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Acupuncture
with Charlie Singer, L.Ac
Our goal in Five Element Acupuncture is to treat holistically, without separating the symptom from the patient. We do not see disease as an isolated event, disconnected from a person's life. Instead we see it as a meaningful distress signal that can guide us on our journey to regain harmony and balance. This is accomplished by accepting responsibility to the illness, not for the illness. Treatment can then be directed to deeper levels, creating an opportunity for growth and transformation.
Steeped in the ancient Chinese understanding of ch'i, or life energy, we see the physical body, emotions, mind, and spirit as an interrelated unity, with each level addressed where appropriate. Rather than seeing health merely as the absence of disease, we hold a positive vision of wellness based on the traditional teaching that health arises from living in harmony with the laws of nature, including one's own inner nature.
ABOUT THE FIVE ELEMENTS "It is only possible to live the fullest life wheare in harmony etypal] symbols; wisdom is a return to t-Carl Ju
The model of the Five Elements, handed down from ancient China, is the foundation for a system of medicine and a symbolic representation providing a way "to live the fullest life." Essentially, the elements are universal archetypes that can guide us in the art of living. Each of these elements has a body, mind, emotional and spiritual attributes. Acupuncture restores harmony between the elements, restoring health through balance.
From Wood we experience the energy of creation and--like the world in springtime--we are encouraged to give birth to new possibilities and find the attributes that permit them to grow. The Wood governs the flexible tissues of the body i.e., ligaments, tendons, lung, blood vessels.
Fire teaches us of warmth, love, and the value of relationships--helping us discover that we, too, have the potential to become a source of light both within and without. Fire's physical domain is the cardiovascular system, throat, eyes and tongue.
The Earth element supports us in nurturing others as well as ourselves; realizing a harvest by not forgetting to put our hands in the soil. Physically, the Earth element regulates the muscles, the mouth, esophagus, stomach and spleen.
Metal points to the spirit--the realm of the invisible—and is an image of the letting go and the receptivity requisite for life to have meaning and quality. The lungs, skin and colon are the organs of the Metal element.
From the Water element we learn to flow with changes and understand the importance of rest and refilling the reservoirs. Psychologically and spiritually, Water governs our confidence, our will, our longevity and reproductive abilities. The physical expression of Water are the kidneys, urinary bladder and ears.
To participate in an elemental life is to embody the wisdom of indigenous, earth-based cultures, where the value of living in harmony with the rhythms of nature is considered a central teaching.
The three thousand year-old Chinese tradition of the Five Elements offers fresh insights into the roots of illness, while bringing a positive vision of wellness and the healing process. In the cyclic aspect of the elements we are reminded of wholeness and the interconnection of all things, which allows faith in the endless circle of life. No matter how dark the winter, in time there will be a spring.
Through an archetypal approach to Chinese medicine, we can uncover a way to heal the seemingly insurmountable problems of modern times, which have their origins in the widespread alienation from the natural world.
Biography
Charles Singer is both a Registered Nurse (RN) and a Licensed Acupuncturist (L.Ac.).
He received his Master of Acupuncture Degree (M.Ac.) in 1988 from the Tai Sophia Institute. His class received the first accredited master of acupuncture degree (M.Ac.) given in the United States. The TIA-Sophia Institute is located in Columbia, Maryland. He has practiced acupuncture in Santa Cruz, San Mateo and Santa Clara Counties since 1988. He currently has an office in Aptos at Jade Mountain Health Centre and in Watsonville, California at the Wellness and Rehabilitation Center.
He has been a Registered Nurse since 1980. While practicing acute care hospital nursing, he developed in the following specialties; medicine, orthopedics, rehabilitation, orthopedics, intensive and cardiac care. Charles started the first HIV community education program in Santa Cruz County through the Santa Cruz AIDS Project in 1985. He brings all this medical knowledge to his practice of acupuncture.
His Acupuncture specialties include Five Element Acupuncture, Dr. Tan Harmonizing style (pain relief), and Auricular Acupuncture. He completed a two year specialty course of study in Orthopedic Acupuncture resulting in a credentialing as a Diplomat of the National Board of Orthopedic Acupuncture (Dipl. NBOA). He is credential in HIV/AIDS care as an acupuncturist through the Quan Yin Clinic of San Francisco. Charles id Credentialed by the National Acupuncture Detoxification Association (NADA). He has started and run programs for the treatment of drug and alcohol abuse at Elmwood Correctional Facility (county jail), prenatal clinics and dual diagnosis clinics in Santa Clara County. He worked for 9 months with the Ursus Medical Corporation (HIV Care) at Stanford. He left Stanford to help begin the Wellness and Rehabilitation Center here in Watsonville in 1996.
In 2002 the Metro Santa Cruz awarded him the Bronze Award for "Best of Acupuncturist of Santa Cruz."
Charles has taught clinical acupuncture, guest lectured at both Five Branches College of Chinese Medicine, in Santa Cruz, California, and for the National Acupuncture Detoxification Association at their national conventions.
He is co-author with Ms. Cally Haber L.Ac. of the Counselors Guide to Acupuncture Detox.
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