The time-tested techniques of Chinese medicine can help us achieve our most common wellness and daily living goals: aleviating stress, correcting sleep problems, maintaining healthy skin, enjoying a trim body, keeping strong teeth and bones, and having good digestion are just a few examples.
Challenges such as those are often treated as physical concerns, the kinds of problems that we would not hesitate to bring to the attention of a medical professional. Through those examples, you can see that Chinese medicine can work hand in hand with your doctor's recommendations because often, the Chinese focus is requires balancing the mind or spirit. Do this at the same time your medical doctor treats the body, and you'll achieve a positive outcome in both areas.
In Western culture we tend to think of the many challenges and joys of life as compartmentalized, unrelated to each other. For example, if we have difficult business, social, or spiritual situations, we wouldn't necessarily think about bringing them up at our next doctor appointment. In our culture, they are often regarded as separate issues.
That's where Western and Chinese ways differ. The philosophy behind Chinese medicine holds that everything in the universe is interrelated. All life, and all facets of an individual's life, are part of a larger cycle. All components of the world influence each other, figuring into one great balance. This relationship is even more pronounced in the microcosm of an individual's world: health, spirit, work, family, friends, environment--they work together to create balance (or imbalance) for that person.
With those physical-emotional connections in mind, let's look at how Chinese wisdom might apply to a personal social issue, one of those problems you might not have considered bringing up with your medical doctor.
Your Goal: to Build Stronger Relationships
Do you find yourself in unsatisfying, one-way relationships? Unable to give and receive as you would really like to? Or feeling too strongly or obsessed with someone who will never be available? Feeling alone, lacking a real connection to others, is a widespread problem that can result in isolation, disappointment, and sadness.
Your Chinese Medicine Rescue
Supporting and strengthening your Heart Meridian may help you to feel the bond between yourself and others. Affiliated with love, relationship, and joy, the heart is the center of emotion and spirit. Openness, trust, honesty, and communication between yourself and others restores balance to this pathway. Eating spinach, kale, and broccoli, pitted fruits, and moderate spices will also support this meridian and help renew your zest for life. Meditation will help the heart by quieting the mind.
Acupressure-to-go
Press the inside wrist crease on pinky side.
What are the issues that might not be strictly physical, but still affect your sense of wellness or satisfaction with life? Perhaps the wisdom of the ancients applies directly to your world. A practitioner of acupuncture or other trusted Chinese methodologies just might be able to help you find the right path. And while you seek this professional, try the solutions above. You'll be surprised at the dramatic results.
Roberta Roberts Mittman, L.Ac., Dipl.Ac., M.S., is a nutritional and lifestyle consultant, holistic mindset mentor, and nationally board-certified acupuncturist. Using natural, drug-free techniques, Roberta opens the door to complete mind-body health. Roberta's goal is not only to relieve patients' illness and discomfort, but to help them set realistic goals for physical and mental preventative care and overall wellness. Roberta believes in empowering individuals to be their own best healers.