Health Maintenance versus Treating Illness
For most people their health is not thought of on a daily basis but addressed when their health has left and sickness has arrived. It is at these moments that many people turn to doctors and medication. The conversation may go something like this, “I was doing fine and then all of a sudden… (feel free to fill in the blanks), and now I am feeling lousy what can you do about it?” This scenario is common in our current US health care system which is framed around trying to patch things up once they are already broken.
This is what we could call “reactive healthcare”. Western medicine excels in the areas of acute distress or trauma with amazing life saving technologies and surgeries. In the areas of chronic diseases such as diabetes, heart disease and others which are plaguing our society the methods of “reactive healthcare” are falling short. It is much tougher to deal with dis-ease once it has become chronic. We can however, consider the idea of “proactive healthcare”, a concept which is an inherent part of traditional Chinese medicine. In one of the China’s classical texts called the Tao Te Ching (pronounced “Dao Day Jing”) in chapter 64 it states:
Take care of the difficult while it is still easy.
Action should be taken before a thing has made its appearance;
order should be secured before disorder has begun.
The tree which can fill the arms began from a tiny sprout;
The journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step.
This concept of proactive healthcare or medicine is not only found in Eastern Medicine but also seen in traditional western folklore and thinking. We’ve all heard the sayings:
An apple a day keeps the doctor away.
An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.
After lunch rest a while, after dinner walk a mile.
These very brief statements are loaded with information. What does it mean to take care of the difficult while it is still easy? Most people can appreciate this concept when thinking about dishes in the kitchen sink. Three or four plates sitting, waiting to be washed are no problem; a whole sink of gross dishes and no one wants to touch it. At the level of three or four dirty plates, the effort needed to avoid ending up with a sink full of mess is minimal, or still relatively easy. We can easily relate this analogy to one’s health. By proactively learning more about what habits and routines are most beneficial for our individual constitution, we create a healthy life routine that prevents us from getting out of balance. Instilling a new routine of regular walking for example, may be a challenge in the moment, but is far easier than dealing with degenerative bone or muscle conditions years down the road. The mindful application of small things on a regular basis supports one’s health and is a lot easier to do than to restore health when you already feel lousy.
Another statement that is worth unpacking is that of the tree which can fill the arms beginning in a tiny sprout. Very big things in life often start very small. In their small state like a tiny sprout they are easily amended and changed. A sprout that is newly shown up can easily be pulled from the ground but a tree that is a year old or more is significantly more difficult to uproot. Conditions in our health and wellbeing are related to this point. Illness and diseases often show up in very small ways before they make a front stage appearance. When people become more in tune with their bodies these early sprouts are more easily noticed and rectified before getting too established.
Regardless of where someone is in their health they should not get disheartened and that is where the next statement comes in, “the journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step.” Each day of our lives is a new first step on the rest of our lives and with our focus and attention we can go to many different and interesting places. Wherever you are in your health you can take steps that will bring about a greater sense of health and wellbeing, you just have to take that first step.
Proactive health maintenance is a focus on one’s wellness. This does not mean an all consuming obsession or adherence to the latest health craze. It is thinking about and incorporating well being into one’s daily life. Like the statement of “an apple a day keeps the doctor away”, describes how eating can support your body and mind. It describes a daily practice, “an apple a day”, not an apple a month.
The statement also uses food as an example. What someone puts in their body is very much related to how healthy they are. Again, any of these statements can be taken to extremes but a gentle awareness of how we are eating is very important to our health. Food therapy is a part of Chinese medicine (see our article Chinese Medicine 101). Different foods can be used to support different actions in the body and some foods are more appropriate for different body constitutions. Warming foods like ginger and cinnamon are more appropriate for those who tend to feel cold, while cucumber and sea vegetables are more beneficial for those who have more warm type constitutions.
One of the main principles of Chinese Medicine is balance. According to Chinese Medical theory illness ensues when there is an imbalance in the system. There are numerous pathways or channels of energy in the body referred to as meridians and when these channels are flowing harmoniously there is vibrant health. When there are blockages or areas not receiving proper energy flow that area or its related body systems will be affected and out of balance.
Maintaining proper flow of energy through the body is addressed through a number of Chinese medicine practices like acupuncture, herbal medicine, exercise and even visualizations and meditations. Acupuncture is the use of a very thin, sterile acupuncture needle inserted in specific acupuncture points around the body, and these help regulate the flow of energy. These practices are not only used when someone is sick or in pain, though that is the most common time someone comes to see an acupuncturist. They can be used on a regular basis to help support the natural flow of energy in the body and prevent future imbalances from building up into physical symptoms. This may be why more and more people find that acupuncture helps them combat stress and feel more relaxed in general.
Although a group of symptoms may seem to appear all at once, in most cases an imbalance has been growing within the body for some time. Often this may go unnoticed in our busy modern lives as the signs can seem very subtle. Vague feelings of stress or feeling “off” can be pushed aside when it seems we’ve got lots of other things to do or think about. Experiencing persistent, concrete physical symptoms often tells us that what was once a barely perceivable sprout has now grown into a full tree.
Maintaining health involves taking that ounce of prevention on a regular basis as opposed to ingesting a pound of cure all at once. There are many things that can be incorporated into one’s daily life that would constitute an ounce of prevention and they can often be simple, enjoyable measures.
Health is a true treasure. In fact, health is wealth. Come in and see us at Mountain Lake Wellness and let’s work together to find ways to support and maintain your wealth of wellness.
Sincerely,
Dan Pappas and Leslie Huddart
This is what we could call “reactive healthcare”. Western medicine excels in the areas of acute distress or trauma with amazing life saving technologies and surgeries. In the areas of chronic diseases such as diabetes, heart disease and others which are plaguing our society the methods of “reactive healthcare” are falling short. It is much tougher to deal with dis-ease once it has become chronic. We can however, consider the idea of “proactive healthcare”, a concept which is an inherent part of traditional Chinese medicine. In one of the China’s classical texts called the Tao Te Ching (pronounced “Dao Day Jing”) in chapter 64 it states:
Take care of the difficult while it is still easy.
Action should be taken before a thing has made its appearance;
order should be secured before disorder has begun.
The tree which can fill the arms began from a tiny sprout;
The journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step.
This concept of proactive healthcare or medicine is not only found in Eastern Medicine but also seen in traditional western folklore and thinking. We’ve all heard the sayings:
An apple a day keeps the doctor away.
An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.
After lunch rest a while, after dinner walk a mile.
These very brief statements are loaded with information. What does it mean to take care of the difficult while it is still easy? Most people can appreciate this concept when thinking about dishes in the kitchen sink. Three or four plates sitting, waiting to be washed are no problem; a whole sink of gross dishes and no one wants to touch it. At the level of three or four dirty plates, the effort needed to avoid ending up with a sink full of mess is minimal, or still relatively easy. We can easily relate this analogy to one’s health. By proactively learning more about what habits and routines are most beneficial for our individual constitution, we create a healthy life routine that prevents us from getting out of balance. Instilling a new routine of regular walking for example, may be a challenge in the moment, but is far easier than dealing with degenerative bone or muscle conditions years down the road. The mindful application of small things on a regular basis supports one’s health and is a lot easier to do than to restore health when you already feel lousy.
Another statement that is worth unpacking is that of the tree which can fill the arms beginning in a tiny sprout. Very big things in life often start very small. In their small state like a tiny sprout they are easily amended and changed. A sprout that is newly shown up can easily be pulled from the ground but a tree that is a year old or more is significantly more difficult to uproot. Conditions in our health and wellbeing are related to this point. Illness and diseases often show up in very small ways before they make a front stage appearance. When people become more in tune with their bodies these early sprouts are more easily noticed and rectified before getting too established.
Regardless of where someone is in their health they should not get disheartened and that is where the next statement comes in, “the journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step.” Each day of our lives is a new first step on the rest of our lives and with our focus and attention we can go to many different and interesting places. Wherever you are in your health you can take steps that will bring about a greater sense of health and wellbeing, you just have to take that first step.
Proactive health maintenance is a focus on one’s wellness. This does not mean an all consuming obsession or adherence to the latest health craze. It is thinking about and incorporating well being into one’s daily life. Like the statement of “an apple a day keeps the doctor away”, describes how eating can support your body and mind. It describes a daily practice, “an apple a day”, not an apple a month.
The statement also uses food as an example. What someone puts in their body is very much related to how healthy they are. Again, any of these statements can be taken to extremes but a gentle awareness of how we are eating is very important to our health. Food therapy is a part of Chinese medicine (see our article Chinese Medicine 101). Different foods can be used to support different actions in the body and some foods are more appropriate for different body constitutions. Warming foods like ginger and cinnamon are more appropriate for those who tend to feel cold, while cucumber and sea vegetables are more beneficial for those who have more warm type constitutions.
One of the main principles of Chinese Medicine is balance. According to Chinese Medical theory illness ensues when there is an imbalance in the system. There are numerous pathways or channels of energy in the body referred to as meridians and when these channels are flowing harmoniously there is vibrant health. When there are blockages or areas not receiving proper energy flow that area or its related body systems will be affected and out of balance.
Maintaining proper flow of energy through the body is addressed through a number of Chinese medicine practices like acupuncture, herbal medicine, exercise and even visualizations and meditations. Acupuncture is the use of a very thin, sterile acupuncture needle inserted in specific acupuncture points around the body, and these help regulate the flow of energy. These practices are not only used when someone is sick or in pain, though that is the most common time someone comes to see an acupuncturist. They can be used on a regular basis to help support the natural flow of energy in the body and prevent future imbalances from building up into physical symptoms. This may be why more and more people find that acupuncture helps them combat stress and feel more relaxed in general.
Although a group of symptoms may seem to appear all at once, in most cases an imbalance has been growing within the body for some time. Often this may go unnoticed in our busy modern lives as the signs can seem very subtle. Vague feelings of stress or feeling “off” can be pushed aside when it seems we’ve got lots of other things to do or think about. Experiencing persistent, concrete physical symptoms often tells us that what was once a barely perceivable sprout has now grown into a full tree.
Maintaining health involves taking that ounce of prevention on a regular basis as opposed to ingesting a pound of cure all at once. There are many things that can be incorporated into one’s daily life that would constitute an ounce of prevention and they can often be simple, enjoyable measures.
Health is a true treasure. In fact, health is wealth. Come in and see us at Mountain Lake Wellness and let’s work together to find ways to support and maintain your wealth of wellness.
Sincerely,
Dan Pappas and Leslie Huddart
