"Illness is an invitation to change." -Jeffrey Yuen
Change. It is one of the most difficult things to do in life as we are creatures of habits. And you might not like to hear this, but change is exactly what I’ll ask of you when you come to see me at the clinic. For illness to take hold, something in your life has been out of balance. Acupuncture and herbs will help correct some of the imbalances, but the rest relies on you making changes.
While living in Seattle, a group of my friends and I would enjoy a ‘Dads’ Night Out’ at a movie theatre with indulgent food and beer. On one occasion, I noticed one guy only ordered a glass of water; normally, he wouldn’t hesitate to wolf down a burger, fries, and a pint with the rest of us. He shared that three months prior, he was diagnosed with hypertension and diabetes. Rather than taking prescribed pills, he decided to make some lifestyle changes. He went on a diet of low carbs, lean meats and lots of vegetables. He stopped drinking coffee and alcohol altogether, and began biking to work instead of driving. After three months, he lost 60 pounds, and his blood pressure and blood sugar levels returned to normal.
A patient of mine was experiencing menopausal hot flashes. Additionally, in frustrated attempts to lose weight, she had tried aerobic exercise, weight training, and all the diets under the sun - low calorie, low carb, keto, paleo, you name it. But since menopause, she just couldn’t seem to lose weight successfully. When I assessed her condition, I realized what the imbalance was: she wasn’t getting enough sleep - just 5 hours per night. I instructed her when her alarm goes off in the morning, if she is tired, she should go back to bed and skip her morning workout. In two months time, she averaged 7.5 hours of sleep per night and lost 30 pounds without working out. Her hot flashes also improved significantly. She did come in for TCM herbs and acupuncture during that time, but the change in her sleep was what made a huge difference in her weight and overall health.
Another patient came into the clinic with purple-colored feet all the way up to her ankles. She had gone to see different doctors and specialists, but no one could figure out what was wrong with her feet. Why were they purple? In Chinese Medicine, that is blood stasis; circulation is poor. But where was this poor circulation coming from? Her feet were cold and hands were cool, but her heart checked out fine. After lengthy discussion and examination, I discovered the cause. Being heavier set, she wanted to lose weight, and had read somewhere that drinking two glasses of ice water first thing in the morning would help her lose weight. Boy, was she wrong. The ice cold water was constricting her blood vessels and was the cause of her purple feet. After stopping the ice cold water routine and taking warming herbs, the color of her feet returned to normal.
Some changes are obvious and some are not as obvious. We may see how someone who is severely overweight probably needs to exercise and eat better, but we may not see how someone who runs 10 miles per day and looks fit may need to rest more and exercise less.
I will always suggest changes for you that will help support and expedite your healing. More importantly, I encourage you to slow down and meditate on your illness what you may or may not be doing. This way you will be more aware of your body and can come up with the necessary changes that will improve your health.
