There have been many shifts taking place in our world. It’s overwhelming as we start to really look inside at our beliefs, what is important to us, how we impact and are impacted by others. The bigger picture stuff at play in this moment in time is really something to behold.
As I’ve written about in past posts, one major shift within my paradigm of practicing Chinese Medicine is that I have a greater focus and passion for keeping people well instead of making them better once they are sick. We always knew that our medicine was powerfully preventative, but the masses still preferred sick care so that was the vast majority of my patient load. Of course, sickness and pain are inevitable in this life and acupuncture is an amazing alternative for sick patients.
In light of recent events, I am no longer able to treat sick people. There are a lot of ways to define “sick”. I am specifically referring to those with a cold, flu, or similarly infectious bacteria or virus. In the past I would encourage sick patients to come in for treatment as acupuncture can really help kick out the pathogen and speed up recovery time. But for now, and maybe always, treating sick patients puts my other patients and myself at too great a risk.
We see this move away from in-person appointments across specialties, as we see shifts toward telemedicine in offices where, before covid, half of the people in the waiting room were there because they were sick. I am hopeful that this will actually make the medical system a bit more efficient and will definitely cut down on germ spread.
I feel that it is important to write more about such concepts because I believe it needs to be the focus of our health and self-care from this point forward. Being proactive about our immunity and self-care practices during the pandemic is important, but I want to reiterate that this should be the way you operate in your life from this day forward. Now prevention is the name of the game. I have been pondering how covid and the regular flu season might intersect. Testing will be the only real way to differentiate serious illnesses from your common cold as covid has staked a claim in quite the array of symptoms.
Prevention is also definitely something to consider when choosing a health insurance plan. Pick one that covers acupuncture, chiropractic, and other alternative forms of care. Think about how you can set aside money for such services if you don’t have coverage. Consider a lower deductible plan so that you can use it regularly throughout the year rather than only in crisis. Think seriously about finding a naturopath, nutritionist, therapist etc. It is quite clear through this pandemic that we all could use a bit more support than we may be affording ourselves. When you have a well-rounded approach to your health and wellness, it becomes more likely that you can avoid co-morbidities, autoimmune diseases, and poor diet-induced health concerns that directly relate to an increase in mortality rates.
Think about it as an investment. What better way to spend your hard-earned money than on a healthier you?
If you are the kind of person who waits until you are completely out of commission before seeking help, I encourage you to shift your perspective. Don’t ignore “little” things that keep cropping up. Look at symptoms that your body displays as opportunities to tweak an imbalance. Get your team (yes, team) of preventative and alternative health care practitioners lined up and schedule regular visits that you go to even if you are feeling great. The time for radical self-care is here.
Iris Martin is a Licensed Acupuncturist in Pasadena, California specializing in pain management and fertility. She loves sharing her passion for natural approaches to health and wellness through her online articles and at her clinic at 501 South Arroyo Parkway. Call 408-780-0443 to book an appointment.