Acupuncture and The Five Elements of Chinese Medicine | 057

Dr. Ava Roubin takes us inside the power of Chinese medicine and acupuncture, the value of integrating Eastern and Western healing practices, and how she combined different modalities to build her unique treatment approach.   

We retrace the path that’s made Ava a renowned practitioner. The journey forked when she walked away from the final exam to complete her medical degree. Feeling “too young” to be a doctor, she set off on a self-directed apprenticeship, traveling around the country as a massage therapist. With more life lessons under her belt, she completed her degree plus an additional five years of Chinese herbal medicine. An internship in Shanghai expanded her practice, and she felt ready to open her clinic and dispensary in Australia. 

Giving us an overview of the 5 elements of Chinese medicine, Ava covers how your constitutional type serves as a guide to nourish your body, reset physical and emotional imbalances, and restore vitality. We dive into how acupuncture balances energy and supports recovery, enabling an embodied connection and understanding of self.  

Ava explains her unconventional choice to incorporate massage into sessions as a way of opening deeper healing and communication. Acknowledging the significance of ancestral trauma and inherited narratives, she highlights the importance of working with our internal rhythms, seasons in nature, and the cycle of the day. 

Whether you’re familiar with Chinese medicine or curious about it, Dr. Ava will rock your world.  

TESS’S TAKEAWAYS: 

• An integration of Eastern and Western medicine can enhance patient care. 
• The five elements of Chinese medicine shed light on emotional and physical health. 
• Healing is a collaboration between practitioner and client. 
• Acupuncture creates a bridge between the body and the external world. 
• Physical touch and massage facilitate deep communication and healing. 
• Cycles of nature and of the day influence our own rhythms and healing processes. 
• Chinese medicine acknowledges inherited cycles and ancestral trauma. 
• You don’t have to feel “ready” to begin. Wisdom often comes through practice.  

ABOUT DR. AVA ROUBIN, MA, CMD  

A practitioner of Chinese Medicine, Dr. Ava Roubin has decades of experience in the healing arts. She set out on her path as a massage therapist, and evolved to a clinical and spiritual practice rooted in acupuncture, Chinese herbal medicine, and psychosomatic holistic care.   

With a Bachelor of Health Science in Chinese Medicine from Victoria University, with a double major in acupuncture and herbal medicine, Ava completed her clinical internship at Shuguan Hospital in Shanghai. It was there that she gained experience combining traditional Chinese and Western medicine in gynecology, oncology, internal medicine, and acupuncture. 

Ava’s work with Five Element Acupuncture draws from ancient Taoist wisdom to support profound emotional, physical, and spiritual transformation.  

As co-founder of Elk & Me Therapies and Dispensary, Ava works with a team of multi-modality practitioners helping clients connect with their innate healing capacity.   

CONNECT WITH DR. AVA ROUBIN 

Website: https://elkandme.com.au/practitioners/ava-roubin/  

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/elkandme/  

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ElkMeTherapiesDispensary/ 

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ava-roubin-98930456/ 

MEET TESS MASTERS:   

Tess Masters is an actor, presenter, health coach, cook, and author of The Blender Girl, The Blender Girl Smoothies, and The Perfect Blend, published by Penguin Random House. She is also the creator of the Skinny60® health programs.       

Health tips and recipes by Tess have been featured in the LA Times, Washington Post, InStyle, Prevention, Shape, Glamour, Real Simple, Yoga Journal, Yahoo Health, Hallmark Channel, The Today Show, and many others.    

Tess’s magnetic personality, infectious enthusiasm, and down-to-earth approach have made her a go-to personality for people of all dietary stripes who share her conviction that healthy living can be easy and fun. Get delicious recipes at TheBlenderGirl.com.    

CONNECT WITH TESS:  

Website:  https://tessmasters.com/     

Podcast:  https://ithastobeme.com/      

Health Programs: https://www.skinny60.com/  

Delicious Recipes: https://www.theblendergirl.com/  

Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/theblendergirl/     

Instagram:  https://www.instagram.com/theblendergirl/     

YouTube:  https://www.youtube.com/user/theblendergirl    

LinkedIn:  https://www.linkedin.com/in/tessmasters/ 

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