, definitely. We must emphasize that classical acupuncture views the body, mind, and spirit as a whole. All physical disorders will cause an imbalance in the mental outlook and spirit of a person. This may manifest as depression, anxiety, anger, sadness, and the like. Mental disturbances, stress, and emotional conflict will cause effect in the physical body such as insomnia, lack of appetite, fatigue, menstrual disorders, migraines, susceptibility to disease, aches, pains, and any labeled disease one can imagine. Any imbalance must manifest on all levels, all part of the whole. All classical acupuncture treatments aim to restore the harmony of body, mind, and spirit. Thus, the physical and non-physical sides of a patient are treated together.

For more information see the Center for Classical Five-Element Acupuncture in Seattle.

What Happens at the Initial Acupuncture Visit

The initial examination takes up to two hours and includes a thorough medical and personal history, description of complaints, a review of the functioning of the systems of the body, and a physical examination. This includes taking the Chinese pulses [usually felt at the wrist] from which we can determine the state of the energy in each of the major organs and functions. Using the diagnostic tools of classical Chinese medicine, which include analyzing a patient’s predominant facial color, vocal sound, emotion, and odor, we assess the condition of the Chi energy and determine the underlying cause of the condition. From all of this information, a treatment plan is developed, unique to the individual patient.

For more information see the Center for Classical Five-Element Acupuncture in Seattle.

How Acupuncture Works

Chinese medicine recognizes that there is a vital force (called Chi energy) in the body which controls the working of every organ and system. This energy must flow freely and in the correct strength and quality if the body is to function correctly. In all illness, the flow of vital energy is impaired. Acupuncture directly affects this energy at special points located on the energy pathways (meridians). When gently inserted into these acupuncture points, the needles produce various effects. According to the manipulation of the needles, energy can be drawn to a deficient organ, an excess dispersed, blockages removed, and so on, according to the individual needs of the patient. As the balance and harmony of the vital energy is restored, symptoms of illness disappear. If all of the functions and organs of the body are working properly and harmoniously, there can not be sickness within the body or mind.

For more information see the Center for Classical Five-Element Acupuncture in Seattle.

Immune support

As winter approaches its time to start thinking about staying healthy through cold and flu season. Here are some interesting comments on stress and health.

"There is overwhelming evidence that stress -- and the substances secreted by the body during stress -- negatively impacts your ability to remain healthy," says neurophysiologist Carl J. Charnetski, PhD. Woodson Merrell, MD, director of integrative medicine at Beth Israel Medical Center in New York City, agrees: "There are dozens, if not hundreds of studies attesting to how stress affects the body's ability to respond to infection." The good news is that lowering your stress can help your body maintain both your physical and your emotional health. "People who have less stress are simply healthier overall," says Charnetski.

What matters is how we respond to stressful events - how our body handles them biochemically. When we are relaxed, our immune system functions beautifully - protecting us from cold viruses as well as from cancer cells. There are many ways to facilitate relaxation in ourselves - Five-Element Acupuncture is one of them.

For more information see The Center for Classical Five-Element Acupuncture in Seattle.

Acupuncture and Depression - A Story

Julie came in for Five-Element Acupuncture because she was feeling depressed. She said she felt tired, inert, & unmotivated. She was taking an antidepressant but was not experiencing much change in how she felt. Julie had a job which was unsatisfying and felt quite alone in her life - her kids were grown and she had been divorced for many years. She also had back aches and her digestion did not function very well.

After spending an hour with her going over her history and listening to how she was feeling, it was clear to me that she had lost touch with the part of herself that fuels life - her spirit. It is the spark in each one of us - the juice that powers our lives, the thing that makes us each unique. When we are connected to it we feel engaged, excited about things, we see beauty and joy everywhere.

On that first visit with Julie I treated her to help her reconnect with her spirit. She returned the next week ecstatic and enthusiastic - saying that she felt different from the moment she left my office - as if a switch had been flipped. She has continued to receive acupuncture over the years, nourishing her spirit and helping her aches and pains, as well as her digestive problems. She still talks about how she felt before she ever got treated and how her life has transformed since. She is now married to a wonderful man, has created new work for herself, and fills her time with friends, family and travel. She is living a full and satisfying life!

for more information see The Center for Classical Five-Element Acupuncture in Seattle.