What is Japanese Five Element acupuncture?
It is a refined system of traditional Five Element meridian therapy, and is effective and painless. In this tradition emphasis is placed on the meridians, the five elements, and yin/yang theory. In addition, using the four basic diagnostic methods, to see, to hear, to ask, and to feel, the acupuncturist gathers vital information to arrive at the correct diagnosis. These methods include observing the color and luster of the skin, assessing the patient’s predominate emotion, listening to the sound of the voice, asking about the patient’s history and preferences and, most importantly, feeling the abdomen and the quality of the pulses palpated on both wrists. All this information is put together to create the specific diagnosis for that individual. It is this process of information gathering that is used to establish the diagnosis that will lead to an effective treatment plan for that particular pattern of disharmony. The Toyohari practitioner strives to identify the specific constitutional factor, or root problem, responsible for the imbalance leading to the patient’s symptoms. Symptoms are seen as a distress signal of the body. For example, pain can be such a distress signal. If we merely get rid of the pain by masking the symptoms we ignore the underlying cause of the problem. In this ancient and profound system of medicine, restoring harmony and balance is the goal of treatment. When this is achieved the symptoms subside and the patient feels renewed energy and vitality at all levels of body, mind and spirit.