Five Element Acupuncture Homer

05/10/2026

Meet Spirit Gate: The Gateway to Inner Peace

In the practice of acupuncture, few points are as cherished for mental and emotional well-being as Heart 7, also known by its Chinese name, Shenmen (translated as "Spirit Gate").

In the Five Element tradition, "Spirit Gate" is often seen as a way to provide the Heart with the stability it needs to radiate its natural warmth and joy. When the gate is clear, the "Emperor" (the Heart) can lead with clarity and compassion rather than being clouded by agitation.

Benefits of Spirit Gate
🪷Calming the Mind: It is the "go-to" point for easing anxiety, racing thoughts, and that feeling of being "not quite in your body."

😴Improving Sleep: By quieting a restless spirit, HT 7 helps those struggling with insomnia, especially when caused by overthinking or vivid dreaming.

⚖️Emotional Balance: It helps stabilize the emotions during times of grief, mania, or excessive worry.

❤️‍🩹Physical Heart Support: It is often used to address heart palpitations or a "fluttering" sensation in the chest.

Finding the Point
You can find HT 7 at the wrist crease, on the "pinky side" of the wrist in the small depression just behind the pisiform bone.

How to Use It at Home
While a professional session is the most effective way to engage this point, you can utilize acupressure yourself:
1. Use your thumb to find the depression at the inner wrist crease.
2. Apply firm, steady pressure or move your thumb in small circular motions.
3. Take deep, slow breaths, focusing on letting go of tension with each exhale.
4. Continue for 1–2 minutes on both wrists.

Next time you feel the weight of a busy day, take a moment to breathe and connect with HT 7. It’s a simple, effective way to invite a little more peace into your world.

Point location image: A Manual of Acupuncture, Peter Deadman

05/08/2026

We’re officially in Fire season ♥️🔥💥🌺🪷

FIRE ELEMENT (Heart/Small Intestine)
Joy and Connection

🔥The Fire element reminds us that health isn’t just physical – it’s emotional and relational.

❤️Your nervous system and mineral balance directly affect how much joy and connection you feel. Low sodium/potassium ratios on HTMA often show up as burnout, anxiety, or emotional flatness.

Nourish your Fire this month:
• Share a meal with someone you love
• Eat colorful, cooked foods that are easy to digest
• Reduce overstimulation (less scrolling, more real conversations)
• Gentle cardio like dancing, rebounding, or brisk walks
• Laugh on purpose – it truly supports your heart

Joy is medicine. Don’t wait to “earn” it.

Energetix Support Spotlight:
Calm Five, Fields of Flowers, Relax Tone, Spagyric Greens, Core Hawthorne, ReHydration, Melatonin Spray
Gentle support for stress, sleep, and emotional balance

05/04/2026

Wu Wei (無為) is often translated as "non-action," but it is more accurately described as effortless action or paradoxical action. It is a central tenet of Taoism that suggests the most effective way to live is to align oneself with the Tao (the natural flow of the universe).

Rather than forceful striving, Wu Wei is about acting with such spontaneity and grace that there is no "friction" between you and your environment.

Core Principles of Wu Wei

🪷 Non-Forcing: It is the refusal to use "ego" or rigid willpower to hammer a situation into a specific shape. Instead of swimming against the current, you use the current’s energy to reach your destination.

🪷 The "State of Flow": Modern psychology calls this the "Flow State." It is the moment when an expert (like a craftsman, athlete, or clinician) becomes so absorbed in their work that the distinction between the "doer" and the "deed" vanishes.

🪷 Response, Not Reaction: A reaction is a pre-programmed, often tense move. A response in Wu Wei is a fluid, appropriate movement dictated by the specific needs of the present moment.

Wu Wei is not about being passive or lazy. It is the highest form of activity because it is perfectly timed and perfectly measured. It is the art of "doing without doing," where the results are achieved not through exhaustion, but through harmony.

04/27/2026

As the landscape shifts and the air begins to soften, our internal rhythms often seek a similar sense of renewal. This vibrant trio offers a perfect ritual for transitioning into the expansive energy of spring.

The Elements of the Blend

🌼 Chrysanthemum (Ju Hua): Known for its delicate, cooling nature, these golden blooms have been used for centuries to clear the mind and soothe the eyes after a long winter of indoor light.

🌸 Goji Berries (Gou Qi Zi): These bright red "rubies" add a subtle, earthy sweetness. They are celebrated for their ability to nourish and support a grounded sense of vitality.

🌺 Hibiscus: Bringing a bold, tart finish and a stunning crimson hue, hibiscus is rich in antioxidants and provides a refreshing lift to the palate.

How to Brew

Ingredients: 5-8 dried Chrysanthemum heads, 1 tablespoon Goji berries, and 1 teaspoon dried Hibiscus petals.

Steep: Use hot (not boiling) water—around 85°C—to preserve the delicate floral notes.

Time: Let it infuse for 5–7 minutes. The water will transform from a pale gold to a deep, brilliant jewel tone.

Tip: Don’t toss the goji berries! Once they’ve plumped up from the tea, they make a delicious, nutrient-dense snack at the bottom of your cup.

04/15/2026

👂🏼Ear Acupuncture Clinic - Saturday 4/18/26

LOCATION - 910 East End Road, Suite 1
WHEN - Saturday, April 18, 10:00-2:00
HOW - Walk in or schedule to reserve a time
COST - $25

This group-style session is designed to be accessible, affordable, and effective. Whether you’re looking to manage stress, improve sleep, or simply support your body’s natural detox process, this protocol offers a space for everyone.

The NADA protocol was originally developed to support addiction recovery and trauma healing. Today, it’s used worldwide to help people manage stress, anxiety, insomnia, brain fog and more.

Sit back, enjoy the collective quiet, and let the points do the work.

04/09/2026

🩵👣☮️

✍️ Walking Together Through All Seasons - Life brings us many moments - some gentle and peaceful, others challenging and difficult. There are times when we remember to breathe mindfully, to walk with awareness, to choose peace. And there are times when we forget.

This forgetting is so natural and human. Old habits can flood over us like sudden waves, pulling us away from the path of peace we wish to walk. These habits are strong and familiar—they’ve been with us for so long that sometimes they sweep us along before we even notice.

But here is what we hold gently in our hearts: even when we forget, even when old patterns pull us away, we can always return. The path of peace is always here, waiting patiently for us to come back. Not with judgment, but with welcome.

May we all find the strength to return, again and again—after we’ve been swept away by anger, after we’ve forgotten to breathe, after we’ve acted from old habits instead of clear awareness. The practice is not in never falling away. The practice is in coming back, with kindness toward ourselves.
We are here walking this path together. When you forget, we are here. When you struggle, we are here. When old habits feel overwhelming, we are here with you.

We hope that we can continue keeping each other company on this journey of peace—through difficult times and gentle times, through forgetting and remembering, through falling away and coming back.

Thank you for your patience with yourself. Thank you for your persistence in returning to this path. Thank you for walking together with all of us, step by tender step.
We are deeply grateful to walk beside you.

May you and all beings be well, happy and at peace. 🙏✨

04/08/2026

Meet Liver 3 “Happy Calm”: Spring Cleaning for Your Energy 🌿

In Traditional Chinese Medicine, springtime is synonymous with the Wood element. It’s a season of birth and "up-and-out" energy. But when our internal energy (Qi) can’t move as freely as the sprouting greenery around us, we might feel more like a coiled spring—tense, frustrated, or prone to headaches. Enter Liver 3 called “Happy Calm” or “Great Surge." 🌊

This is one of the most powerful points in the body to:

• De-stress: It moves stagnant Qi that manifests as "spring fever" or irritability

• Clear the Head: Great for tension headaches or that "heavy" feeling in the eyes

• Balance: It acts like a pressure release valve for the entire system

In the cycle of the seasons, the Liver thrives on movement and vision. If you’ve been feeling stagnant through the winter, stimulating this point is a wonderful way to harmonize with the rising energy of the year.

Spend a few minutes each day gently massaging this point in a circular motion. Pair it with a cup of peppermint or chrysanthemum tea to help the Liver Qi flourish.

Location: To find Liver 3, slide your finger upward from the webbing between your big toe and second toe. Stop when you hit the "V" where the two metatarsal bones meet. The point sits in that tender depression.

Let the season of growth begin! 🍀

Point location image: Manual of Acupuncture, Peter Deadman

03/31/2026

Awaken your body and energy with this Spring Qigong practice led by Mimi Kuo-Deemer.Spring is associated with the Wood element, a time of renewal, growth, an...

03/29/2026

Spring Harmony in a Cup 🌿

In Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM), Spring is the season associated with the Wood element and the Liver.

As the energy of the earth shifts from the stillness of winter to the upward, expansive growth of spring, our internal Qi (energy) can sometimes struggle to keep pace, leading to feelings of irritability, seasonal allergies, or physical tension.

This specific blend of Chrysanthemum, Rose, Tangerine Peel, and Goji Berries is a classic spring harmonizing tea designed to smooth the transition between seasons.

Preparation
To preserve the volatile oils of the Rose and the delicate nature of the Chrysanthemum:

1. Rinse the herbs quickly in cool water

2. Place 3–5 Rose buds, a pinch of Chrysanthemum, 1 tsp of sliced Tangerine Peel, and 1 tbsp of Goji berries in a teapot or cup

3. Add 10 oz of hot water (roughly 190°F / 88°C)

4. Cover and steep for 5 to 8 minutes

Tip: Keeping the vessel covered is essential to trap the aromatic "essential Qi" of the flowers, which is the most active part of the formula for smoothing the Liver.

03/15/2026

Meet Large Intestine 4 (LI 4) “Joining of the Valleys”: In the world of acupuncture and acupressure, this is arguably the most famous point on the body—and for good reason! It’s like the "Leatherman" tool of wellness.

🌟 Why It’s a Game-Changer

Stimulating LI 4 is believed to help with:
• Headache & Migraine Relief: It’s the go-to point for any pain in the face or head.
• Stress Management: Helps move "stuck" energy and calms the nervous system.
• Immune Support: Often used at the first sign of a cold or flu.
• Digestion: True to its name, it helps keep things moving in the GI tract.

⚠️ A Quick Note on Safety

Important: Because LI 4 is so effective at moving energy downward, it is strictly avoided during pregnancy as it can induce labor. If you're expecting, give this point a pass for now!

🧘 Try it Now

Apply firm, circular pressure with your opposite thumb for 30-60 seconds while taking deep breaths. You might feel a dull ache—that’s how you know you’ve hit the mark!

03/12/2026

Ever wonder why you wake up at the same time every night? 😴

Most people know about circadian rhythm, or the idea that your body follows a 24-hour sleep-wake cycle.

But in Chinese medicine, there’s a more detailed map.

It’s called the Chinese organ clock, and it describes how each organ system has specific times of day when its energy is naturally stronger or weaker.

When you understand this rhythm, patterns in your energy, mood, digestion, and sleep begin to make more sense.

For example:

• The Liver system is most active from 1–3AM
• It’s least active from 1–3PM

When an organ system is most active that’s when it’s doing its deepest work. In the Liver’s case it’s organizing and planning your physiological functions, hormones, and mental capacity for the next day.

The organs in Chinese medicine are different from Western medicine.

In Chinese medicine, organs aren’t just physical structures. They’re functional systems that include emotional and mental patterns.

So when an organ system is out of balance, there may not be structural disease, but you might notice emotional tendencies like irritability, grief, worry, anxiety, or fear becoming more pronounced.

This model connects physiology, timing, and emotion into one integrated system.

What this means for you:

Most of us try to push through the day the same way, hour after hour.

But your body doesn’t operate that way.

It has rhythms. Peaks. Lulls. Times for repair. Times for outward action.

When you start paying attention to those rhythms instead of overriding them, you work with your body instead of against it.

And that shift alone can change a lot!

If you’d like to learn more about the Chinese clock and how it impacts you during the day, check out my on-demand workshop Improve Your Energy, Mood, and Focus with Chinese medicine: https://www.drlizcarter.com/lp/sleep-workshop/

If you’re more interested in learning about the Chinese clock overnight, check out my on-demand workshop Improve Your Sleep with Chinese Medicine: https://www.drlizcarter.com/improve-energy-workshop/