When I meet a new patient, I wonder, “Who is this person? How is she feeling? What does she need to become whole on all levels — physical, emotional and spiritual?” To find out, I ask deeper questions about her well-being in order to find the symptom’s cause and treat it.

Any symptom a patient reports can be the result of an imbalance in one of the five elements — Water, Wood, Fire, Earth and Metal. Once this happens, the imbalance can spread throughout the body, because all five elements are connected like members of a family. When one member is sick, unable or unwilling to do his tasks, the rest of the family suffers. In time, they all become symptomatic, too.

Because symptoms and imbalances are interrelated in this way, I need to know more than just that my patient has migraines, arthritis or insomnia. Those symptoms can be the result of imbalances in any organ or function, so I have to find the elemental cause.

In classical five-element acupuncture, this is done through the senses — perceiving the odor (yes, odor!), color, sound, and emotion that identifies which element is out of balance. Then I work empathetically — feeling what the patient feels in order to understand the level of disease.

If a roof gutter fills with leaves, water may stagnate rather than drain, encouraging clogging and the growth of unwanted seedlings. In the same way, when the body’s gutters and drains stop flowing, manipulation of an acupuncture point opens and clears out stagnation, encourages flow and returns the body to a balanced state so that it can heal itself.

Symptoms are the body’s distress signals, clues to what’s going on inside. When symptoms are suppressed by prescription drugs, the body is being told to “shut up!” But centuries of Chinese medicine have demonstrated the wisdom of listening.

Today is the first day of Autumn is an important transitition in Five Element Philoposphy.  The long days of sunshine slowly peaks and gives way to a time of decrease.  The leaves turn color, fall from the trees and  decay to replenish the earth.  Daylight hours shorten, the weather turns cooler.

Our bodies naturally feel the effects of this transition and if we do not pay attention to subtle changes in nature during this time, we may feel out of sorts.  Symptoms may include:  shortness of breath, and a dislike of speaking.  Catching colds easily.  Coughing, a hoarse or weak voice, a dry mouth and throat.  Difficulty dealing with loss, vulnerable to outside criticism.  Tiredness, constipation or diarrhoea.

In Chinese medicine – the Metal element is associated with Autumn, a time of harvest, where we reap the fruits and vegetables of the season and prepare them for storage duirng Winter.  The Organs Associated with Metal are the Lungs and Large Intestine.

Dr. Worsley, my teacher, spoke of the lungs as “the Official who receives the pure Ch’i from the heavens”.  The first breath at birth sustains our life force  throughout our lives until we take our final breath.  The Chinese view the the Lungs as the receiver of energy and the Large Intestine as the “Dust Bin Collector, the Drainer of the Dregs” where its main functin is to store and eliminate waste.   These two Officials when balanced work beatuifully together to allow us to “take in”  air, chi, inspiration and “let go” of waste, and negativity.

Autumn is the perfect Season to support the Lungs and Large Intestine with  habits that strengthen these Officials.

Here’s simple ways to smoothly transition through Autumn.

1.  Awake during Lung’s peak time, between 3-5 am.  Practice 30 minutes of Tai Chi, Qi Gong, or Yoga, meditate or just breathe deeply.   Deep breathing stimulates the Large Intestine to eliminate (good for those with constipation) between 5-7 am, it’s peak hours.

2.  Use a Neti pot with a saline solution to irrigate your sinuses.  This simple habit can be incorporated  into your morning routine and acts to prevent sinus infections and sore throats.  I use a Neti Pot during Autumn to help alleviate seasonal allergies.  It works, along with taking 500 mgs of Quercitin-C.

3. The gift of the Metal element is the ability to inspire.   Hike or drive to the mountains and renew what inspires you.  Grief is the emotion associated with Metal.  Extreme grief can injure the lungs but can be processed through the awe-inspiring reach of the great outdoors.   Nature herself is healing and transformative.

4.  Eat mildly spicey foods to help support the Metal element.  Tai, Indian, and other Asian foods try and balance the five flavors of bitter,sweet, spicey, sour and salt.  Try combining all these tastes at EVERY meal instead of dieting.  Our modern diet has too much sweet (in the form of refined sugars) and salt and too little of bitter, sour and spicey.

As is true in nature, Autumn is a time were we consolidate our energies and prepare for the austerity of Winter.  When that breaks down, so too, does our ability to preserve what is nourishing to the body, mind and spirit.

Most people are already familiar with the concept of acupuncture: releasing the blockage of essential Qi, or life force, to promote healing. But I am often asked about Five-Element acupuncture, which is the classical Chinese form that I practice.

According to classical Five-Element acupuncture, the five elements – Wood, Fire, Earth, Metal and Water – exist in everything and everyone. When an imbalance occurs, illness can result. So, Five-Element diagnoses and treats the element that is out of balance, enabling healing to occur in the body.

Each element has an odor, color, sound and emotion attached to it that can be perceived when that element is out of balance. In addition, each patient’s unique body, mind and spirit are taken into account when determining diagnosis and treatment, so that each individual receives customized treatment.

Each person has a unique balance of the five elements – no two people are the same, regardless of the similarity of their symptoms.  The goal of the 5 Element practitioner is to pin-point and treat the underlying causative factor of  “Dis-ease”.  Treating the causative factor enables the person to heal completely. 

This is the essential difference between acupuncture and Western (or allopathic) medicine, where patients presenting the same symptoms usually are treated in the exact same way and given the exact same dose of the exact same prescription drug. An acupuncture patient receives an hour of my time – more during the intake session – to diagnose and treat an imbalance and, in most cases, arises from my table already feeling better.

This is one reason why more people are turning to alternative medical treatments – for individualized care, a personal relationship with the practitioner, natural treatment free from adverse side effects and the promotion of improved sleep and overall calmative effect.

Fire is reflected in the Summer season. Summer’s special gift – the energy of fire – allows us to give and receive warmth, supporting the functioning of our hearts. We enhance our health by understanding the correlations between the Fire Element and Summer.

Summer is a time of activity and interaction with the outside world; a time to re-charge our batteries during the high point of the year’s own peak.

Summer is the season of the Heart and its partner organ, the Small Intestine. Although the Heart’s main function is to pump oxygen-rich blood through the arteries into all parts of the body, it also determines the state and strength of our constitution.  The Heart is also connected with the “Shen” or spirit while also being associated with the mind. In Chinese Medicine mental activity resides in the Heart, which affects our emotional health, memory, thinking and sleeping.  A strong healthy Heart results in a  mind that can balance our emotions is peaceful and happy, and is able to sleep undisturbed.

Summer is about  becoming more expansive and connecting with others through hiking, trips to the ocean and mountains, gardening, and summer gatherings. Recharging our Fire Element during the active, summer season will carry us through out the year. Connection with the Fire Element can be a source of great joy that embews us with renewed energy and enthusiasm and lightens our tasks.   When we have the strength of the Fire Element within us there is fun to be had in all that we do. When love and joy are alive in us we naturally reach out to others to share our warmth and friendship.

Here are some tips to stoke your Fire Element:

Plan to have fun regularly.  Schedule your fun and PLAY!!!  Adult playgrounds include retreat centers such as www.kripalu.org & www.omega-inst.org

Volunteer…give of yourself and the love will be returned three-fold. You’ll feel apperciated and yes….LOVED and that does your heart good. There is no shortage of non-profits that could use your particular talents.

I volunteer at www.youcanthrive.org and Acupuncturists without Borders: www.acuwithoutborders.org which are great organizations.

Live your passion. It can be as simple as whisteling or taking a walk through the woods.  If you sing in the shower and always wanted to sing with others, join a choir.   Take up painting, throwing pots (as in pottery), calligraphy, dancing, drumming….you get the idea.

Move, Move, Move…. There’s nothing like physical activity to get into your body and out of your head.  Leave your computers and blackberries behind and walk, dance, swim, bicycle, hike, kayack….or make up an activity.  Get your circulation going in any way that suits you.

Whataya know?  Summer is here.  June 20th to be exact.   In the Chinese 5 Element tradition that means you need to receive treatment that brings the Fire element into balance.

Is your temperature fluctuating?  Feeling tired, manic, moody, sleep deprived, unrested? Perhaps you need a summer solstice acupuncture treatment. With a balanced fire element you can transition joyously into the Summer season without that burnt out feeling.   How exactly is this done you ask?  Your energies can be aligned with the simple use of Horary acupuncture points near the time of the solstice.  Summer horary’s help maintain balance because they are associated with the Fire energies of the  heart, small intestine, pericardium and triple Heater channels or meridians.

The Fire Horary points are on the fire channels as outlined below.

Heart 8 – Lesser Mansion-  Is the fire point of the heart channel. The heart’s job is to sort the spirit, command the blood and distribute nourishment throughout the body, mind and spirit.

Small Intestine 5 – Yang Valley – is the fire point on this channel responsible for sorting on a physical and emotional level.

Triple Heater 6 – Branch Ditch:  Just as water ditches are used to irrigate fields, the triple heater channel helps to irrigate the body and helps to moisten the intestines.

Pericardium 8 – Palace of Toil:  The pericardium’s task is to protect the heart and is used in treatment of fatigue.

So get yourself to a 5 Element Practitioner and have your Horary’s tweaked.

You’ll feel a lot better and you’ll be ready to take on the fullness of summer.