Acupuncture works by stimulating and affecting the Qi energy that flows through the meridians of the body. Most symptoms (example: pain or fatigue) can be described as Qi energy not flowing smoothly, or not being properly regulated.
Throughout each day and night, Qi flows through the body and has specific tasks and functions which keep the body healthy, energized, and upright. If this energy flow is cramped or stagnated in one place, then that stagnation not only affects the local area and function, but has a cascading effect throughout the body, mind, and spirit.
Acupuncture is an effective treatment for:
Neck, back, & joint pain
Chronic pain
Anxiety
Depression
PTSD
Digestive Problems
Sleep & insomnia
Headaches
Personal Growth
Support moving through terminal illness or life transitions
Are you afraid of needles? Consider Zero Balancing as an alternative therapy.
Why I Practice Classical Five-Element Acupuncture
As J. R. Worsley has said, "If your 'Check Engine' light comes on in your car, will putting a Band-Aid over the light fix the problem?" Most people would say no.
This is why I practice Classical Five-Element Acupuncture. It goes to the root, treating the cause of the symptoms. This is a unique, amazing, and subtle process - one in which many symptoms other than a person's main complaint can be healed.
Just as Nature has its ebbs and flows, so does the human experience and human health. Through CFEA, we can help clients to find balance within the ebbs and flows, and help guide clients toward a more vital and full experience of life.
Zero Balancing (ZB) is a gentle and effective mind-body therapy that uses light pressure to help re-balance the structures and energies of our body.
Primarily working with 'bone level' energy, light pressure and gentle traction are applied on areas of tension in the body.
This light pressure and traction helps to alleviate the discomfort and stagnation, and the client is left feeling highly relaxed and with a wonderful sensation of inner harmony and balance.
Past Zero Balancing clients of mine have come in with debilitating pain - sciatica that felt like fire running down their leg, or clients unable to lift their arm due to their upper back hurting so badly.
While Zero Balancing is an extremely effective modality for helping to reduce and eliminate physical pain, its effects are more far-reaching than the physical body. Zero Balancing is also a great option for anyone who is afraid of needles.
Zero Balancing is a great tool for:
Chronic pain
Joint mobility
Fatigue
Anxiety
Depression
Good for a range of mental and spiritual maladies
With this gentle treatment, we can help to relax, alleviate, and often eliminate pain while helping the whole body, mind, and spirit to feel better and more balanced at the end.
Through Classical Five-Element Acupuncture, we help clients find balance within the ebbs and flows of health, and help guide clients toward a more vital and full experience of life.
We Treat You as a Whole Person
While many acupuncturists and medical practitioners today treat the symptoms a person comes in with, CFEA practitioners treat the whole person who is coming in with the symptoms.
When you treat the whole person at the cause of their disease, at the very root, many other ailments of the body, the mind, and the spirit are also alleviated in addition to a person's main complaints. The difference is a world apart. A person who experiences CFEA is often left with a feeling of overall well being, less stress, better sleep, and many other benefits.
The body, the mind, and the spirit are intimately and inextricably linked. If a person is ill, we cannot just treat the body and expect results. We must treat the body, the mind, and the spirit as a whole, and when we do this, people can reach a full and deep sense of health and well being.
Treatments are Rooted in Nature
CFEA was brought to this country by Dr. J. R. Worlsey, an English osteopathic doctor in the mid-1900s. The roots of this style of acupuncture come from the Han Dynasty when the ancient Chinese doctors emphasized the strong connection between the whole of Nature, the Five Elements, and human health.
We must treat the body, the mind, and the spirit as a whole, and when we do this, people can reach a full and deep sense of health and well-being.
What to Expect in an Acupuncture Treatment
One of the aspects of Classical Five-Element Acupuncture that makes it so unique and so powerful is that each person is always treated in a individualized manner.
Twenty people could come in with lower back pain, and each one would receive a totally different treatment.
We take the necessary time to get to know you on a much deeper level than your typical health care practitioner - this allows us to tailor each treatment to exactly what you are wanting and needing.
The Initial Appointment
Your first appointment is about 2 hours. It will entail an intake, a full diagnosis, a physical exam, and the acupuncture treatment.
The Intake: When you begin acupuncture treatment with us, we spend about 1 hour thoroughly going over your health history, current experience with symptoms, lifestyle habits, and many other aspects of your life.
Full Diagnosis: This is a very powerful time, not only for a person to reflect more deeply about their life experience, but also for allowing us to make a full traditional diagnosis, the basis for each client's highly individualized care.
The Physical Exam: The purpose of the physical exam is to look for and identify anything that could be affecting your symptoms on a physical level. This gives us invaluable information regarding a client's state of health and well being, and helps us tailor highly individualized treatments for our clients.
For example, range of motion, leg length, blood pressure, joint function assessments, light abdominal palpation, and a few other acupuncture examinations are all included.
We ask clients to put on a gown or cover with a blanket during the physical examination to maintain modesty, while also ensuring sufficient access to the back, the abdomen, and various parts of the body.
Once the intake and physical exam are completed, the acupuncture treatment will begin.
The Treatment
Treatments will typically last from 45 minutes to an hour, and consist of both acupuncture and moxabustion (the burning of a medicinal herb on the acupuncture point).
In Classical Five-Element Acupuncture, we use a needling technique that is more focused on accuracy than is typical in the modern acupuncture field.
We insert the needle, connect with the acupuncture point, and remove it immediately as opposed to leaving the needle in the body for extended periods.
Moxabustion
For moxabustion, a very small cone of dried mugwort herb is placed on the acupuncture point, and lit with an incense stick. This herb, as it slowly burns down, gently warms the skin, the tissue, and the acupuncture point below. The warmth and sensation from the moxa is both very relaxing as well as nourishing. It is never allowed to burn to the point of discomfort.
Moxa is prepared from the mugwort plant, Artemisia vulgaris, and has many medicinal properties that work well with acupuncture. While we use moxa in conjunction with acupuncture, moxabustion can be used as a treatment all by itself!
Frequency of Treatments
The frequency of treatment is just as important as the quality of treatment.
You can receive the best acupuncture treatment in the world, but if you don't have the consistency of regular acupuncture treatments to support your mind, body, and spirit, you will not receive the full benefit.
Acupuncture works by building upon the previous treatments - just as we start building a house by pouring the foundation and methodically building up from there.
While acupuncture can often have seemingly miraculous results, it is not a silver bullet. Consistent, high-quality treatment helps to ensure that our clients build and maintain higher levels of bountiful, vital health.
Michael Oruch, a ZB instructor, giving a ZB session
The Intake: When you come to your first Zero Balancing session, we will do a short intake session to establish a health history, any existing injuries, and past surgeries or traumas
Zero Balancing Treatment: As a client, the majority of your experience will be laying on the treatment table, face up, and relaxed.
The practitioner applies pressure and traction to most of the major joints of the body, including the ribs, the spine/vertebra, the sacrum/base of the spine, the knees and hips, the feet, hands and arms, and the skull.
Sessions are performed with the client fully clothed (comfortable, non-restrictive clothing is advised), and takes approximately 30 minutes to an hour, depending on the client.
The pressure and traction should never feel uncomfortable or painful, and you should walk away feeling more rested, relaxed, and more ease where there was discomfort.