What is the most common CF?

I don&#39t use five element acupuncture per se, so my answer will be limited to what I observe and you can glean from it what you will. Certainly life in the US is taxing physically, emotionally, and mentally for many people. Depending on how long this taxation continues you will observe various depths of certain conditions. Overthinking and poor diet will effect the spleen/earth, stress will affect the liver/wood - these two over periods of time may lead to heart/fire, lung/metal and/or kidney/water imbalances. Certainly you can start with any of these but there is a progression in depth in my opinion. Another way to phrase your question which might get you a more usable answer would be what CF do you see with patients from 0-12, from 12-20, from 20-50, from 50+ - for example. I don&#39t think there is a particular CF that stands out but if you look at progression of disease and the influcences of our diets and lifestyle you can see wood and earth being effected in many cases (in my opinion).

As a 5 element practitioner, that is a practitioner trained to diagnose and treat using CF, I think this is an interesting question. However, for dissertation purposes, it is muddled. The &#39most common&#39 CF, meaning what is the distribution in the public at large; or the most common CF seen in practice? So, I would respectfully suggest you need to clarify this before you go ahead, although I&#39m sure your supervisor will point this out. I used to be a university lecturer so, forgive my pedantry!

However, the subject is interesting as, indeed, there seems to be a trend that practitioners notice, inasmuch as they report having a predominant CF in patients. Now, whether that means their style attracts a particular CF, or the practitioners CF is interacting with a patient&#39s element or there is a genuine phenomenon, I can&#39t say. Theoretically speaking, Fire should be the CF most frequently found in the population as a whole, as there are twice as many &#39opportunities&#39 for the body/mind/spirit to find the element. How you could validate this in a study is quite challenging so, keep me posted!

I agree that interacting elements can drain the practitioner. But, the practitioner MUST interact and test emotions. Part of the skill is being able to do so safely; safely for the patients and practitioner, that is. Emotion work can harm the patient if not done by a properly qualified person. Of course doing Qi Gong is an essential part of practice, but it&#39s an essential part of good health whether a practitioner or not. One reason (among many) I love being an acupuncturist is that the practice recognises the potential for harm to the practitioner that working with sick people has. When I was a nurse, it was never considered an important part of being a good nurse; in fact, the effect of being around sick and dying energy is not thought of at all. Understanding the elements in the self, and knowing one&#39s CF, is crucial to this healing process. Thank you, Feng Mei.