Previously in Iowa City
Laura McCoy, MS, L.Ac., ATC, C-SMA
(Certified Sports Medicine Acupuncture)
“To help the whole person,
you must be able to see the whole person.”
Both Japanese and Chinese acupuncture spring from the same classical East Asian medical roots, yet they diverged over centuries into distinct clinical styles. In Japan, techniques evolved toward gentler, highly tactile methods. And in China, the practice of acupuncture tended to emphasize stronger needle sensation and standardized point prescriptions within Traditional Chinese Medicine, also known as TCM. While some
Five Element Acupuncture is a classical style of East Asian medicine that organizes diagnosis and treatment around the dynamic interplay of five phases/elements: Wood, Fire, Earth, Metal, and Water. Each element is associated (in this framework) with organ networks, emotions, sensory patterns, and seasonal cycles. Treatment aims to restore harmony among these elements when one becomes predominant or deficient.
Life can seem overwhelming and unmanageable at times. Everyone is looking for the secret self-care miracle that helps us cope. What may have been a desperate Google search for “natural anxiety relief” has become a daily anchor; the secret to staying calm, focused, and physically energized.
A growing number of people are turning to Qi Gong, an ancient Chinese
