Columnists

Neil Gumenick, MAc, LAc, Dipl. Ac.

Neil R. Gumenick is the founder and director of The Institute of Classical Five-Element Acupuncture Inc. in Los Angeles, which offers post-graduate training in this unique system of medicine. He is a master-level practitioner and has been in private practice since 1981. He holds three degrees and an advanced teaching credential from the College of Traditional Acupuncture in the U.K.

Neil has been a professor at Emperor's College of Traditional Oriental Medicine and SAMRA University, and taught at the UCLA and USC Schools of Medicine, the Pacific Symposium, CSOMA Expo, AOM Alliance Expo, the Worsley Institute of Classical Acupuncture, California Acupuncture College, Pacific College of Oriental Medicine, New England School of Acupuncture, Pacific Rim College, Southern California University of Health Sciences, and Santa Barbara College of Oriental Medicine. He is a founding member of the Worsley Institute of Classical Acupuncture and a contributor to the California Journal of Oriental Medicine.

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Previous Articles

Spirits of the Points: The Large Intestine Official (Pt. 3)
October 1, 2024 (Vol. 25, Issue 10)

Spirits of the Points: The Stomach Official (Pt. 3)
July 1, 2024 (Vol. 25, Issue 7)

Spirits of the Points: Gallbladder Official
April 2024 (Vol. 25, Issue 4)

Spirits of the Points: The Kidney Meridian
January 2024 (Vol. 25, Issue 1)

Spirits of the Points: The Governor (Du) Vessel (Pt. 2)
October 2023 (Vol. 24, Issue 10)

Spirits of the Points: The Stomach Official (Pt. 2)
July 2023 (Vol. 24, Issue 07)

Spirits of the Points: Liver Official (Pt. 3)
April 2023 (Vol. 24, Issue 04)

Spirits of the Points: Urinary Bladder Official
January 2023 (Vol. 24, Issue 01)

Spirits of the Points: The Stomach Official
October 2022 (Vol. 23, Issue 10)

Spirits of the Points: Large Intestine Official
August 2022 (Vol. 23, Issue 08)

Spirits of the Points: The Three-Heater Official
May 2022 (Vol. 23, Issue 05)

Spirits of the Points: The Lung Official (Pt. 3)
January 2022 (Vol. 23, Issue 01)

Spirits of the Points: The Lung Official
November 2021 (Vol. 22, Issue 11)

Spirits of the Points: Small Intestine Official (Pt. 2)
August 2021 (Vol. 22, Issue 08)

Spirits of the Points: Small Intestine Official (Pt. 1)
July 2021 (Vol. 22, Issue 07)

Spirits of the Points: Gallbladder Official
May 2021 (Vol. 22, Issue 05)

Spirits of the Points: The Spleen Official (Pt. 3)
March 2021 (Vol. 22, Issue 03)

Spirits of the Points: The Spleen Official (Pt. 2)
January 2021 (Vol. 22, Issue 01)

Spirits of the Points: The Spleen Official
October 2020 (Vol. 21, Issue 10)

Spirits of the Points: Three Heater (San Jiao)
July 2020 (Vol. 21, Issue 07)

Spirits of the Points: Conception (Ren) Vessel
April 2020 (Vol. 21, Issue 04)

Spirits of the Points: Governor (Du) Vessel
January 2020 (Vol. 21, Issue 01)

The Spirits of the Points: Upper Kidney & Outer Bladder Line
October 2019 (Vol. 20, Issue 10)

The Spirit of the Points: The Small Intestine (Part 2)
August 2019 (Vol. 20, Issue 08)

The Spirit of the Points: The Small Intestine
July 2019 (Vol. 20, Issue 07)

Spirit of the Points: The Heart Meridian
April 2019 (Vol. 20, Issue 04)

The Four Needle Technique: A Follow-Up to the Husband/Wife Imbalance
January 2019 (Vol. 20, Issue 01)

The Husband/Wife Imbalance
November 2018 (Vol. 19, Issue 11)

Possession: Blocks to Healing
September 2018 (Vol. 19, Issue 09)

Diagnosing & Treating Aggressive Energy
July 2018 (Vol. 19, Issue 07)

The Spirit of the Points: The Pericardium Meridian (Part 2)
June 2018 (Vol. 19, Issue 06)

The Spirits of the Points: The Pericardium Meridian
March 2018 (Vol. 19, Issue 03)

Transportation & Distribution: Your Guide to the Spleen
September 2017 (Vol. 18, Issue 09)

The Earth Element Within Us
June 2017 (Vol. 18, Issue 06)

The Large Intestine Official
March 2017 (Vol. 18, Issue 03)

The Lung Official
September 2016 (Vol. 17, Issue 09)

The Liver: The Official of Planning
June 2016 (Vol. 17, Issue 06)

The Gall Bladder: The Official of Decision Making and Judgment
March 2016 (Vol. 17, Issue 03)

The Three Heater Official
July 2015 (Vol. 16, Issue 07)

The Heart Protector
November 2014 (Vol. 15, Issue 11)

The Kidney Official
August 2014 (Vol. 15, Issue 08)

The Urinary Bladder Official
March 2014 (Vol. 15, Issue 03)

The Role of the Small Intestine Official
November 2013 (Vol. 14, Issue 11)

The Heart Official
September 2013 (Vol. 14, Issue 09)

The Spirits of the Points: The Gall Bladder Official
June 2013 (Vol. 14, Issue 06)

Practitioner/Patient Rapport: The Metal Imbalanced Patient
March 2013 (Vol. 14, Issue 03)

The Spirits of the Points: The Kidney Official
September 2012 (Vol. 13, Issue 09)

The Spirits of the Points: The Liver Meridian: Part II
June 2012 (Vol. 13, Issue 06)

The Spirits of the Points: The Liver Meridian - Part I
February 2012 (Vol. 13, Issue 02)

The Spirits of the Points: The Large Intestine Meridian
October 2011 (Vol. 12, Issue 10)

Patients with Issues that Resist Treatment (Part II)
March 2011 (Vol. 12, Issue 03)

Patients With Issues That Resist Treatment, Part 1
December 2010 (Vol. 11, Issue 12)

Centering the Umbilical Pulse and Akabani Testing
September 2010 (Vol. 11, Issue 09)

The Initial Examination: Getting to the Heart of the Matter, Part 10
June 2010 (Vol. 11, Issue 06)

The Initial Consultation: Getting to the Heart of the Matter, Part 9
March 2010 (Vol. 11, Issue 03)

The Initial Consultation: Getting to the Heart of the Matter, Part 8
December 2009 (Vol. 10, Issue 12)

The Initial Consultation: Getting to the Heart of the Matter, Part 7
September 2009 (Vol. 10, Issue 09)

The Initial Consultation: Getting to the Heart of the Matter, Part 6
June 2009 (Vol. 10, Issue 06)

The Initial Consultation: Getting to the Heart of the Matter, Part 5
March 2009 (Vol. 10, Issue 03)

The Initial Consultation: Getting to the Heart of the Matter, Part 4
September 2008 (Vol. 09, Issue 09)

The Initial Consultation: Getting to the Heart of the Matter, Part 3
June 2008 (Vol. 09, Issue 06)

The Initial Consultation: Getting to the Heart of the Matter, Part 2
March 2008 (Vol. 09, Issue 03)

Historical Leaders in Oriental Medicine
December 2007 (Vol. 08, Issue 12)

The Initial Consultation: Getting to the Heart of the Matter, Part I
September 2007 (Vol. 08, Issue 09)

Classical Five-Element Acupuncture Case Study
June 2007 (Vol. 08, Issue 06)

Using the Spirits of the Points: The Lung Official
March 2007 (Vol. 08, Issue 03)

The Teachings of Professor J.R. Worsley, Part 2
September 2006 (Vol. 07, Issue 09)

The Teachings of Professor J.R. Worsley, Part One
August 2006 (Vol. 07, Issue 08)

Entry and Exit Points and Blocks
March 2006 (Vol. 07, Issue 03)

Diagnosing the Three Levels of Imbalance
August 2005 (Vol. 06, Issue 08)

The Spirits of the Points: The Bladder Official, Part Two
June 2005 (Vol. 06, Issue 06)

Spirits of the Points: The Bladder Official
April 2005 (Vol. 06, Issue 04)

Using the Spirits of the Points: The Small Intestine Meridian, Part Two
August 2004 (Vol. 05, Issue 08)

Using the Spirits of the Points: The Small Intestine Meridian
July 2004 (Vol. 05, Issue 07)

Using the Spirits of the Points: The Heart Meridian
March 2004 (Vol. 05, Issue 03)

Symptoms: Distress Signals, and Nothing More
October 2003 (Vol. 04, Issue 10)

Oriental Medical World Mourns Professor J.R. Worsley
August 2003 (Vol. 04, Issue 08)

Practitioner/Patient Rapport: Developing Rapport with the Emotion of the Water Element, Part Two of Two
February 2003 (Vol. 04, Issue 02)

Practitioner/Patient Rapport: Developing Rapport with the Emotion of the Water Element, Part One of Two
January 2003 (Vol. 04, Issue 01)

Practitioner/Patient Rapport, Part V: Developing Rapport with the Emotion of the Earth Element
September 2002 (Vol. 03, Issue 09)

Practitioner/Patient Rapport, Part IV: Developing Rapport with the Emotion of the Earth Element
June 2002 (Vol. 03, Issue 06)

Practitioner/Patient Rapport, Part III
April 2002 (Vol. 03, Issue 04)

Practitioner/Patient Rapport
January 2001 (Vol. 02, Issue 01)

The Holy Land is Within
December 2001 (Vol. 02, Issue 12)

Classical Five-Element Acupuncture: Dispelling the Myths
August 2001 (Vol. 02, Issue 08)

Practitioner/Patient Rapport, Part II
April 2001 (Vol. 02, Issue 04)