Health Intuitive

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Yin-Yang, the Five Elements and Acupuncture Overland Park

Five thousand years ago, acupunctureOverland Park was discovered by the Chinese to help both the elite and the masses with their health disorders.  Acupuncture uses needles that are inserted at certain body parts to treat diseases and disorders as well as to relieve painful conditions.

For many decades since its introduction in the United States in the 1970’s, acupuncture has been treated with skepticism by Western medical scientists.  Now, because of its proven track record of being an effective treatment for so many kinds of disorders, Western medical science has now incorporated acupuncture into its system.

Acupuncture is grounded on the philosophies of naturalism and Taoism.  Taoism believes that the universe is composed of two opposing forces.  This reality manifests recurrently in nature the form of male and female, positive and negative, hot and cold, up and down, black and white, etc.  Not surprisingly, the kind of duality also exists in the human body through yin and yang, which is the female and male principle respectively.  From yin/yang, the Five Elements are known which represent the ongoing changes in health and life.  According to traditional Chinese medicine or TCM, yin and yang always seek to balance each other out and this balancing is manifested in the Five Elements of earth, fire, water, wood and metal.  The Five Elements can symbolize changes in time (seasonal, yearly and life cycles) and can also symbolize or represent the major organs in the body (earth represents the spleen and stomach, fire represents or associates with the small intestine and the heart, water associates with the kidneys and bladder, wood the gall bladder and liver and metal associates with the large intestines, the colon and the lungs).

TCM also believes that the harmony and balance of these organs leads to good health.   Acupuncture is the tool to achieve and maintain the harmony and balance of the Five Elements.

The goal of acupuncture treatment is to maintain or bring back the energy balance in the body. This is done by introducing needles into the energy vessels called meridians to insure that nutrient and energy flow remains unimpeded.  The energy the meridians carry along is called Qi or chi.  Chi is believed to carry electrical energy as well as vital nutrients to the organs and tissues.  A blockage causes energy stagnation or sluggish flow, which results in illnesses and diseases in the body.

TCM is not only concerned with treating diseases and relieving pain.  Its aim is to bring wellness to both body and mind.  A balanced health in body, mind, emotion and spirit is what is meant by wellness in the TCM sense of the word.  In dealing with physical, emotional, mental or spiritual disorders, acupuncture can be a powerful benefit for the person in regaining and maintaining optimal holistic health.

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