FAQ Answers by Dirk Hein

Classical Five Element Acupuncture could be called a “holistic medicine” since it treats not only your body but also your mind and your spirit by rebalancing the Chi energy, the life-force, which controls all three.  The stomach meridian improves digestion as well as  helps  the mind to "digest" information or the spirit to "process" an experience. So besides the physical function, each meridian also affects a corresponding function of the mind and the spirit.

In this way, this system of medicine can treat you as an individual, addressing your personal “Achilles heel” and restore not only your physical functioning but also your mental clarity, productivity, and the spark of vitality we all need to experience happiness.

When we place our concept of health in context with the Energy System described above, the Chi energy, the life-force, we can easily understand how the restoration of harmony and balance of your energy will allow Nature-within to do the most miraculous healing possible. 

For this reason, no condition, no illness, no disease should be excluded from the realm of Classical Five Element Acupuncture’s potential effectiveness.

Experience has proven this system of medicine to be a powerful tool for restoring Nature’s own innate ability to bring about a healing: 

to ease the pain, help body functions, and restore health and happiness in body, mind, and spirit. Since health is the total of the health of all three, this method of regaining health also improves your quality of life. 

Because this form of treatment is tailored to the needs of every person on every level, we welcome patients of any age, gender, and any condition, ranging from children to the elderly, from the relatively well to the seriously ill.

Pictograph: Tao -the "Way" pictograph of a face looking on the path, (L-ancient, R-current)

As a new patient at Wu Hsing Health Care, you will receive an initial consultation lasting one and a half to two hours, during which I will examine your present condition, read your energy, as well as gather all details of your history. This is an essential part of this system's process to diagnose the underlying cause of your health issues and symptoms and lays the foundation for your subsequent treatments. 

The reading of the twelve pulses allows for the determination of the flow through all energy pathways or meridians, which connect the extremities with the internal organs such as the heart, lungs, stomach, kidneys, etc.

Along these meridians are specific points, where acupuncture is performed by carefully inserting very fine needles into the skin, without any trace of blood, to restore and equalize the flow of energy to your organs.

Sometimes, in addition to the use of acupuncture needles, you may have your Chi-energy warmed and invigorated by lighting a small cone of a special herb called Moxa over the acupuncture point, naturally without burning your skin. 

This type of treatment is known as Moxibustion.

After the initial consultation, follow-up treatments may last about 30 to 45 minutes.

Pictograph: Talisman to Vitalize the Five Viscera

Since every individual is unique, the response to treatment varies from person to person. 

It is possible that the initial changes in your energy system, may first improve your overall health before affecting your main complaint or you may already notice a marked improvement in your main complaint right away. You may feel revitalized mentally and emotionally before noticing physical improvements or experience only subtle changes, which become more obvious later when you turn your attention back to how you used to feel. There can also be a temporary worsening of the symptoms. 

However, the more your Chi energy is rebalanced, the more Nature is able to apply resources to restoring normal functions, thus allowing symptoms to dissipate.

The duration and frequency of your treatments depend upon a variety of factors:

· How severe your complaint is?

· How long you have suffered from this?

· How quickly your energy and your body will respond?

Most people require weekly treatments for 3-4 weeks or until improvement has been achieved. Thereafter, treatments are spaced out to once every two weeks, then every three, then monthly until finally a checkup at the change of seasons is all that would be necessary. Some people have to work through many layers of their history and will need to come weekly for a while, before stretching out the time between visits.

After wellness has been achieved and visits have become seasonal checkups, a person may break one of the Laws of Nature or suffer physical or emotional trauma, thereby putting the Chi energy out of balance. In this case, a series of acupuncture treatments may once again be necessary to restore harmony and balance. 

However, once you have undergone the initial series of treatments, the energy is primed and will remember more readily how it should function, and therefore, frequent treatments won’t be needed for as long.

This is a common question. The answer varies from person to person because the experience of feeling the energy shift inside the body is so new to most people that it is difficult to find words to describe the sensation. The thickness of acupuncture needles is the thickness of a hair. You may not even notice them going into the skin. There is however a sensation of your life-force energy moving when it is touched, which may at times feel like a small startling ache, lasting only for an instant.

Before your treatment:

·  Do not take a thorough soap bath or shower

·  Do not use heavy scents or colognes

·  Do not use too much make-up

·  Avoid a heavy meal right before your appointment

After your appointment allow at least half an hour before you eat.

Allow at least 4 hours before:

·  Strenuous exercise

·  High stress situations

·  Consumption of alcohol

·  Extreme temperature changes

This will give your Chi-energy a chance to assimilate the change that has taken place.

Between visits, please observe anything that is different, such as changes in your:

·  Sleep patterns

·  Digestion

·  Changes in bodily functions or any odd sensations

·  Daily energy fluctuations

·  Dreams

·  Emotions

·  Ability to cope with events in your life.

Also, take notice of anything that remains the same.

We normally do not discuss the examination findings or the diagnosis in physiological terms. We do not tell you have a “heart,” “liver,” “stomach” imbalance. In this system of medicine, labeling is avoided, since our mind and imagination can add to the problem. However, at some point, knowing your predisposition may be helpful to make informed and wise lifestyle changes.

You will not be asked to change your life drastically. In fact, you are encouraged to continue your daily routines, to continue any prescription medications or vitamins you are  taking currently in order to allow for a stability in which the energy can change. Often the restored natural balance in the Chi-energy leads you to abandon unhealthy habits and make healthier choices. However, at some point you may be given constructive homework or dietary advice in order to support the treatment progress.

Please respect yourself, your practitioner and your fellow patients, by keeping your appointments and arriving on time. If you must reschedule an appointment, please give 24-hour notice so that another patient may take advantage of your appointment slot.

Late cancellations or missed appointments will be charged at the full fee.