Most of us only go to a doctor or health professional when we are feeling ill. We usually seek treatment in order to alleviate pain or other symptoms of discomfort. The absence of these symptoms is often confused with the presence of health, but health is so much more. In addition to this, health is the presence of vitality and the ability to enjoy movement, expression and engagement in the experience of being alive. This is why a chiropractor and an acupuncturist (if given the opportunity) will delve more deeply into the “function” of your entire body as a system, rather than merely focusing on your current subjective “feelings” of discomfort or pain.
The practice of Chinese medicine is guided and directed by the laws and principles of nature; the same laws and principles that guide our universe. The bodies that we live in are still an infinite mystery but there are a few important things that we do know that can assist in our quest for health. We know that 75 percent of the surface of the earth is water which is close to the percentage of water contained in our bodies. We know that the earth is a living organism and that our bodies are composed of the same elements that make up the earth. Thus, it stands to reason that in order to sustain life we need both water and food that our bodies recognize as organic substances. These are the two most important, non-negotiable foundational building blocks and the key to daily functioning.
In the office, you will be asked to fill out a lengthy history form that lists possible symptoms that you are experiencing from every system of the body. This allows a larger picture of relationships within you which have led to, or are contributing to your current complaints—both the strengths and the weaknesses—to be revealed. This history combined with discussion and other diagnostic tools assists in confirming your original complaints as well as allowing me to further fine-tune my assessment in order to more accurately and efficiently treat both the symptoms and underlying causes.
Each of us is at a different stage of our health acquisition, with a different set of circumstances that we were either born with or have acquired along the way. Regardless of where we are on that journey, I believe that some attention to the symptoms that always lead a professional to the underlying causes will assist in slowing down our natural or unnatural processes of deterioration; of ageing.
More simply put, we live in our bodies 24/7 for the entirety of our lives. We have the potential to become more aware of ourselves than anyone else. If we put in the time and learn to pay attention to, and to take proper action regarding the signals it is giving us, this awareness can serve us all of our lives. And what is more wonderful than simply feeling as well as we can for as long as we are able to do so?
Anita Alexandra, L.Ac., CH is an acupuncturist and Chinese herbalist with 16+ years of experience. She practices at Chiropractic Health and Acupuncture, 619 Main Street, Frisco. (970)668-3299 www.CHAfrisco.com