Balance. A simple word, but applied to our busy, modern lives it can become a complicated task that we struggle to achieve on a daily basis. This is the first in a three part series of posts dedicated to finding a healthy balance for your life. We will explore what balance means to your health, how to maintain harmony for your body, your environment and through your daily activities. So, what is balance?
Most of us are acutely aware of the balance we try to strike between our professional lives and our home lives but there are other ways we may be unconsciously working toward balance. We may try to exercise a few times a week and also try to find time to relax and restore. Or we may try to eat a healthful, balanced diet while allowing a little room for the occasional indulgence. The concept of balance is not new but we may not always think about this delicate dance and how it may be affecting our overall health and wellness.
Have you ever noticed a cold coming on around the time you are dealing with added stress? Have you ever splurged a little too much on rich foods and then felt fatigued or have an upset stomach later? Have you had a short temper with your family after putting in longer hours at work? When your body is exposed to an imbalance in your lifestyle you can usually look back and see the effects manifest in a variety of ways. If the imbalance to continues for too long, pain, dysfunction and illness can occur.
Chinese Medicine addresses the effects we may feel when we are out of balance. When you are in harmony with your environment, you cultivate health and wellness. The goal of Chinese Medicine is to bring the individual back into harmony with his or her environment by easing the symptoms while also addressing the underlying cause of the disharmony. By using acupuncture and herbal medicine, dietary advice, exercise, meditation and feng shui the individual is both guided by a professional and empowered to takes steps on their own to achieve a more balanced life.
The idea of being in harmony with your environment to maintain wellness was impressed upon me on my first day of acupuncture school (many, many years ago). I was in a new city, having completely new experiences and trying to adjust to all of the changes associated with starting a new stage of life. As I sat in class, our instructor spoke of the importance of harmony between the individual and the environment, and how “sickness can occur if out of tune with the environment” – yes I still have my notes from my first day of acupuncture school almost 20 years later! After that long first day, I felt not only exhausted but that little twinge in the back of my throat letting me know a sore throat and cold were coming on. I was experiencing firsthand the principle I was taught that night. While being sick is never fun, the lesson was imprinted on me and guides me in practice to this day.
Acupuncture is based on the idea that energy moves through meridians which run all over our body. These channels connect seemingly unconnected parts of our body, and explains how a point on the foot can help to relieve neck pain. When we are sick, there is a disruption in the flow of the energy in this system. The energy can become stuck causing pain or dysfunction. The insertion of needles into specific points, determined by the acupuncture professional to be involved in the pattern of disharmony, seeks to remove blockages and allow the qi, or energy, to move freely. From a western scientific perspective we know that acupuncture; releases endorphins (feel good neurotransmitters), decreases inflammation, and shifts the patient into a relaxed state among other mechanisms of action. In this relaxed state, we shift from the stress of our everyday lives (the fight or flight pattern we operate from as we try to balance it all) and healing and wellness occur.
The good news is that even if you feel like your life is not always in balance, there are steps you can take, even baby ones, that can help you to be and feel your best. Next week, we will look at some tips from Chinese Medicine to see how we can help ourselves maintain a balanced life through nutrition and exercise.
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Great blog you have here but I was curious about if you knew of any forums that cover the same topics discussed in this article? I’d really like to be a part of online community where I can get feedback from other experienced individuals that share the same interest. If you have any suggestions, please let me know. Bless you!
Hello Stephan! Thanks for reading. There are a couple wellness forums that I would recommend.
1. https://www.facebook.com/wellnessuncovered/
or
2. http://www.thehealthforum.org/
Both are active groups and offer a great community to share ideas. I hope that helps. Be well!
Wow that was odd. I just wrote an very long comment but after I clicked
submit my comment didn’t appear. Grrrr… well I’m not
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