Abstract

With its practical and immensely readable introduction to the nature and self-help uses of a key acupoint for each week of the year, this book is a gateway to the mysterious world of Chinese medical thought.

The author journeys through the seasons of the year, and the five elements that make up the Chinese universe, looking at the physical, emotional and spiritual associations of the most useful acupoints associated with each element. Exploring the deeper meaning of the name, function, and healing use of each acupoint, he shows how to use the acupoint in real life, and explains its practical benefits for the reader, which vary from sharpening a sense of smell, avoiding jetlag, curing a headache, to improving a good sense of humour.

With descriptions and images that capture the spirit of each element,and photographs of the point locations, this book will be a delight to anyone interested in a different view of the body and its deeper health, as well as students and practitioners of Chinese medicine looking for poetic and imaginative understanding of the five elements, and the key acupoints of each.

John Kirkwood's The Way of the Five Elements is an original and immensely practical addition to the growing literature of five element medicine. In addition to his lively descriptions of each element, John Kirkwood offers something new: explorations of individual acupoints that highlight their elemental qualities. In choosing a small handful of powerful points for each element, Kirkwood offers readers a highly accessible way into the very complex system of acupuncture points. Novice readers and journeyman practitioners alike will find insights and ideas for acupressure treatment of themselves and their clients.
Gail Reichstein Rex, acupuncturist and author of Wood Becomes Water: Chinese Medicine in Everyday Life and Earth Acupuncture: Healing the Living Landscape
The benefit of supporting the Element and living in each season goes far beyond the role of Shiatsu and Acupuncture, and so I recommend this book to students and practitioners of all healing therapies which incorporate seasonal energetic work.
Julie Weeks, MRSS(T)
Shiatsu Society Journal
Through poetry, lush visual imagery, fascinating case histories and crystal clear explanations and point locations, John Kirkwood brings the body, soul and spirit of Five Element Acupuncture to life. A labor of love and devotion, this is a book clinicians, students and patients of traditional Chinese medicine have long been waiting for. I will use it in all my teaching and will cherish my copy for years to come.
Lorie Eve Dechar, author of ‘Five Spirits: Alchemical Acupuncture for Psychological and Spiritual Healing’
John Kirkwood has been working, living and playing with the Five Elements for 30 years, first as a practitioner and teacher of Jin Shin Do® Acupressure, later as a graduate of the SOPHIA program of the Traditional Acupuncture Institute of Maryland, and now as a practitioner and teacher of Five Element Acupressure. He lives in the beautiful Adelaide Hills of South Australia.