HEALTH & WELLNESS
Maintaining Balance and Equilibrium in Turbulent Times By Simeon Pollock If you’re like me, you’re probably feeling that perhaps the world at large and even your own world is unbalanced at the moment. Perhaps, like me, you find it is easy to feel a lost sense of equilibrium and balance. These feelings can be unsettling, and the body absorbs the effects of a constant state of flux. How can one find balance when extremes become the norm? When our emotions and perspectives are constantly under assault by those who are not in agreement with us; when all the rules we knew, or thought were correct, seem no longer applicable by those who want to impose new rules–– it can be difficult to feel a sense of calm. Trying to keep up with information in a world that seems to be moving faster and functioning with less patience and more anger can be disconcerting. I am not a psychologist, so I won’t give psychological advice here. What I am is a healthcare practitioner, and because of my training I have a different way of looking at how the body responds to stressors. I am trained and practice as a licensed acupuncturist and a licensed massage therapist. As an acupuncturist, I look at things through the lens of what is called “traditional Chinese medicine.” While this lens is unknown to many people in Western culture, once understood it can be very helpful. Using Chinese medicine, an acupuncturist looks to restore and balance the body’s energies. This is essential to maintaining and restoring health, both physical and psychological. In Western medicine this is called homeostasis, the
maintenance of relatively stable internal physiological conditions under fluctuating environmental conditions. The body is constantly seeking to maintain homeostasis in order to continue normal functions. In Chinese medicine, the practitioner seeks to balance the yin and yang energies, thereby allowing the patient’s body to do the work of healing itself. This is a function with which the body is naturally endowed. We are always witnessing the healing of our own body, whether from a simple cut or an illness. Assuming that the body’s energies are strong, balanced and flowing correctly, one could and should remain healthy and have the ability to deal with whatever may come.
My experience over the years is that most people feel so relaxed after a treatment, they don’t want to get up off the table! Acupuncture is the most commonly known form of traditional Chinese medicine and also the one that engenders the most fear in people. People usually assume that because acupuncture involves the placing of needles into the body, pain is a necessary component. The only association most people have with needle insertion are vaccinations, often a painful experience, so why would they willingly have that done to them again or think it would help in any way?
Yin yang: “The body absorbs the effects of a constant state of flux.” (PHOTO CREDIT: FLICKR/NAQL)
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Most patients are pleasantly surprised that they felt either nothing or very little after the first needle was inserted. The experience does not meet their expectation, and I see the patient begin to relax. My experience over the years is that most people feel so relaxed after a treatment, they don’t want to get up off the table! If a person is still fearful of acupuncture, but still would like to be helped, there are other options. Chinese medicine is said to stand on three legs: acupuncture, body work and herbs. Body work or massage and Chinese herbal medicine are also very helpful and have been used safely for thousands of years all over the world. There are also other tools that acupuncturists have that can be employed to benefit a patient. Often I combine acupuncture and massage into a treatment, especially when there are issues involving muscles and other soft tissues. This has proven to be quite effective and beneficial to many with injuries stemming from activities of various kinds. Chinese herbal medicine is also very effective and safe when used correctly to either supplement an acupuncture treatment or sometimes as a standalone treatment. While much fear is also associated with this aspect of Chinese medicine, primarily fear of the unknown, it has been studied and used for thousands of years and is still used successfully all over the world. We may yearn for a perfect world in which there are no challenges to our ability to maintain homeostasis and energetic balance, yet that is not the way of the world. The reality is that we are constantly forced to deal with challenges and change, from simple changes in
Simeon Pollock (PHOTO CREDIT: GALYA FROST)
temperature, to complex emotional and physical obstacles, to other changes. Our bodies are constantly forced to seek balance and maintain standard operations. Chinese medicine and acupuncture are also not necessarily static treatments, but dynamic and always responding to what the patient is experiencing as well as the result of the previous treatment(s). We all understand that energy is not something one can hold in one’s hand, per se; but we all witness the effects of energy in our home (or the lack thereof in our region, from time to time) in the form of lights and the operation of electricity. I often compare the electrical grid to the body’s energy pathways as understood by Chinese medicine. If some connection in the electrical grid is damaged in some way, whether in our home or at some other place along the grid, the effect is readily seen and felt. Additionally, until the cause of the problem is found and corrected, the problem persists. Likewise, once a problem has been identified in the body, a practitioner of acupuncture can work toward a resolution to the problem. Practitioners of acupuncture or Chinese medicine seek to discover the underlying causes of imbalance in a patient’s energy system. Once identified, a course of treatment can be planned and, with the cooperation of the patient, implemented. Returning to the concept of homeostasis and balance, we can now understand why we feel so discombobulated. More than ever, we are asking more of ourselves and doing so in an environment that seems to be increasingly hostile to quiescence and tranquility. We seek to do more and demand more of ourselves lest we feel unaccomplished–– burning the candle at both ends, as it were. So why not seek to turn down the volume a bit and find ways to allow our bodies to maintain homeostasis and balance? It can be the beginning of restoring and maintaining our health and equilibrium in a chaotic and uncertain world. Quite honestly, I am truly amazed by the power of acupuncture in this capacity, and my sense of wonderment at its healing effects is constant. To partner with another person and with the One who truly heals the sick is an honor that I appreciate every day. Simeon Pollock, L.Ac., L.M.T. is Maryland-licensed in both acupuncture and massage. He has a private practice in Silver Spring. Simeon practices his unique style of holistic healthcare by blending acupuncture, Chinese herbal medicine, and massage therapy into a wonderful healing experience.
February 16, 2017 • 20 Shevat, 5777
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