Sometimes healing is simple e.g. someone strains a muscle or hurts their back, etc. With minimal treatment, he/she can get back on their feet with little assistance. Other cases may be much more serious, demanding urgent care for the sake of survival. Thank goodness for our modern health care system that has saved so many lives. Undoubtedly, science and technology have advanced the practice of medicine in many ways.
However, our modern system lacks an understanding of other forms of medicine that have been in existence for thousands of years.
Many health situations that are not well understood by physicians may be simply diagnosed and treated by a comprehensively trained practitioner of Chinese medicine. This system of medicine has an extremely well developed and sophisticated method of differentiating illness and delivering highly individualized treatments. However, in order to receive such care, it is pertinent that an individual be worked up by a qualified practitioner.
Many health situations that are not well understood by physicians may be simply diagnosed and treated by a comprehensively trained practitioner of Chinese medicine. This system of medicine has an extremely well developed and sophisticated method of differentiating illness and delivering highly individualized treatments. However, in order to receive such care, it is pertinent that an individual be worked up by a qualified practitioner.
In some cases, individuals only require periodic treatment along with specific nutritional and lifestyle instruction to regain their health. These individuals may be quite healthy mentally, emotionally and spiritually, however be suffering with some physical conditions simply because they haven't been educated appropriately.
In many ways, healing is like renovating a house. Some houses have a strong foundation and only need one or two rooms renovated. Other cases are much more complex, demanding a complete or near complete overhaul on all levels of body, mind and spirit. In such cases, it is as though an individual has been pickled in a toxic substance that has taken root and must be extracted gradually and replaced by a different substance. It takes an astute holistic practitioner to identify which areas need help and moreover be able to deliver appropriate treatment and/or refer to appropriate individuals that are more likely to help.
Chinese medicine recognizes that disease originates from external as well as internal (emotional) causes. The external causes originally identified occurred mostly because of exposure to harsh weather conditions e.g., wind, dryness, cold, dampness, heat and fire. Today, the external causes of disease are more likely to originate because of poor dietary and/or lifestyle habits. When a practitioner of Traditional Chinese medicine examines an individual, he/she is assessing for signs and symptoms of these imbalances. Just like a farmer or gardener seeking to provide the perfect terrain for his/her plant life, a practitioner of Chinese medicine is dedicated to helping an individual establish a healthy physical environment..
External factors:
- Wind: In addition to harsh external winds, may now reflect exposure to artificial heat and air conditioning. Also includes airborne pathogens and allergans.
- Dryness: Occurs in dry climates, but can also be induced from over cooked and processed foods that are dry and difficult to digest. I also believe diuretics often cause this problem.
- Cold: While harsh winter weather can certainly cause disease, the problem today most often originates from the ingestion of iced drinks and cold refrigerated foods.
- Dampness: Damp climates create the perfect environment for pathogens to grow. The excessive intake of carbohydrates, dairy products, sugar and saturated fats contribute to an internal damp condition. Furthermore, lack of exercise leads to fat (which is considered a damp condition),
- Heat: Too much environmental heat is obviously harmful. Spicy foods, red meat, fried foods, alcohol and smoking are common causes of heat in the body.
- Fire: Aside from the obvious, fire in the body represents inflammation. This can result from an excessiveness of one or more of the above. For example, a lingering pathogen will eventually lead to inflammation. Excessive ingestion of any food will most often lead to inflammation i.e., elevated cholesterol results from eating saturated fats and leads to an inflammatory condition in the arteries. Various toxins also create fire e.g., heavy metals, chemicals, pesticides, drugs, etc.
The internal causes of disease are caused by any one or more emotion in excess: joy, anger, pensiveness, sorrow, fear and fright. Let's take a look at these factors to see how they translate to modern day living.
Internal factors:
- Joy: It's rather peculiar to think that too much joy would be considered a cause of disease. This likely reflects excessive excitement brought about by fantasy.and unrealistic expectations that originate from the ego. An individual in this state may be callous to human suffering. Such emotion takes a toll on the heart and circulatory system.
- Anger: Chinese medicine understands how anger injures the liver and gallbladder. An individual struggling with anger may be able to put on a false face and appear soft spoken on the outside. Often the anger is turned inward toward oneself. Anger and emotional frustration create a stagnation in the diaphragm....breathing becomes shallow, the liver does not filter well and bile will not flow optimally. Digestive problems typically ensue. If the state of anger lingers, the liver will not be able to optimally filter and therefore the individual will be prone to "external" pathogens and toxins as described above.
- Pensiveness: Too much thinking is known to damage the stomach and spleen. Just as the stomach can be overfilled from eating too much, the mind can be overwhelmed from too much thinking, rumination and worry. When this happens there will often be digestive disturbances related to the stomach or cravings for sweet foods to provide a sense of comfort. This type of problem may be seen in the midst of co-dependency. As an individual focuses on the problems of others, he/she fails to address his/her own issues.
- Sorrow: Chinese medicine recognizes that sadness and grief greatly affect the lung and colon. It is quite common to see grieving individuals develop physical problems such as pneumonia or colitis in response to a great loss.
- Fear: Fear and fright take a heavy toll on the kidney. When an individual is in a state of fight or flight, adrenaline is released. A chronic state of fear (stress) causes a myriad of problems in the neuro-endocrine system.
The internal causes of disease are often passed on from one generation to the next. Unhealthy patterns of communication and dealing with life issues are often repeated unless an individual has the awareness and fortitude to change. Most families are dysfunctional to some degree. Some families have only minor dysfunction that doesn't interfere in daily living. Other families are so dysfunctional that the members are unable to live productively and meaningfully.
An individual's constitution is another factor which very often contributes to the development of internal and external causes of disease. Chinese medicine as well as Greek and Roman philosophers and physicians appreciated that people have different natures and temperaments. Such make-up colors an individual's views on life and fashions the way in which he/she approaches their world. The unique make-up is connected with an individual's life purpose. Just as each element of nature has a particular function, human beings are born with a propensity to excel in different areas. Biblical scripture even addresses this issue. An individual's strengths will also be associated with particular vulnerabilities in the physical and emotional/spiritual realm. The ability to recognize this fact can be extremely beneficial in approaching relationships and respecting one another's differences. Modern medicine often pathologizes individuals for their differences and frequently attempts to force change so that an individual can live life according to the agreed upon norm. While this may sometimes be necessary, it is often costly as well as caustic in the long run. Such practice may cause great confusion and distress to individuals to whom such labels have been placed.
Constitutions and the Five Element Archtypes
- Fire-The Wizard. Such individuals are affectionate, expressive, playful, demonstrative and charasmatic. Because of these tendencies they typically function well in fields involving sales, entertainment and communication. This constitutional type is vulnerable to feeding on fantasy. He/she may fall into disappointment when reality fails to live up to his/her expectations.
- Earth-The Peacemaker.
- Metal-The Alchemist
- Water -The Philosopher
- Wood - The Pioneer
*References taken from Between Heaven and Earth: A Guide To Chinese Medicine by Harriet Beinfield. L.Ac., and Efrem Korngold, L.Ac., O.M.D.
Holistic healing addresses the many layers in a more gradual way. There are no quick fixes when a house needs to be renovated. Typically, this requires that an individual simplify his/her life and change priorities. This is not an easy thing to do. However, when healing is addressed in this fashion, life gradually becomes better and more fulfilling.
In addition to having a highly developed system of assessment, Oriental medicine offers treatment that impacts all levels of body, mind and spirit. I believe it is very important for practitioners to educate clients on the emotional/spiritual patterns that are underlying physical patterns that are manifesting. If the root issue is not addressed, the problems are likely to repetitively appear.
*this section remains under construction
This is a Chinese character for healing which means "restore". The main part of the character depicts a house and the pieces at the bottom represent a heart.
This truly symbolizes my personal philosophy about holistic healing.
This truly symbolizes my personal philosophy about holistic healing.
