Is There Only One Type of Acupuncture?

No! In fact, there are several different styles of acupuncture practiced across the United States and all over the world.

TCM/8 Principle:

Diagnosis and treatment are based on the 8 principles (yin/yang; hot/cold; internal/exterior; excess/deficiency), 28 pulse qualities, tongue, patterns of disharmony, and symptoms of acute and chronic diseases both physical and mental. Treatments usually involve the use of several needles, on various parts of the body at once. Herbal medicine can be used as a complement to TCM/8 Principle treatments.

Worsley 5 Element:

Diagnosis and treatment are based on pulses quantity, CSOE (energics based color, sound, odor, and emotion), and the practitioner’s 4 inspections (to see, smell/hear, ask questions, and through palpation during a physical exam). Further, the assessment of Causative Factor, an individual’s inherent nature reflected in the form of 5 phases (see Acupuncture, Nature, and You), is assessed. While two people may have the same symptoms, the treatments will most likely not be the same, because no two people are the same. Each treatment is uniquely tailored to the individual. In this way, Worsely five-element acupuncture treats the person, not the symptom. 5 Element emphasizes the Law of Least Action, where the practitioner uses the least amount of needles required to produce the most profound effect. In this style, less is more.

Who is “Worsley”?

I mention the term Worsley Five Element a few times, and you might be wondering who is this mysterious Worsley? JR Worsley is known for bringing Five Element Acupuncture to the United States. He was the founder of a number of institutes in the US. He trained and worked with Bob Duggan and Dianne Connelly who went on to be the co-founders of Tai Sophia Institute, currently known as Maryland University of Integrative Health.

For more information on JR Worsley, visit worselyinstitute.com, or click here

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