What is Five Element Acupuncture?
Five element acupuncture (5E) is a form of Chinese medicine that is a preventative as well as curative constitutional treatment. The 5E system recognizes that no two individuals are alike. Each individual is intrinsically unique and is never treated in the same way. This is due to our unique cellular structure and emotional and physical makeup.
At CoreAcu, we look at the whole system in order to achieve effective healing and lasting results. My practice strives to bring the entire system into balance, vitality, and harmony, by accessing the root of an issue, through pulse, color, odor, and sound diagnosis. A vital principal of Five Element Acupuncture is that health is not just the absence of symptoms or disease—it is the strength, clarity, and energy necessary for the pursuit of a rich, fulfilling, authentic, and joyful life.
The Chinese divided the year into five seasons.
These are Summer, Late Summer, Autumn, Winter, and Spring.
Each of these seasons are described with the attributes of one of the elements: Fire, Earth, Metal, Water, and Wood.
Artwork courtesy of Barbara Candiotti
Fire
Earth
Earth
- Fire (Chinese: 火, pinyin: huǒ)
- This element is associated with the heart, small intestine, pericardium, and triple heater.
- The Heart is the supreme controller of the entire system. The small intestine helps the system sort the good from the bad, the pure and the impure.
- The pericardium and the triple heater have importance in all aspects of relationships, boundaries, proper body temperature, and hormonal balance.
- Summer is the season which represents warmth, light, love, joy, intimacy, sadness, compassion, and vitality.
Earth
Earth
Earth
- Earth (Chinese: 土, pinyin: tǔ)
- This element is associated with the stomach and spleen.
- Both of these organs are designed to assist with issues of proper breakdown and digestion, along with the absorption and transportation of nutrients and information.
- Late Summer is the season when the bounty comes into fruition and harvest. We harvest the abundance that nature has provided through our hard work cultivated in spring.
- This time also represents feelings of stability, thoughtfulness, sympathy, integration, and concentration.
Metal
Earth
Metal
- Metal (Chinese: 金, pinyin: jīn)
- This element is associated with the lung and large intestine.
- The lung affects our ability to take in or inspire and the large intestine is in charge of eliminating that which is impure.
- Fall (Autumn) is the season and is associated with inhalation and exhalation, We breathe in pure, crisp air and eliminate that which is not pure.
- This is a time of letting go and making room in preparation for what is to come. Discipline, balance, loss, grief, justice, value, quality, and essence are also involved.
Water
Water
Metal
- Water (Chinese: 水, pinyin: shuǐ)
- This element is associated with the bladder and kidney.
- These organs store our DNA and destiny along with the ability to turn fear and the need for reassurance into power.
- The bladder acts as a reservoir while the kidney is in charge of our strength, power, and energy resources.
- This time of year which is winter, has to do with will power, depth, fear, wisdom, perseverance, endurance, and vigilance.
Wood
Water
Wood
- Wood (Chinese: 木, pinyin: mù)
- This element is associated with the gall bladder and liver.
- The gall bladder is in charge of storing bile which the liver produces to digest fats. The liver plays a central role in metabolic processes, creating bile, and detoxification. Both organs work in synchronicity to process fat metabolism.
- Springtime encourages new ideas and beginnings. Creative vision, planning, and growth are instrumental along with determination, anger, benevolence, flexibility, and hope.