Spirit Gate Acupuncture

The origins of the five elements lie in Taoism and the shamanic religions of ancient China. It is an ancient philosophy that views the cycles of nature as being reflected within us.

The five elements and their inter-relationship lie at the heart of Chinese Medicine theory, and thus acupuncture. It encompasses all the ways in which we exist in nature and nature exists in us, and is a lens through which to understand ourselves, the way we view ourselves in the world, expressed through our emotions, experiences, relationships with others and even our health.

The five elements in Chinese Medicine are Water, Wood, Fire, Earth and Metal, and the observation how each element relates to each other - some nourishing each other and others controlling each other. Elements in this cycle are dynamic and in constant movement and interaction with each other, either creating harmony or chaos on the level of body, mind and spirit.

Through the lens of the five elements, we look to the natural world as metaphors to understanding more about ourselves with each element being linked to a season.

While each person has all five elements present within themselves, there is generally one that is in the greatest state of imbalance and thus the most influential. This element thus becomes our lens through which we view the world as well as related health imbalances.

From an acupuncture perspective we look at the clinical relevance of how these imbalances between the elements may be impacting your  mind, body and spirit and work to bring you back into balance and harmony.