According to Asian medical theory, each season is associated with an element and summer is the season of the Fire element. Fire is the element of play, adventure, thrill-seeking, social connection, passion, joy, love, and trust. Fire energy also houses the mind. Harmonious Fire energy manifests with clear thinking, healthy relationships, charisma, and compassion.
Read MoreAlong with yin and yang theory, the core of Asian medicine revolves around the five natural elements: wood, fire, earth, metal, and water. Within the body, each element exists as a microcosm of its existence in the outside world. Each element is associated with an organ, an acupuncture meridian, a season, a body tissue, a smell, a flavor, and more. The elements interact with one another in predictable manners in nature as well as in the body. Acupuncturists learn how the elements interact and then apply this knowledge to each patient to determine why a particular symptom is present, how best to bring the body back into harmony with the elements to alleviate the symptom, and how to stabilize the elements to prevent future symptoms from arising. Five Element Theory has many layers; this post is meant to serve merely as an introduction to the five elements and one of the many ways they can interact in the body.
Read MoreLet's dive into some the basics of Asian medicine, starting with simple terminology. First off, why do some people say acupuncture and others refer to Asian medicine as a whole? Acupuncture is just one of the eight branches within Asian medicine. The other branches are meditation, herbology, bodywork, nutrition, exercise (including qigong), astrology, and geomancy (such as feng shui).
Read MoreYin and Yang are at the core of Asian medical theory. Asian medicine developed from Daoist theory. If you’ve been introduced to Daoism, you are probably aware that the essence of the Dao is that all things have a complementary aspect. That is, nothing exists as one, but as two. Yang and yin are the names for these complementary aspects. Yin does not exist without yang and yang does not exist without yin.
Read MoreEach season, as our natural environment shifts, so does the strength of qi within different meridians. We are now heading into winter, when our Kidney energy is at its height.
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Laura McKinley Acupuncture
Queer-owned | Woman-owned | Established 2015
3401 Quebec Street, Suite 4500
Denver, CO 80207
720.583.5785
