In my last post, I started exploring the general question of “how you define health”— and then used a metaphor of an internal traffic system in the body. We all know what traffic looks like when the roads and traffic management systems are in good repair. I likened disease and trauma in the body as akin to breakdowns in traffic systems- and like traffic, sometimes issues are caused by big wrecks, and sometimes because of normal wear and tear on the system.

So where am I going with this and what does it have to do with Chinese medicine?

Undoubtedly, one of the greatest unparalleled strengths of western (allopathic) medicine is in emergency care especially requiring surgical intervention. In our traffic analogy, these are the big wrecks. This is one reason licensed acupuncturists/OM practitioners are also trained broadly in western medicine as well— so we can recognize early red flag conditions that will prompt us to send a patient straight from our clinics to either their primary care doctor or the emergency room.

What about the wear and tear scenario? Or in the preventative, maintenance or small repair work that keeps everything running smoothly? In my mind, this is where acupuncture and Chinese herbal medicine can be particularly effective.

I know that one of the great benefits of Chinese medicine and acupuncture is that often I see my patients more regularly than their family doctors. Many patients come to me once or twice a month to keep on top of chronic pain issues.  Like western doctors, I have been highly trained to assess many subtle signs—that could become a red flag. Each visit, I ask about things like sleep, digestion/elimination, diet and activity levels, as well as emotional health- even if the person is coming to me for an achy bone. I take all the normal western vitals-pulse, blood pressure, and temp—but I also l also take a Chinese style pulse (feeling each wrist pulse for a while to assess the quality of circulation) and examine the tongue (provides huge clues to how all the internal systems are functioning).

I do this more comprehensive, hands-on approach each time I see a patient because I know that it is not typically the major accidents that sideswipe most people’s health. It’s often the small accumulation of daily choices and habits that lead to traffic “congestion” in the body—the joint that gets subtly more and more inflamed due to inflammatory diet- the blood sugar levels that start creeping up because of eating patterns-the non-stop mental stress that interrupts sleep often enough that it triggers a state of constant “fight or flight” which taxes the whole-body system; the slowing down of bowel function, which can be caused by so many things it deserves its own essay!

Thus, people often come to me to help their headaches, help their sleep issues, stop their hot flashes, make the aches and pains go away.  If I see a red flag, we discuss it. More often, I see a pattern that could lead to a future red flag. I take this into consideration when I decide what acupoints to use. 

I always choose points that directly affect the chief complaint, but also, I carefully choose points to help nudge and rebalance the overall system back to that idea of harmonious flow--- speed up digestion or slow it down. Shift the body from “fight or flight” to “rest and digest”. Whatever assistance is needed to shift the body more towards health and further away from the future red flag.  In other words, fix the small pot hole before it becomes a car-eating chasm. 

My whole goal is to both provide as near immediate relief to their complaint as I can—but my bigger goal is to restore the entire system to a better state of functioning. To this end, I would say about 50% of my patients leave my office with more information about how to make a small, easy to implement changes in their daily life to try to restore the traffic system of their bodies to perfect order.

Is it possible to fix every issue? No. Is it possible to find often small changes that will lead to better “health”. I believe yes. I believe that the human body automatically seeks homeostasis (balance) and has an amazing capacity to heal. And my whole goal as an OM practitioner is to be that health team member to find workable solutions for each individual to help restore /increase their ability to be “healthy”.

Photo Attribution: Photo by Michelle Leman from Pexels