5 Element Acupuncture
William Behr
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Licensed Acupuncturist
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267 Bowery
New York, N.Y.
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(212) 799-4633
5 Element Acupuncture
A Simple Premise
'Acupuncture is one of the oldest healing modalities known to humankind. It originated in China over five thousand years ago. That it is still being practiced speaks for its efficacy and for the truth of the principles upon which it is based. Classical Five-Element Acupuncture is a living tradition based upon immutable natural laws. It has been passed directly from teacher to student for thousands of years.
Classical Five-Element Acupuncture refers to these Five Elements which underlie all creation. The Five Elements are studied and utilized in the practice of Chinese Medicine as outlined in the classic, The Yellow Emperors Book of Internal Medicine, written thousands of years ago. The Five Elements are therefore rooted in ancient wisdom and timeless understanding. They do not refer to physical elements alone, but to the flow of life giving energy throughout the creation. The restoration of balance in the flow of this energy within a person can help them overcome disease, even those apparently fixed in disturbances of physical matter.
This system of medicine is simple, elegant and effective. One can expect a course of treatment to alleviate symptoms and, perhaps even more significantly, to confer a direct experience of health. Patients experience enormous improvement in well-being, clarity of mind and openness of heart.
It is best to correct the inner imbalance that leads to illness. Alleviation of symptoms without the correction of this inner disharmony may be of temporary benefit. However, when the root cause is addressed one experiences more lasting results, an improvement in health and in quality of life. This is a system of medicine that can help to heal at this deep level, thoroughly and precisely.
Spirit gives us joy, love, exuberance and all that is transcendent. For a system of medicine to utilize the enormous strength of the human spirit, it must operate at a level deeper than physicality alone. Yet it must also influence the physical body in a very positive way. Classical Five-Element Acupuncture addresses the needs of the Body-Mind-Spirit as a whole.
Qi is the life force in all creation. Health is a function of the free, full and proper movement of qi. It empowers or motorizes our physical bodies. It also drives and enables our minds to function properly. For those trained in Classical Five-Element Acupuncture, the quality of qi can be perceived and measured. Acupuncture works by making adjustments in the vital qi energy. The qi flows in the body through the vessels and twelve paired meridian pathways. These meridian pathways relate to the twelve Officials (Organs) which in turn relate to the Five Elements – Wood, Fire, Earth, Metal and Water.’
-J.R. Worsley
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