29. The Five Element blocks to treatment
Introduction
When treating a new patient, a practitioner usually begins by testing for the patient’s Constitutional Factor. If a practitioner is treating a patient on the correct CF, the patient is likely to feel healthier because the most underlying imbalance is being treated. Sometimes the patient does not experience an improvement in well-being. The patient feels no change or on rare occasions experiences a worsening of symptoms. There are many potential reasons for this lack of progress. For a practitioner of Five Element Constitutional Acupuncture, one of the main reasons is a block to treatment.
An alternative situation occurs when the practitioner anticipates that there is a block and treatment begins with removing the block.
The four blocks
The four blocks are:
• Aggressive Energy
• Possession
• Husband–Wife imbalance
• Entry–Exit blocks
Each block takes a very different form and will be described in the following chapters. All have one thing in common – they can have a profoundly negative effect on the patient’s physical or psychological health unless they are cleared. This is especially true of the first three blocks. The fourth, the Entry–Exit block, is usually less damaging. It can, however, still cause a major impediment to the patient’s flow of qi and therefore inhibit a patient’s progress towards better health.
Treating the blocks
Because of the importance of these blocks, a practitioner will endeavour to clear them before treatment on the CF begins. This is not always possible, however, and sometimes a block arises during the course of treatment. For example, although it is rare, a severe emotional shock or a serious illness can injure the Organs and lead to Aggressive Energy.
If the blocks are not cleared the patient is likely to deteriorate in her or his health. In some cases these blocks can be so injurious to the person’s health that they threaten the person’s spiritual, mental or physical stability and can even be life-threatening.
Results of treatment
Treatment to clear these blocks will often cause significant positive shifts in the patient’s health. Sometimes there is a dramatic transformation and a person immediately feels better in body, mind and/or spirit. At other times the changes can occur less dramatically, although with no less efficacy. The effect of these treatments may not seem possible until the practitioner has repeatedly observed them on numerous patients.
Once these blocks have been cleared, normal treatment can commence and the patient is likely to progress as the practitioner expected.
Order of treating the four blocks
Although it is rare, there are occasions when a patient needs to be checked for more than one of these blocks. For instance, a practitioner may suspect that a patient is possessed but also want to check to see if Aggressive Energy is present. In the case of more than one block the order of treatment should normally be:
There is one further block that is less frequently found that comes from a scar; for more on this, see Appendix D.
