“He who has health, has hope. And he who has hope, has everything.”

- Proverb quotes

“It is health that is real wealth and not pieces of gold and silver.”

- Mahatma Gandhi

Health is the greatest gift, contentment the greatest wealth, faithfulness the best relationship.”

- Buddha quotes

“The first wealth is health.”

- Ralph Waldo Emerson

“Health is a state of complete physical, mental and social well-being, and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity”

“So many people spend their health gaining wealth, and then have to spend their wealth to regain their health.”

- A. J. Reb Materi

“Leave all the afternoon for exercise and recreation, which are as necessary as reading. I will rather say more necessary because health is worth more than learning.”

- Thomas Jefferson

“To wish to be well is a part of becoming well.”

- Seneca quotes (Roman philosopher, mid-1st century AD

“To insure good health: eat lightly, breathe deeply, live moderately, cultivate cheerfulness, and maintain an interest in life.”

- William Londen

“A man too busy to take care of his health is like a mechanic too busy to take care of his tools.”

- Spanish Proverb

“In health there is freedom. Health is the first of all liberties.”

- Henri Frederic Amiel quotes (Swiss writer known for his masterpiece Journal intime, 1821-1881)

“Early to bed, early to rise, makes a man healthy, wealthy and wise”

- Benjamin Franklin quotes (American Statesman, Scientist, Philosopher, Printer, Writer and Inventor. 1706-1790)

“A man’s health can be judged by which he takes two at a time – pills or stairs.”

- Joan Welsh

“Wisdom is to the soul what health is to the body”

- De Saint-Real

Lynne Caryl has an extensive history as an acupuncturist. She has acquired a reputation of phenomenal skill and grace, as well as the moniker, (and I do quote) “The Jewish Mother of Acupuncture”.  Lynne has pursued additional specialty training in Japan, China, and Korea and has been continuing to expand her knowledge base by working with a master  of classical acupuncture in New York City, as well as by working with the best specialists in endocrinology and brain neurology.

Her specialties include chronic endocrine conditions: diabetes, thyroid, adrenal, hormonal imbalances, as well as pain relief for multiple conditions: neck pain, back pain, arthritis, tendonitis, bursitis, sciatica, migraines, IBS, etc. Combining both traditional and modern diagnostic protocol, she brings a wealth of progressive improvements to your healing process.

Beginning Tuesday, March 16th, Lynne will be seeing patients by appointment here at

The Capitola Spine & Sports Clinic. Many health insurance carriers provide coverage for acupuncture treatment, please check with the reception desk for available appointment times and to confirm insurance coverage.

The yin and yang philosophy was further refined into the system of the five elements to gain a deeper understanding of how the body, mind and spirit work and acupuncture.

The microcosm of the body is linked to the universe and is affected by the daily and seasonal cycles of nature. (Think about the seasonal affective disorder which manifests itself in winter or when the light is not sufficient). The individual and the world are changing all the time. But Chinese believe that these changes are occurring in certain order and in cycles. (We can think about these like our economic cycles or agricultural cycles. A period of growth is always followed by a period of stagnation or unemployment. In the stock market, a bull market is always followed by a bear market etc.) In the same way, a seed planted in spring blooms in summer, seeds itself in late summer to autumn, dies in winter, and a new seed grows again in spring. It is part of a never-ending cycle and each phase has its role to play in maintaining the balance of nature. The same process of change occurs within the body. Cells grow and die to make way for new cells, and body systems depend upon each other in a similar way to the seasons, working together to ensure the balanced functioning of the body, mind and spirit and the healthy flow of life through the whole person.

Chinese philosophy recognizes five distinct elements of cyclical change called water, wood, fire, earth, and metal. These five elements can be related to our four seasons (with a fifth late summer season) as shown in the table below. The elements can also be related to different colors, emotion, taste, voice and various organs. These can also be related to the selection of food and herbs. Notice the correspondence between the Chinese philosophy and the underlying Indian philosophy, which also classifies everything in the universe under earth, water, fire, air, and ether.

Each person’s physical and mental constitution can be described as a balance of the elements in which one or more may naturally dominate. The proportion of the elements in a person determines his or her temperament. Oriental medicine considers the ideal condition as one in which all the five elements are in balance or in harmony. Wood is said to be the mother of fire and the son of water. (Water allows wood to grow, wood provides fuel for the fire). Using these relationships one can describe all possible yin-yang imbalances within the body. The thrust of five element diagnosis is to isolate and treat the imbalanced element, because an imbalanced element is like a weak link in your energetic chain that can undermine the strength of your mind, body and spirit.