photo by WindFire Designs
Chinese Medicine for the Modern day
Chinese medicine has its roots in an ancient way of being in the universe. Chinese sages who developed the practice of Chinese medicine were intimate with the ways of nature. They observed and experienced it as human beings who recognize that they are but one small part of the greater cycle, and that the same cycle is reflected within each of us. As we, as a species, have moved into modernity, the individual has become the center of their own universe. This shift in thinking has left us with an overwhelming variety of pain and suffering.
In the name of technological progress, we have become isolated from other people and life’s natural rhythms. The past is disregarded or blamed for current problems, planning for the future induces fear, and it is expected that every present moment should be full of entertaining and pleasure-inducing experiences. Generally speaking our time spent outdoors is minimal, we stay up late, we constantly feel that there is too much to do and not enough time, fatigue is common, negative self talk runs rampant, and feelings of loneliness and anxiety dominate the emotional landscape. Overtime we begin to pull from our deeper stores of energy: a heavy tax on our organs and tissues. This both shortens life, reduces quality of life, and creates conditions for illness. We fight and struggle against change, instead of finding harmony and flow within the constancy of change.
Chinese medicine is concerned with increasing flow and connectivity in the body/mind/spirit of the patient and between the patient and the larger context of the universe. The patient is assessed in a holistic manner including extensive verbal interview, physical palpation of the body and the pulse, visual and auditory observation. All of the information from these diagnostic tools aid the Chinese medicine practitioner in identifying the root issue, which is producing the patient’s myriad symptoms. The root cause is then treated with acupuncture, moxibustion, cupping, bodywork, and diet and lifestyle suggestions. The treatment is designed to create strong internal change, which can provide an opportunity for the patient to reengage in the rhythms inherent to life, and reconnect to themselves and to the external world, thereby reducing unnecessary suffering and increasing overall health.
Acupuncture
Moxibustion
Energetically Informed Body Work
Diet and Life style changes