Jennifer Moffitt, L.Ac., Dip. OM
I had the good fortune last night after work to go for a walk out in the canyons near my home. It was an unusually
warm day ("near record temperatures"), and it felt like summertime. On the way home I happened to pass the yard
of someone who was watering and the pavement was wet - that special smell, only found in summertime, was in the
air.
With the approach of summer, I think of the rising yang, and what a good time it is for those of us who practice
Oriental medicine. Yin and Yang are the basis of our medicine, a fundamental subdivision that the early Chinese
scholars used to try and describe the nature of the universe.
Yin is everything that is cool, and moist, water, black, night, winter, nourishing, calm, and immobile. Yang, on the
other hand, is the pure fire element: warm, moving, summer, upward, vibrant, and energetic. Everything in the
universe breaks down into the balance between yin and yang. Nothing is firmly one or the other - there is always a
small element of yin within the yang, and a small element of yang within the yin. While Chinese medicine can seem
foreign in the beginning, the basis of the medicine is really about restoring this intrinsic balance within the body.
For those who suffer from chronic pain or illness, the change of seasons is a great time to work on resolving their
condition. Spring and summer are about nature's increasing yang: flowers begin to bloom, gardens grow, and there
are more daylight hours. The yang energy is moving up and out as growth and development. We are not separate
from this process - it happens in us as well. Thus, we can use the nature of the season to help reinforce the healing
process.
Going With the Flow
For many, going "back to basics" seems too simple. We like things complex and multi-layered. Our lifestyles move at a
hectic pace, supported by technology so dizzying we can barely keep up. We have become used to having the world
at our fingertips - all the answers to our problems merely a "Google-click" away.
Somehow, it seems that we have lost touch with the process, the enjoyment of the journey itself. We have become
so goal oriented and used to having instant results that often we don't realize the inner process needed to support
it.
We want medicine to be the same way.
Our over-reliance on pharmaceuticals and technology has created a false picture about the body and the healing
process in general. Everything should be quick, easily diagnosed and measurable. Hollywood shows like ER have only
reinforced this notion, luring us to think everything should be neatly resolved in a one-hour segment, and that we
can look good while doing it.
It is interesting that no one on these shows ever has a chronic degenerative problem that is difficult to diagnose or
treat. It's always the cool flashy stuff, multiple organ transplants, racing with the little refrigerated lunchbox through
the hospital in the nick of time… (continued here)
Wholistic Acupuncture facelifts!
Incredible before and after
photos.
Fertility and Acupuncture
How acupuncture and Oriental
medicine can help you conceive
naturally.
medicine, but will interest his patients in
the care of the human body, in diet, and in
the cause and prevention of disease."
Thomas Edison
