The body runs like a factory with many jobs to accomplish. If fundamental processes like sleep and diet are not well maintained then the performance of important operations to support health like digestion and immune function will lead to poor production or poor health. For example, a patient is in need of treatment for chronic low back pain. After trying many other conventional treatments they decide to try something different – acupuncture. The patient has a diet which tends to cause digestive problems leading to additional inflammation that amplifies pain and blocks healing. In addition, the patient has trouble falling asleep and tends to go to bed late. Sleep is insufficient resulting in low energy throughout the day. The body, in this case is like a factory requiring a workforce of 1000 people to function but only 500 are showing up and the rest are out sick. The analogy of getting these people back to work means we have to treat the body as a whole to maximize healing and restore health. The process of treating the low back pain is going to be slow if diet changes and sleep patterns aren’t addressed. Prior treatments probably have not been very successful because sleep and diet problems have not been identified and improved as part of a whole-body treatment plan.
If you have a chronic health problem you need a whole-body treatment plan that’s going to recognize you as a whole person with individual health issues. If you’re a person who is proactive and likes to prevent health problems before they take over then you’ll want to look for wellness care that will support the body as a whole as well. Treatment for the whole-body is called holistic medicine. Holistic medicine is a form of healthcare that considers the whole person – body, mind, emotions and spirit. Holistic therapy like Traditional Chinese Medicine and acupuncture will support important restorative fundamentals such as sleep, diet, digestion, exercise, stress management, lifestyle health, and mental-emotional health with a strong emphasis on prevention to maximize your health potential.
