If you are interested in maintaining good health and want an approach that is in line with nature, consider acupuncture as part of your strategy. This treatment is for people who want to be in charge of their health, who know they have a choice in how they go about it and who want to become educated consumers of health services. Whether you are dealing with underlying symptoms or are already in good health and want to stay that way, acupuncture can support you in achieving your goals. Together we can identify your unique patterns of health and develop a treatment based on your individual makeup.

This treatment has a prescribed time limit because it is my belief that no remedy should become an unending dependence. Five Element acupuncture focuses on restoring the body’s natural balance so you can maintain your health yourself. Then all that’s needed is a tune-up once a season to prepare for the next phase of the yearly cycle.

Preventive Medicine Treatment

Acupuncture For most people a typical schedule for acupuncture treatment is as follows:

• 6-8 weeks intensive: 1/week
• 4-6 months transition: 1/month
• maintenance: 1/season

The first session is two hours and lays the foundation for the treatment. In the first hour we talk about your life, health history, habits and patterns of behavior. We’ll discuss what works for you and what doesn’t and what your goals are. The second hour focuses on the body and consists of a physical exam, pulse and tongue diagnosis, and an acupuncture treatment.

In the following sessions we address the issues that showed up during the initial examination and use acupuncture to shift the energy in your body to fully support good health.

Life Practices Equally important are the everyday practices that you engage in between acupuncture sessions. These practices enhance the process of healing and include such things as:

• cultivating the skill of observing changes and “shifts” within your body
• nutrition
• self-reflection
• breathing practices
• creative work
• identifying what brings you nourishment (mind, body, spirit)
• developing what brings you joy and inspiration
• letting go of old patterns (emotions, behaviors, anything that no longer serves us)

Signs of Success

You’ll know you’re achieving optimal health when you experience a renewed sense of well-being:

• You’ll become more “present” in your everyday life.
• You’ll become more aware of subtle changes in your body and you’ll be able
  to shift your habits and behavior before you experience disease.
• You’ll probably visit your doctor less often.
• You’ll experience more energy.
• Your relationships with others will deepen and improve.