Category Archives: Five Elements

Water ~ You are a visionary

Dr. Elizabeth Cox, ND, LAc Posted on by

You are a visionary. The water element paired organs that peak in winter are the Bladder and Kidney (plus adrenals). The bladder meridian travels from the inner canthus of the eye across the head down the back side of the entire body exiting out the little toe. It traverses all of us. Many of the point names indicate their function: bright eyes, supporting yang, supporting middle, celestial pillar, soul door, spirit hall, spiritual celestial connection, soul gate. Acupuncture treats all levels of the human – mind, body, spirit. Treating the bladder points can not only treat our organs like the … Continue reading →

Water ~ Supervise the storehouse of pure energy

Dr. Elizabeth Cox, ND, LAc Posted on by

Supervise the storehouse of pure energy. The kidneys store jing – our primal energy. This essence is to be guarded, protected, treasured not squandered or frittered away. It determines our fertility, growth, development, vitality and longevity. It is one of the three treasures: jing, qi and shen. The kidneys are the expression of the water element in our bodies. Their energy peaks in winter offering harmonious opportunities for winter support and healing. Fulfilling our destiny is healing. The way of this deep healing summons and joins celestial jing with our terrestrial jing. In other words, jing is our DNA. In … Continue reading →

Water ~ Accept

Dr. Elizabeth Cox, ND, LAc Posted on by

Accept. The critical first step in healing is accepting things as they actual are. We live in a world where there is plenty that requires our resistance. However, healing requires courageous honesty about ourself, our perceptions, our motivations, our circumstances and their cause. I have doubled down on my commitment to live a life in alignment with my core values and the elemental. My winter healing so far has looked like: Living without liquid stress. I had habituated a high quality jasmine green tea morning ritual. I would make one small pot of green tea then refresh the same leaves … Continue reading →

Earth: Down to earth

Dr. Elizabeth Cox, ND, LAc Posted on by

Down to Earth. What does the phrase ‘down to earth’ mean to you? Earth Writing Exercise Take a moment. Find pen and paper. Transcribe the phrase Down to Earth.  Place both feet on the ground. Take three deep breaths, expanding your ribs. Write free associations of what ‘down to earth’ means to you for 90 seconds. Wake the spleen, an earth organ with the exercise below.  Repeat the automatic writing exercise.   Wake the Spleen With both feet on the ground, raise your left arm. Wake the spleen organ by tapping on your left side, one hand width below the … Continue reading →

Earth: Too much sitting injures the spleen: qi gong

Dr. Elizabeth Cox, ND, LAc Posted on by

The digestive organs are injured by stagnation.  Desk or remote virtual jobs, long hours of studying, research and writing keep us seated.  Relaxing and decompressing may also become habituated to screen time, gaming or media binging. Fatigue sets in from lack of activity; a sedentary life is injurious. Frankly, it is killing us slowly. The combination of oversitting and overthinking is a harmful combination for the earth organs,  particularly the spleen.  The lack of healthy circulation settles dampness deep into our systems. If you are prone to oversitting, please build in healthy habits.  Set a timer at the desk for … Continue reading →

Does your yes serve the balance? Earth Sounds

Dr. Elizabeth Cox, ND, LAc Posted on by

HEALING SOUNDS FOR THE EARTH ELEMENT The earth element, is involved with digestion and transformation of food. It can get bogged down with overthinking, oversitting, worry, anxiety. This can result in weight gain or indigestion. When the earth element is weak we may say ‘yes’ when we mean ‘no’ or ‘can I get back to you on that? In this way, we create imbalance within by giving ourselves away to be liked or approved of, to avoid conflict, to fit into social norms or to get something from the other party. The earth season holds the energy of center, return, … Continue reading →

Metal: You are precious

Dr. Elizabeth Cox, ND, LAc Posted on by

You are precious is one of the messages that I speak to my patients during the fall season. Outside of the clinic, I love to remind friends or strangers how valuable they are. Try it and notice how it makes you feel. It immediately moves me into heart space.  I delight in seeing the sparkle in their eyes or their body relax into goodness. What an easy way to make the world a better place. Metal is the element of autumn. Theme of the season is value, worth, letting go of that which no longer serves, honoring our grief, integrity, … Continue reading →

Metal: Shine on you crazy diamond

Dr. Elizabeth Cox, ND, LAc Posted on by

Shine on you crazy diamond! Allow your inner light to shine through as we move into days of diminishing daylight. Our moods may change with less light.  Diamonds form from elemental carbon between 237,000 – 1.3 million times atmospheric pressure deep within the earth.  Carbon is the fourth most abundant element in the universe according to mass. This makes carbon rather ‘ordinary’.  However the brilliance of the diamond is acquired from intense pressure to ordinary carbon.  Like carbon, our extraordinary-ness is derived from our ordinary-ness plus stress.  The practice of being present moment to moment helps us appreciate the extraordinary in … Continue reading →

Fire – Let the sun kiss you

Dr. Elizabeth Cox, ND, LAc Posted on by

Catch the last convertible sun rays to boost your vitamin D stores. March-October 20 minutes of sunstrike between 10-2 on your precious skin equals approximately 4000 IU. The immune system is ruled by the triple burner 🔥🔥🔥 ministeral fire. Living in the dynamic flow of the seasons reminds us to stock up while we can. Let the sun kiss you. #elementwisdomcards #vitamind #fire #fivelements #naturopathicmedicine #sun

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After the fire, the garden

Dr. Elizabeth Cox, ND, LAc Posted on by

After the fire, the garden. The late summer calls me. it ain’t linear y’all! We weave in and out of the slipstream until we are able to abide in the contradiction of opposition. I moved a monster of a rock today! It felt soooo good! I leveraged and sweated and positioned and sweated and repositioned. I pushed myself beyond my conceivable strength. The truth is that I was triggered. So I dug in deeper and worked it out. I didn’t blame. I didn’t shame. I stayed with the uncomfortable feelings. I’ve done rock work for years. I inherited a garden … Continue reading →