What is the Five Element Acupuncture and Its Principles

Five Element acupuncture therapy is based on the ancient Chinese theory of the movement and balance between the five elements in the body. The focal point of receiving the Five Element acupuncture therapy is acquiring a vision of the microscopic and macroscopic worlds that must be in harmony for complete relief from a disease instead of curing a symptom/condition on the surface.

The Five Element acupuncture technique considers the human body as the microcosm and acknowledges cyclic changes in the body just as there are seasonal cyclic changes in the macrocosm. The Five Element acupuncture technique helps the individual to traverse the cycle of transformation from one phase to another.

Though we use the name as Five Element acupressure, the word ‘element’ is a misnomer and is better illustrated as phases. The Five Element acupuncture is actually made up of five different phases that the ancient Chinese viewed as the interaction between the five elements and corresponding observations on human health.

There are various ways of looking at the Five Element acupuncture therapy in order to understand the subtleties of its working mechanism. Firstly, the Five Element acupuncture theory simplifies the world into five basic categories based on the Chinese elements. Each of the elements of the Five Element acupuncture therapy are connected to an wide-ranging set of correspondences. For example, the color of fire in the Five Element acupuncture therapy is red, it represents joy and governs the heart functions.

Secondly, the Five Element acupuncture therapy works in two cyclic patterns described by the ancient Chinese – the creative cycle and the destructive cycle. In the creation cycle of the Five Element acupuncture therapy, water creates wood which creates fire, fire generates earth and metal is generated by the earth to create water. The destructive cycle of the Five Element acupuncture elements is water controlling fire which controls metal, wood is controlled by metal and in turn control earth which controls water. Maintaining the dynamic of the elements in constant flux is the heart of the Five Element acupuncture treatment.

According to the Five Element acupuncture theory, the imbalance of one element throws the body into disharmony that is mental and physical. A Five Element acupuncture practitioner will identify the imbalanced element and seek to restore harmony. For example, when the wood element is imbalanced, strengthening the element of water in the body will help the creation cycle and strengthen wood.

The Five Element acupuncture therapy is a complex and multi-layered system that brings true healing and permanent vitality of mind, body and spirit.