I am often asked how I got into Chinese medicine, which some people find a strange profession.
I found Chinese medicine as a teenager after suffering from years of debilitating period cramps that no doctor could help me with. Without any attempt to determine their cause, the solution of multiple doctors and specialists was for me to have a hysterectomy—at age 15.
I said no.
Soon after, I found a doctor of Chinese medicine who did something no doctor had ever done before—she listened.
She took an extensive history, looked at my tongue, and placed her fingers gently on my wrists—one and then the other—to listen intently to my pulse.
The entire interaction was, in itself, a healing experience. Finally, I found someone who listened to what I was saying and valued what my body was telling me. Then, with kindness, my acupuncturist began unraveling the cause of my distress.
After a few months of acupuncture and Chinese herbs, the cramps that had tormented me for years went away. My treatments rectified the imbalances that were the root of the problem—and I fell deeply in love with this extraordinary medicine.
What Is Chinese Medicine?
Chinese medicine is a holistic medical system that has diagnosed and treated disease for thousands of years. More importantly, it teaches us how to live in a way that supports our happiness, health, and well-being.
One of the main ways it does this is by encouraging us to live harmoniously with the natural world. For example, by adjusting our behaviors and eating habits to the seasons, we can align with the shifting energies throughout the year. The key idea is that our needs change with every season.
Chinese medicine also teaches us how emotions can impact our health and well-being. Emotions are powerful forces that can make us sick if they are not acknowledged, processed, and let go. Joy, grief, fear, worry, and anger are all part of the human experience but can have lasting impacts if allowed to linger.
Eastern medicine also believes that the body has an innate intelligence, which is honored and revered.
Part of this intelligence is a sophisticated communication system. Our bodies always speak to us, but many have lost the ability to listen. Chinese medicine teaches us to cultivate this connection so that we can hear what our bodies tell us about what they need and what may be hurting us. Pain is an excellent example of your body communicating and trying to get your attention.
Another part of this intelligence is the role of our intuition, which can guide us in the right direction if we remain open to what it’s telling us.
Chinese medicine uses food as medicine, and considers our unique constitution in the causes of disease. It is a holistic system that sees the interconnectedness of the body, mind, and spirit. It also honors the connection between human beings and creation—of which we are an intrinsic part.
My experience with Chinese medicine changed my life. It showed me that healing was possible and introduced me to a whole new life philosophy.
The philosophy of Chinese medicine teaches us to live harmoniously with the natural world and each other, trust in the inherent wisdom of our bodies, eat our medicine, and cultivate emotional intelligence so we may live joyful, healthy, and contented lives.
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