When my Western eyes first read books on the subject of Alternative medicine, I liked the stories, but considered the practice to be more art than science. What came to mind were my poetic readings in English literature about the four humors which needed to be kept in balance: black bile, yellow bile, phlegm and blood. They in turn reminded me of the four elements: earth, fire, water and air. Chinese medicine involved five elements: wood, fire, earth, metal and water. And then I considered the role of the five senses in leading us to the sixth.
Since I grew up with Western medicine which relies on controls and variables, it took some research conducted by the American Medical Association which validated hypnosis, acupuncture, exercise, meditation and prayer, to open my eyes to wider possibilities. I realized that Alternative medicine was more energy-oriented and used nature as a guide to good health. For example, a high fever with a dry cough is clinically delineated by Chinese medicine as wind heat invasion on the body. The antidote is cooling herbs to restore the balance. And it is balance that stands at the heart of these “stories.”
What a refreshing alternative to our pill-popping society to consider more natural options without the toxic side effects of drugs! After all the bad PR Vioxx and Celebrex received along with recent research findings on the uselessness of cough medicines (better off drinking hot chocolate), I began to appreciate nature’s vast pharmacy. The more I read about different cultures and their healing styles, the more I realized how much they emphasize the harmful role of stress in upsetting the emotional and physical imbalance leading to a weakened immune system. Western medicine is just beginning to tap into stress as the root cause of many illnesses and as a major obstacle in disease management. Alternative medicine has been doing it for over 5,000 years.
Here’s the basic story outline: We are all made up of elements – different cultures have different names for them and numbers. The key to health, longevity, happiness, creativity and good relationships, is quite elegant – keeping all the elements in balance. In addition, each one of us has a personality which corresponds predominantly to one of the elements. Through knowledge of our dominant element we can reach a greater emotional and physical understanding of what we need to do as well as not to do to improve our health and well being. In other words, when we understand who we are and what we need, we can manage our personal stressors to define our life goals. Alternative medicine asks us to take stock of ourselves. I think this is a brilliant and direct approach for taking care of the self from head to toe and inside out.
The essence of self-healing is to respect the healing aspects of nature, treating the whole patient, emphasizing disease prevention and living in balance: diet, exercise, home and work. You can come up with your own four or five elements which comprise your personality to keep yourself together. One size does not fit all.
Does this mean that I will only seek out Alternative care over Western medicine? Absolutely not! I plan to take the best from both worlds, complements of each other. Herbal supplements can sometimes be dangerous; in many cases surgery, radiation and chemotherapy are the only cure for a specific cancer. This is why there are radiological centers being built in China.
However, here are a few elements that I can introduce to my Western doctor:
* You need to ask me about what is going on in my life to make your diagnosis. MRIs don’t tell you everything. Past trauma lodges in the cells’ memory to cause present day pain.
* You need to talk to me for more than two minutes and I in turn need to schedule my appointment with you for when you have time to listen to me. Also, I need to come prepared with my questions written down.
* You need to tell me all the side effects of the drugs you prescribe, so that I can make an educated decision.
* You need to have faith in me and first prescribe a healthier lifestyle; then monitor that advice on my next appointment before you rush to put me on lifelong medication which requires frequent blood tests.
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