Live Well, Live Long

The pillars of Traditional Chinese Medicine that help us to live well and live long.

Through many years of working in healthcare, I noticed a pattern of people that present with ill health but no diagnosis. Overworked and rundown became a common theme, but with no real treatment strategy to improve it. Many chronic conditions managed with medication just to help alleviate symptoms. Our modern lives are so busy, overstimulating and stressful. So how can we get back to wellbeing and look after our health?

What drew me to practice Traditional Chinese Medicine was the principles of Yang Sheng (live well, living long) that seemed to offer a way to counterbalance our modern day lifestyle and health issues. With logical practices and insights that offered a different perspective with which to address our health.

My studies at university involved learning and understanding Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) principles and how this ancient approach to health and wellness could be a tonic to our modern day living.

Principles from Traditional Chinese Medicine:

Live a balanced life where possible. A foundational concept of TCM is about achieving balance and not having or doing anything to excess. The aim to live in balance relates to diet, lifestyle and emotions.

Live in flow – This concept is about looking after our positive energy by living in flow with our life cycles, menstrual cycles, emotions and aging, as opposed to draining our energy fighting against it. With acceptance and flow comes inner peace and bodily harmony.

Proactive care. “It is easier to dig the well before becoming thirsty” Chinese proverb. This addresses our approach to health by working to maintain good health, thereby making it easier to deal with issues as they develop (disharmonies). The proactive approach means that health matters are treated much earlier, before illness or injury progresses. Therefore, recovery can be quicker and treatment is more likely to be effective. There was such a strong belief in this concept, that in ancient China, doctors only got paid when their patients were well; payment was withheld if their patients became unwell. Maintaining good health is key to optimising longevity.

Roots and symptoms. When treating disharmony (ill health), it is essential to address the root cause, not just the symptoms –the Ben and Biao. A great mentor explained this concept to me with the following analogy. If you were to hear the smoke alarm start beeping in your home, you wouldn’t just remove the batteries to silence it. You would want to investigate what had caused it to activate to ensure everything was safe and well, with no danger afoot. This is the comparison made to just treating symptoms, and masking those signals that our body is giving us. Looking for the cause to ensure treatment is effective is essential to a positive outcome.

Physical and mental as one. To recognise the impact of mental wellbeing on the physical health and vice versa. The mind body are interlinked and form part of the whole health picture in TCM, teaching that working with and regulating emotions and stress is a priority to preventing ill health. This approach is finally gaining momentum in modern day medicine as increasing research findings support the strong links between mental and physical health.

Eat to treat. A diet that supports body functions and that is balanced in flavours and energy (nutrients) will of course nourish the live well live long principle. A traditional practice in China involves patients being prescribed a meal, specific foods and herbs as part of recovery to health. Nutrition has been a long studied area of health, with new and interesting findings coming to light that were supported in TCM centuries before. For example, the evidence of the gut brain link and how foods influence moods and wellbeing, as well as physical functioning.

An individualised approach. No one person is the same or is affected the same by a health condition, so why would treatment for each individual be the same? In example, a person presenting with hay fever symptoms may be affected by itchy eyes and sneezing, whilst another may have watery eyes and headaches. These two patients will also have a different health and energy picture. TCM healthcare is about tailoring treatment to the individual and their unique health patterns.

There are many more great teachings that are very much applicable to our modern day lives, but that would require writing a book! These pillars of teaching are logical to me and I resonate with these principles as I learned more about the history and philosophy of TCM acupuncture. Acupuncture practice embodies these principles and includes all of these considerations within the treatment process. The holistic approach that involves the whole person and their lifestyle practices ensures effective treatment and sustainable health. That just makes sense to me!

When you attend for a TCM acupuncture treatment you are taking a holistic approach to your health and I love that I can provide that space and service to others, supporting clients to better wellbeing. Through my studies and practice I have continued to learn and build on my passion for living well and that is why I am an acupuncturist.