Five Elements Acupuncture

Acupuncture was never on my radar despite years of using alternative medicine for a variety of ailments. Then in 2013 I had a difficult diagnosis with very invasive procedures and dangerous medications suggested as the only way to manage symptoms but not to heal. A close friend of mine suggested acupuncture and told me of someone that she saw for treatment, so I blindly accepted the offer and began my acupuncture journey.

I did not know then that there were many styles of acupuncture, but I had stumbled on the style that always resonated with me when choosing any type of alternative medicine. I did not want something that would manage symptoms or act as a bandaid. I wanted something that spurred the body to heal itself.

The simplified way of explaining this style, called Five Elements Acupuncture, can best explained as the most holistic. Other styles base treatment on symptoms alone, and while bringing some relief, I have found these to not bring complete healing. Five Elements spurs self healing extraordinarily well.

Five Elements Acupuncture is sometimes called Constitutional Acupuncture, basing treatment on a person's constitutional makeup.  The Five Elements refers to the five different constitutions, given the labels of Wood, Fire, Earth, Metal and Water. While we do have all of the Elements in us, we also have that One that is our personal Element. This Element reveals our greatest strengths and our biggest challenges.

An acupuncturist will look at a person's face, listen to the sound of the voice, ascertain the dominant emotion, smell the skin, ask about other affected organs, and observe many other factors to determine the Element. Once the Element has been decided upon, treatment is designed to balance the whole body with that One being the primary focus. That said, of course if there is a major ache or pain, an acupuncturist will also include acupuncture points that can bring some instant relief while the body is continuing to heal.

One example that I like to use is an "arthritic knee." Yes, acupuncture points around the knee can bring some relief, but my question is, "What is out of balance in the body and its organ systems that contribute to the arthritis?" Treatment begins with points for the constitution, followed by the organ systems out of balance, and then some relief points. Treating only for relief means that a return of the main complaint is likely.

Another example would be of my own treatment. My acupuncturist asked me many questions about my health and lifestyle before starting treatment. I never told him about my overactive bladder (thank you twin pregnancy!) where I would have to urinate every 30 minutes. This did not seem important to me as other issues were at a critical stage. Acupuncture treatments began and he encouraged the body to heal, focusing on my constitution with overall wellness.  Within six treatment, I noticed one day that I only had the urge to urinate every two to three hours, like a healthy person would. There was only one treatment change in my life at that point that could explain the disappearance of that symptom: acupuncture. My body was beginning to heal itself.

Welcome to Choosing Health in Thailand

For most of my life I have been interested in health and alternative medicine. My life's journey has brought me through experiences and education that compel me to now share with others. I wear many hats: naturopath doctor, midwife, lactation counselor, acupuncturist, entrepreneur, activist. The best hat: mother.

Someday I will share the journey of how I came to Thailand, learned along the way, and how that knowledge helps me to navigate daily life in this amazing country.

Here are some topics I plan on covering. Please comment below if there are specific topics you’d like to learn more about. Topics will share both what the research says and my own personal applications.

Health: We all strive for this because without it, we cannot fully function in our lives. I will write about many topics on what can be done to improve and maintain health.

Longevity: This topic is so important that I decided to explore it in my doctoral dissertation. Bits and pieces of “Vibrational Medicine and Longevity” will work its way through the coming months of writing.

Nutrition: I spend more time every week sharing about nutrition than any other topic. 90% of our health issues are attributed to what we eat. I will discuss what I personally do and what I advise others to do.

Naturopathy: I became a naturopath doctor when as a midwife I saw healthy mothers and babies but could not help the fathers or rest of the family. Whole family wellness is so very important.

Acupuncture: Acupuncture literally saved my life. I could see how well it would work with the rest of my interests so trained in this. I carry a unique perspective in choosing health by applying many principles of Chinese medicine.

Alternative medicine: This topic has many modalities under one umbrella. Herbs, homeopathy, essential oils, and many many more.

PEMF: Pulsed electromagnetic field therapy. I discovered this modality while researching for my dissertation and have since invested in this therapy to improve my overall wellness.

Green living: This is not as easy to do living in a megacity like Bangkok. I will share the way life can be so complicated here with pollution, noise, chemicals, etc and how I do my best to counteract them. This topic has exploded in Thailand in the past 5 years and it’s exciting to see what the future holds.

Midwifery: Deep down in my soul, I know that this is my biggest calling. I love working with mothers and babies and have years of experience to draw upon. There may be many other fields of study that I have delved into, but they all support midwifery in some way.

Birth: Hospital birth, homebirth, unassisted birth. I am passionate about all and have personally done all. Women have the right to birth wherever they want.

Breastfeeding: The desire to help others began with my own struggles to feed my first baby. I quickly discovered that women need love and support in the first months of mothering. 

Parenting: I don’t know what I’m doing. But it seems to be working. I am now the mother of a 16 year old daughter, 14 year old son, and 12 year old twin girls. We work together to figure out how to navigate this big amazing world.

I look forward to sharing my life, passions, and insights to my readers. Welcome.