J. R. Worsley

J. R. Worsley (September 14, 1923 - June 2, 2003) is credited with bringing five element acupuncture, also known as 'classical acupuncture' or 'traditional acupuncture' (to distinguish it from the more widely-known Traditional Chinese medicine ("TCM") style of acupuncture), to the West. For many years he resided in England, where he opened a school of acupuncture, which trained many of the leading five element practitioners practicing today, including Dianne Connelly and Bob Duggan, who now head the Traditional Acupuncture Institute in Laurel, Maryland. He was also responsible for starting the Academy for Five Element Acupuncture ("AFEA") in Hallandale, Florida, and had ties to the acupuncture training school in Boulder, Colorado. Today, his wife, Judy Becker Worsley, carries on the five element acupuncture tradition, training and certifying practitioners in schools she endorses. J. R. Worsley's influence was widely cited by others within the five element tradition, including Peter Eckmann, author of In the Footsteps of the Yellow Emperor.

There are several schools worldwide which teach the principles of five element acupuncture, including those listed above, as well as private training programs administered by Judy Becker Worsley and those approved by the Worsley core group, including Neil Gumenick.