Five Element Acupuncture
Hello my name is Thomas W. Collord (“Tom”), B.A., Lic.Ac.
Allow me to introduce myself. I was born in 1959 in the US and was raised in a medical-professional household. During my childhood, my grandmother introduced me to Eastern concepts and to the notion of a spiritual life. Growing up with many experiences outdoors camping, hiking, fishing, and surfing, it happened that nature - especially the Ocean - became very important to me. At university I studied the natural sciences, fine arts, and economics. At age 18 I began a lifelong training in Eastern martial arts. My first experience of acupuncture was from a Korean martial arts master. Many of my friends were movement artists and I learned about bodywork and massage. As an adult I also spent 15 years in a Greek community and eight months in a Russian Orthodox monastery. In 2016 I began study at the College of Five Element Acupuncture in Dublin and in 2019 I obtained my licentiate and began practice. I also completed a one-year course in Western medical concepts in Amsterdam.
Classical (or Traditional) Five Element Acupuncture is based on the approaches in use from before the time of Mao Zedong. At Mao’s command TCM was developed (Traditional Chinese Medicine) to combine Chinese and Western Medicine concepts. TCM was to treat every person exactly the same and eliminate the spirit. As with every revolution, great humanitarians and practitioners of older approaches had to flee. Because of this, traditional Five Element Acupuncture was better preserved and continued development outside China, in the surrounding regions. It was introduced in Europe in the late 1950’s. In recent years an astounding and beautiful thing happened: a Five Element practitioner and teacher from London, Nora Franglen, travelled regularly to China and began re-introducing Five Element Acupuncture there, with great response.
As for myself, I have experienced both good and bad health; I have become aware of the wholeness and complexity of a human being. Everyone at some level seeks to refine their performance and energy, to improve, to experience their health and maintain it, to deal with emotional ups and downs, physical changes and in some cases disease. In short, to continue onward. I can honestly say Five Element Acupuncture is one of the most powerful and helpful things I have ever experienced. It differs from many other forms of traditional East-Asian care by attending to well-being, not only treating symptoms. It treats each person as unique. With great pleasure I am giving acupuncture treatments at Sekoya Center.
Treatments information please see page:
Palamas Traditional Acupuncture