For thousands of years, the Chinese have recognized that the Five
Elements: Wood, Fire, Earth, Metal, and Water exist in everything, everyone, and are essential for life. Classical Five-Element Acupuncture asserts that every human being is born with, or develops early in life, an imbalance in the natural functioning of these Five Elements. This imbalance becomes the root cause of illness of the body, mind, and spirit.
Classical Five-Element Acupuncture is set apart from other systems of acupuncture by its fundamental premise of diagnosing and treating a patient's Causative Factor: his/her root imbalance. The Causative Factor is assessed by way of objective information provided by the body itself. Each of the elements has a corresponding color, sound, emotion, and odor, which can be perceived when a particular element is out of balance. While it is relatively simple to memorize these associations, developing the skills to truly see, hear, feel, and smell these imbalances requires focused study, practice, and skilled guidance. Accurate diagnosis and treatment of the Causative Factor is the key to Classical Five-Element Acupuncture. In addition, this elegant system recognizes that the health of each individual's body, mind, and spirit must be taken into account to fully understand and treat the cause of disease. Thus, no two patients are ever treated the same.
Classical Five-Element Acupuncture is a complete system of healing, providing patients with a substantive and effective means of regaining balance on all levels. It is one of the safest, most comprehensive and far reaching systems of medicine in the world.
» Answers to Frequently Asked Questions regarding Acupuncture treatments
If you would like to schedule a treatment with Neil at his private practice
in Santa Monica CA, please call (310) 453-2235.
Cancellation policy:
It is important that I be notified at least 24 hours in advance of any need to change a
scheduled appointment. Unless there is an emergency situation, the patient will be charged
the full fee for not keeping the scheduled appointment.
Patient Testimonial:
"I was diagnosed with Parkinson's disease about 15 years ago - at age 42. I was completely healthy (except for that!), a single father, relatively prosperous, and considered myself to be smart, well read, and just generally aware of life. I am also innately iconoclastic and suspicious of authority.
The first thing my then neurologist did, after shaking his head in mock sorrow for the tragic life that would almost certainly now be mine, was to hand me a prescription for sinemet - the miracle drug which temporarily relieves the symptoms of Parkinson's but which ultimately creates even worse ones over time.
I never took the sinemet and instead began an odyssey around the country and around the Internet - looking for possibilities and theories if not answers. One was already in my life - Neil Gumenick - who I had seen sporadically for acupuncture. Neil told me - with great confidence and cheerfulness - that there was no such diagnosis as Parkinsons in Classical Five-Element Acupuncture and that he was certain he could help.
I got on board and began seeing him twice a week at first and made it through the first twelve years without taking sinemet - unprecedented. I do take a light dose now - 15 years after the diagnosis but, If you met me for the first time and didn't know - you wouldn't guess.
The problem with acupuncture is that it is so uniquely personal and tailored to your exact situation that you cannot prove any of this other than with your own experience. It cannot be quantified via the traditional benchmarks of Western medicine - such as a double blind study - because no two people receive the same treatment.
Maybe I cannot prove that it's the acupuncture that has kept me healthy but I am mighty suspicious that it is a contributing, if not major factor. It certainly hasn't hurt (except for the occasional needle!). And I think that - more than a practice where drugs are prescribed for what is bothering you - acupuncture is far more dependent upon the practitioner and his/her relationship with the recipient.
In that regard, I thank my luck stars fairly frequently for Neil's presence in my life." - Les Alexander |
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Patient Testimonial:
"I began seeing Neil eight weeks ago, presenting with a variety of ailments including: diabetes and high blood pressure, both controlled with medication, and an emotional disturbance resulting from a previous traumatic event that had left me in tremendous pain.
The results I have had in the past two months with Neil have been in a word, amazing. I have been able to come off of one of the blood sugar stabilizing medications I was on and will probably be taken off blood pressure meds at my next visit with my physician. More important, the emotional disturbance I experienced is completely gone. My mood is bright and my energy improved. My sleeping and eating have returned to normal.
I most often describe Neil to family and friends as a "miracle worker." I never dreamed I would experience these tremendously positive results in such a short period of time. I am grateful for the gift of Neil's practice."
- Constance Scharff, Novelist
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The Institute of Classical Five-Element Acupuncture
2926 Santa Monica Blvd.
Santa Monica CA 90404-9900
310.453.2235
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