Traditional Chinese Medicine (T.C.M.) - A Must for Chronic Problems

Simply put……….you cannot afford not to include "alternative " therapies in your self-care program if you are battling any kind of chronic condition…..physical or emotional.

What would qualify as "chronic?" Has the same issue been with you for at least 6 months? Have you tried everything………medications, massage, chiropractic, meditation, yoga etc…and they all help only temporarily? You cannot think of any event that could have precipitated the present symptoms……the problem just snuck up on you when you are not looking? If you have answered YES to any of the above questions, there is a chronic problem present in your life.

Now let us look at the implications of a chronic problem versus an acute problem.

Acute problem…….Injury occurs. The correct treatment is administered. Problem is resolved. The resolution may take longer for some versus others based on their current state of health. If proper care has been taken, the insult to the body and mind has been resolved without any residual effect. The body's wonderful mechanism for maintaining homeostasis is back into balance and functioning at its optimal levels again. The case is closed, so to speak.

Chronic problems, on the other hand, have several layers to them. The treatment is therefore more complex as it has to address multiple aspects. The longer the problem has been going on, the more of your core energies have been depleted. How does that work?

1. The longer you have been on medications, the more injury there is to the organs that are responsible for processing these chemicals and keeping the body clean.
2. The longer you have been taking medications the longer you have been suffering from their numerous side effects.
3. Then there is also the issue of building up resistance to medications. What is the alternative? Increase the dosage? Change the medication? You are now adding more layers of chemical trauma to your body.
4. Eventually, this will lead to a decrease in the quality of life.
5. If you are dealing with chronic issues you are not usually in a happy frame of mind.
6. Even more dangerous is that you start to identify with the problem and "become" the problem. This would add a troublesome layer to the issue. What do we treat first….the mind or the body? Are you now causing the problem?

   These are some of the reasons that I have identified that have caused me to come to the conclusion that TCM should make an integral part of any treatment plan that is addressing a chronic condition.

   Now let us talk in terms of a concrete example.

   Chronic low back pain. What would TCM do differently that would make any difference?

   TCM is holistic. It recognizes the importance of the mind and body interactions in the dynamics of health and disease. Also, there is a great emphasis on nutrition, movement and energetics (acupuncture). The ancient system of TCM uses a diagnostic routine that involves questioning the patient, listening to the patient, observing the patient, paying attention to the particular odors of the patient, and studying the pulse and tongue. Valuable information is retrieved from seemingly irrelevant inquiries.

   From the information gathered, the cause or causes of the low back pain may be established. For example, low back pain can be caused by general debility, residual cellular memory from an old trauma, repetitive motion trauma, poor posture for prolonged periods of time, constipation, obesity, imbalances in the lower limbs, upper body weakness, prolapsed disc, spinal degeneration, bony spurs, weak abdominal muscles and back extensor muscles, urinary tract infection and kidney disease.

   Once the cause or causes have been determined the steps of treatment are discussed to address the symptoms as well as the underlying causes. And always in a chronic situation, the physical body is treated along with the psychic one. Remember, the mind holds memories of the disease even after the physical tissue has healed. Think of phantom limb pain to bring this concept home to you.

   In addition, it may also be necessary to look into occupational or home environments that may be causing or aggravating the problem. Someone trained in occupational therapy would be able to identify problem areas and make recommendations for making modifications to your environments as needed. For example, low back pain can be aggravated if your car seat is pushed too far back so that you are constantly stretching to reach the pedals.

   Treatments are tailored to meet individual needs and modified as the body and mind strengthen. The goal is to nurture the body's own amazing healing abilities by using acupuncture, nutrition and movement.

   So, for your chronic problem, be it pain, diabetes, obesity, high blood pressure, cholesterol, a skin condition, insomnia, depression, anxiety,………..and the list goes on. Think TCM.

   You do not have to suffer. You do have a choice…..an excellent one at that.

Copyright 2008, Rama Chittajallu, All rights reserved
2312 Western Trails Blvd. #401., Austin, TX 78745, 512-293-5388, rama1usa@netscape.net

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