Permission To Take Care of Yourself

By Anne C. Crowley, MAc, LAc

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Permission To Take Care of Yourself

Our society is not very good at giving us permission to take care of signs that come up before illness hits. We always seem to have a diagnostic code before our employers, insurance companies and, yes, even family and friends, will listen. We must be able to categorize some phenomena before we can tell the body to stop, slow down, and take a rest.
Often to help others we must help ourselves first. No, we dont have to have answers to everything but we can operate on a pretty healthy regimen if we choose. Lifestyle changes take time for people depending on their circumstances, mentally, physically, and spiritually. An in-depth background history can show where ingrained behaviors may have started, and a current lifestyle profile will show areas where changes can occur, but do not expect them to occur overnight. Some people need to have their energy restored before taking up an exercise program. Exercise is always a good idea. Some people ignore this, others dont, and still others may put it in their long-term memory.
Changes happen when people are ready for them. The spirit is most important. If we have lost our reason to be here or our light inside, called Shen by the Chinese,then we are in trouble. Having our spirit alive and well is so important to our well being. Illnesses like fibromyalgia, lupus, and multiple sclerosis, can deplete our spirits as well. No one really understands their origin and yet they attack our bodies and often our spirits. And yes they can be held at bay and acupuncture is one way there.
When the spirit is in tact, the rest is easy. We can then work at the mental and physical levels. Exercise, massage, yoga or meditation even a quiet bath may help. These along with other internal practices we develop, help patients walk through life when they are not in the treatment room. Acupuncture has been described as fine tuning the FM station. Along with that fine tuning, expect some wonderful side effects.
When first starting acupuncture treatment, no one knows what will happen and yet miracles can happen. Are we willing to accept what life deals us and walk through it gracefully all the while holding the highest possibilities for ourselves?