FIVE ELEMENT ACUPUNCTURE: A MEDICINE WHOSE TIME HAS COME
There’s nothing more powerful than an idea whose time has come. Or returned, as the case may be. When I was first introduced to five element acupuncture, over two decades ago, some of the central tenets of this medicine seemed pretty far removed from the mainstream beliefs of the day.
Over course of my lifetime, I have noticed that we as a society have become more comfortable with the notion that negative mental patterns, being chronically anxious or stressed, for example, may actually lead to illness or increase your risk of various diseases. Conversely, many of us have come to realize that positive emotional states can have a beneficial effect on the body. Western medicine has gradually accepted the fact that ‘stress kills’ but it wasn’t always like this – in fact, this is a rather recent turn of events.
20 years ago, most doctors would be very cautious to suggest that meditation could aid in a person’s health for fear of sounding unprofessional. Today, doctors often ask their patients as a matter of course if they meditate, have a yoga practice or practice mindfullness.
A HISTORICAL PERSPECTIVE
Over 2,000 years ago, the Daoist philosopher Mencius stated “where the will goes the qi will follow.” The implications of this statement are vast but chiefly point to this: the way you live your life, the way you control your emotions, your will, and your life force will actually change your physical being and the organs in your body. Profound stuff. And in Chinese philoshopy … a very old idea, indeed.
Mencius was a fairly ‘meta’ individual and actually took it one step further. He believed that humans could in fact nourish and affect their individual destiny. “Destiny” is an interesting concept as he explains it: what is destined cannot be invented by the human mind or foreseen. Destiny is revealed only when a path arises that is both unforeseen and constructive.
Acupuncture: past, present, and future
LIVING NATURAL AND UNFORCED
The Daoists believed a person’s correct path is the one that is “natural and unforced”. As Mencius saw it, a person who follows and nourishes their Destiny will live a long and successful life; while a person who goes against Destiny will die before his time.
GEORGE LUCAS, THE FORCE, AND THE RETURN OF THE DAOIST WAY
Some of these old Daoist ideas began to gain traction in the West beginning in 1977 after the debut of the film Star Wars. George Lucas apparently has never denied the Daoist influences in the Star Wars films. It’s fascinating to realize just how old those ideas are … and that that certain individuals on this planet have been “using the force” for well over 2 millennia!
Similarly, Five Element Acupuncture is a medicine that is both natural and unforced. It aims treatment at our deepest levels of who we are as individuals such that we can progress to our full potential in all aspects of our life. As a practitioner of this medicine, it feels very rewarding to both be part of the historical tradition as well as a part of its transmission into the future.
I’m sure that a great number of people looking to begin acupuncture treatment nowadays do so by searching Google for “acupuncture near me” or “find a licensed acupuncturist”, but I would encourage individuals to learn a bit about the history of this medicine, and by all means, seek out a five element acupuncturist. The time has arrived!
David Leeds
Acupuncture in Williamsburg, Brooklyn
Five Element Acupuncture
