What is Five Element Acupuncture?
Five Element Acupuncture is a specific style within traditional acupuncture that emphasizes balancing the Five Elements (Wood, Fire, Earth, Metal, and Water), each associated with specific emotions, organs, and energetic qualities. Developed from ancient Chinese philosophy, this approach uses the Five Elements as a diagnostic and treatment framework, linking physical symptoms to deeper emotional and spiritual factors.

In Five Element Acupuncture, the practitioner assesses the "Causative Factor" (CF), or primary element imbalance, that may underlie a person's health issues. For example, a person experiencing issues related to stress or anger may have an imbalance in the Wood element, while someone dealing with grief may need support with the Metal element. Treatment aims to bring all elements into balance, addressing both physical symptoms and emotional well-being, fostering holistic healing.

Acupuncture, and specifically Five Element Acupuncture, offers a deeply holistic approach, addressing both physical and emotional health concerns. As research continues to expand, it remains a valuable tool for integrative health practices worldwide. 

Acupuncture is an ancient form of Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) that involves inserting very thin needles into specific points on the body, to stimulate healing and restore balance. These points lie along meridians, or energy pathways, believed to carry life energy (Qi or Chi) throughout the body. Acupuncture aims to address various health concerns by restoring energy flow, reducing blockages, and promoting the body's natural ability to heal.

Moxibustion, a heat treatment, Gua Sha, Cupping and Ear Seeds (applied to points on the ear) may also be used in the treatment.  Chinese Medicine views the body equally at the level of body, mind and spirit. Five Element Acupuncture balances the systems with each element, Wood, Fire, Earth, Metal and Water.

Acupuncture benefits fertility, weight management, detox, immune system, inflammatory issues, digestion, nervous system, mental health, anxiety, skin disorders, covid and long covid symptoms.

Published Research on Acupuncture

Acupuncture has been widely studied, with growing scientific evidence supporting its efficacy:

• Chronic Pain: A meta-analysis by Vickers et al. (2012) examined data from multiple studies and found that acupuncture significantly reduces chronic pain compared to standard treatments or sham acupuncture.

• Mental Health: Research by Sniezek and Siddiqui (2013) highlighted acupuncture's effectiveness in reducing anxiety and depression symptoms, supporting its role in mental health treatment.

• Insomnia: A study by Chen et al. (2009) demonstrated that acupuncture improved sleep quality and duration in individuals with insomnia, suggesting it can be a useful alternative to medication.

• Immune Support: Yin et al. (2019) explored acupuncture's effects on immune function, noting its ability to enhance immune responses and improve resilience to illness.

References

• Vickers, A. J., et al. (2012). "Acupuncture for chronic pain: Individual patient data meta-analysis." Archives of Internal Medicine, 172(19), 1444-1453.

• Arranz, L., et al. (2007). "Effects of acupuncture treatment on response of human neutrophils to inflammatory agents." American Journal of Chinese Medicine, 35(6), 909-916.

• Sniezek, D. P., & Siddiqui, I. J. (2013). "Acupuncture for treating anxiety and depression in women: A clinical systematic review." Medical Acupuncture, 25(3), 164-172.

• Chen, H., et al. (2009). "A study on the effect of acupuncture on insomnia." Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine, 15(2), 131-137.

• Yin, C., et al. (2019). "The effect of acupuncture on the immune system: A systematic review and meta-analysis." Journal of Acupuncture and Meridian Studies, 12(1), 15-25.

Acupuncture is effective for conditions including:

• Fertility, Gynaecological and Menstrual issues

• Pregnancy nausea, insomnia and pelvic pain

• Stress, Anxiety & Emotional Health

• Nausea caused by anesthesia or chemotherapy

• Headaches and Migraines

• Carpal Tunnel, Tennis and Golfers elbow

• Fibromyalgia

• Myofascial pain

• Osteoarthritis

• Low back pain

• Asthma

• Rosacea, acne and skin disorders

Many people have a healthy fear or anxiety about needles. Each persons experience of that sensation is unique.

During the session we work with the breath and begin, with your permission, with 1 needle.

Acupuncture needles are very fine, like a strand of your hair.

5 Elements technique is a subtle needling style where there is a slight sensation felt.

Generally first treatment is 1 hour to give the system time to detox and address the main complaint. 60, 45 and 30 minute treatments are available depending on the main complaint. If it is an Acute injury and during pregnancy 30 minutes will suffice.

A dull ache, sensation or pressure is felt when the needle is inserted.  The needle can be removed immediately or left in place for some time, depending on the treatment goal.  Deep relaxation is felt afterwards, as if having had a good nights sleep.

If there is existing injuries or health issues a number of sessions will be required. This is determined after the health consultation, then after each treatment, with an overall review after 4 or 6 treatments.

For good general health and immune support, 4 weekly treatments are recommended with 6 week follow ups.

For acute injury, 2-4 weekly treatments are recommended, with a 3-6 month follow up.

For chronic health issues, 4-8 weekly treatments are recommended with 4-6 week follow ups.

For cosmetic, 12-18 weekly treatments are recommended, with monthly follow ups.

Acupuncture supports the natural and assisted fertility journeys.

See more on Fertility Acupuncture here.

Acupuncture is completely safe during all stages of pregnancy.

It supports the many physical and emotional transitions that happen during pregnancy. Acupuncture is beneficial for nausea, to treat musculo-skeletal pain as the body develops during pregnancy and to prepare for labour.

It is additionally beneficial as there are very few medications safe to take during pregnancy.

Science has the proven there are many benefits of acupuncture. The Acupuncture Evidence Project explains further.

The Acupuncture Council of Ireland and the World Health Organisation recommends acupuncture for these diseases, symptoms or conditions, because acupuncture has been ‘prove[d] – through controlled trials – to be an effective treatment’:

-Adverse reactions to radiotherapy and/or chemotherapy

-Allergic rhinitis (including hay fever)

-Biliary colic

-Depression (including depressive neurosis and depression following stroke)

-Dysentery, acute bacillary

-Dysmenorrhoea, primary

-Epigastralgia, acute (in peptic ulcer, acute and chronic gastritis, and gastrospasm)

-Facial pain (including craniomandibular disorders)

-Headache

-Hypertension, essential

-Hypotension, primary

-Induction of labour

-Knee pain

-Leukopenia

-Low back pain

-Malposition of fetus, correction of

-Morning sickness

-Nausea and vomiting

-Neck pain

-Pain in dentistry (including dental pain and temporomandibular dysfunction)

-Periarthritis of shoulder

-Postoperative pain

-Renal colic

-Rheumatoid arthritis

-Sciatica

-Sprain

-Stroke

-Tennis elbow

Diseases, symptoms or conditions for which The World Health Organisation recommends acupuncture because its therapeutic effect has been shown, although further proof is needed:

-Abdominal pain (in acute gastroenteritis or due to gastrointestinal spasm)

-Acne vulgaris

-Alcohol dependence and detoxification

-Bell’s palsy

-Bronchial asthma

-Cancer pain

-Cardiac neurosis

-Cholecystitis, chronic, with acute exacerbation

-Cholelithiasis

-Competition stress syndrome

-Craniocerebral injury, closed

-Diabetes mellitus, non-insulin-dependent

-Earache

-Epidemic haemorrhagic fever

-Epistaxis, simple (without generalised or local disease)

-Eye pain due to subconjunctival injection

-Female infertility

-Facial spasm

-Female urethral syndrome

-Fibromyalgia and fasciitis

-Gastrokinetic disturbance

-Gouty arthritis

-Hepatitis B virus carrier status

-Herpes zoster (human (alpha) herpes virus 3)

-Hyperlipaemia

-Hypo-ovarianism

-Insomnia

-Labour pain

-Lactation, deficiency

-Male sexual dysfunction, non-organic

-Ménière disease

-Neuralgia, post-herpetic

-Neurodermatitis

-Obesity

-Opium, cocaine and heroin dependence

-Osteoarthritis

-Pain due to endoscopic examination

-Pain in thromboangiitis obliterans

-Polycystic ovary syndrome (Stein–Leventhal syndrome)

-Postextubation in children

-Postoperative convalescence

-Premenstrual syndrome

-Prostatitis, chronic

-Pruritus

-Radicular and pseudoradicular pain syndrome

-Raynaud syndrome, primary

-Recurrent lower urinary-tract infection

-Reflex sympathetic dystrophy

-Retention of urine, traumatic

-Schizophrenia

-Sialism, drug-induced

-Sjögren syndrome

-Sore throat (including tonsillitis)

-Spine pain, acute

-Stiff neck

-Temporomandibular joint dysfunction

-Tietze syndrome

-Tobacco dependence

-Tourette syndrome

-Ulcerative colitis, chronic

-Urolithiasis

-Vascular dementia

-Whooping cough (pertussis)

Diseases, symptoms or conditions for which only individual controlled trials report some therapeutic effects. The World Health Organisation recommends acupuncture for these when treatment by conventional and other therapies is difficult:

-Chloasma

-Choroidopathy, central serous

-Colour blindness

-Deafness

-Hypophrenia

-Irritable colon syndrome

-Neuropathic bladder due to spinal cord injury

-Pulmonary heart disease, chronic

-Small airway obstruction

Professor J.R. Worsley (1923 – 2003) is credited with bringing Five-Element Acupuncture to the West.

Jack Reginald Worsley, known as “JR”, was born on September 14th, 1923 in Coventry, Warwickshire. The son of an engineer, he was first introduced to acupuncture through his father’s interest in ancient Chinese philosophy. Educated locally, he left school at age fourteen to work in a factory but joined the armed forces when war broke out in 1939.

After the war Worsley practiced physiotherapy and began to study osteopathy, naturopathy and acupuncture. In the early 1950s he traveled to Taiwan, Singapore and Korea to further his studies and was awarded a Doctorate in Acupuncture. It was during his time there that he first came across the Five-Element system of acupuncture and was drawn to the way it looked at every aspect of a person’s physical, mental and spiritual well-being in order to diagnose the root cause of his or her imbalance.

After studying under his Five-Element teachers Ono and Hsui, in 1955 Worsley was awarded the title of “Master” of Five-Element Acupuncture. The following year he returned to Britain and founded the College of Traditional Acupuncture in Kenilworth, Warwickshire. This was followed by the setting up of a number of institutes in America, including, in 1988, the Worsley Institute of Classical Acupuncture in Miami, Florida.

In 1971 acupuncture became something of a cause celebre in the United States after the official visit to China of President Nixon’s then Secretary-of-State, Henry Kissinger. James Reston, a journalist covering the trip had developed appendicitis and during an emergency operation, Chinese surgeons used acupuncture to anaesthetize him. Suddenly it was all the rage.

While there was a great deal of attention given to symptomatic treatments, Worsley’s methods were rooted in the study of anatomy and Chinese philosophy, which he taught and practiced all over the world in conjunction with countless hospitals and western doctors.

Throughout the 1970s Worsley’s popularity grew and he traveled extensively, conducting seminars and consultations. His teaching inspired many others to adopt the Five-Element system which he taught, could benefit people of any age.

Despite two heart attacks, Worsley continued to travel to and from the United States and was still seeing patients two weeks before his death in Miami, Florida, on June 2, 2003.

As well as his numerous articles for medical journals, Worsley published many books including Is Acupuncture for You?, Talking About Acupuncture in New York, Meridians of Ch’i Energy-Point Reference Guide, The Five Elements and The Officials, and Traditional Acupuncture (Traditional Diagnosis).