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Contact us about applying for the next Classical Five-Element Acupuncture Program, beginning September 2008.

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Frequently Asked Questions about Acupuncture, and information on how to make an appointment.


Our programs range from half hour presentations to weekend Beginning the Journey™ seminars to our flagship program, the one-year, part-time, Classical Five-Element Acupuncture Program. In this program, students from California and across the country come to learn to become instruments of healing, able to reach the depth of patients' suffering at the level where the disease originates.

Rather than palliating symptoms, which, like warning lights on the dashboard of a car, are only distress signals of deeper imbalance, students of Classical Five-Element Acupuncture learn to diagnose and treat the underlying cause of the trouble (known as the Causative Factor), and to directly address the levels of emotion, mind, and spirit, as well as the body.


The next Classical Five-Element Acupuncture Program (our 10th Program!) begins September 2008 and meets Friday-Monday, once per month for nine months. A new class begins each September. We invite you to visit a session of this year's class, or try an introductory program held periodically throughout the year - contact us for more information.

Professor Gumenick can custom design an instructional program to meet your needs and is also available for private acupuncture treatments in Santa Monica, CA. Our faculty members invite prospective students into their practices to witness the incredible healing power of this medicine. Still, the best way to experience the magic of Classical Five-Element Acupuncture is to become a patient. Contact us for more information and the names and numbers of practitioners nationwide.

I came in to Neil Gumenick's Classical 5 Element Acupuncture class with the idea that this medicine could bring together my work and my spiritual practice. In fact taking the class and doing the work has enhanced both my work and my spiritual practice. It is wonderful to meet and treat patients without a judging agenda in the back of my mind. When I interview and treat patients now I only think about their imbalance and what I can do to help them to get as balanced as nature will allow.

Neil's class is one of the best organized and best taught that I have ever experienced in 30 years of medicine. The way he models and teaches the skills of interviewing patients is so life-changing that it ought to be taught in every Medical School, every Chiropractic school, in every kind of service profession. It is amazing to see how much patients will tell you about themselves and their problems when they are interviewed in this way. It is equally amazing to see the change in oneself and one's attitude toward patients, staff and people in general. If you want to love your work and love your patients; if you want to really be a healer of the whole person, this is the class for you. I wish I had had the sense to take this 30 years ago.

~ Marie Schafle M.D., Angels Camp, CA

"Learning the laws of the elements according to Classical Five Element Acupuncture has enabled me to finally understand the essence of our exquisite medicine. Our goal is to assist people in reconnecting to the divine spark that exists within every living thing, while inspiring them in mind, body, and spirit to reach their unique individual potential. This is how we can truly eradicate illness and suffering. To be given the tools to help facilitate this in a human being is beyond words. This method of healing is more profound than any other I have ever experienced. It has surely transformed my life, and I am certain it will do the same for all who are touched by it, patients and practitioners alike."

~ Jessica Ellerman, L.Ac. San Diego, CA Class of 07-08

"The Classical Five-Element Acupuncture Program is the real deal! The curriculum is comprehensive; the instructors are generous and knowledgeable, and the medicine itself is very profound. After practicing Western Medicine for over 25 years, this elegant style of medicine has renewed my passion for the Healing Arts.

I had taken other Five Element acupuncture courses before enrolling in Neil's Program, and there is simply no comparison when it comes to quality and integrity. I am confident I will have the necessary knowledge, experience, and support to practice Five Element Acupuncture in its pure form when I graduate from this course."

~ Elizabeth Tukan, M.D. Phoenix, AZ Class of 07-08

"Neil Gumenick's Program is in a class by itself. This is not a system of medicine we can learn by reading a book or taking a week-long course. It requires a deep visceral understanding of the elements, heightened sensory awareness, and the courage to stretch our perceptions and open our hearts. Neil has put together a year long program that thoroughly trains us in Five Element Acupuncture and leads us on a journey of self-discovery that is unforgettable."

~ Francesca de Picciotto, M.D. Los Angeles, CA Class of 07-08

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The Institute of Classical Five-Element Acupuncture Inc.
2926 Santa Monica Blvd., Santa Monica CA 90404-9900
www.5elements.com