Boost your Immune System
Over the weekend I found myself pinned to a bed for half an hour.
I received the address of my destination via email as soon as I booked the appointment but when I arrived it was not how I expected. An industrial estate outside building eleven. There were not any signs giving away the inside experience. Neither were there any instructions in the email. In a way only conditioned by society, the arrival of a lady that I judged to be like me, quickly parked and walked inside allowing me to feel safe and in the correct place. I walked around the corner to an open door and peeped inside, a white staircase greeted me. I looked around for a sign, something that would tell me this is where I expected to be and that I was not about to walk into a bi-fold door show room (the only other time I have been in a building like this). Suddenly I spotted it, hidden away under the staircase on a small shelf. A little pile of leaflets with the words ‘affordable acupuncture’. Time to boost my immune system!
Phew!
A few days ago, I experienced acupuncture for the first time. As a complementary health practitioner that regularly recommends acupuncture, I feel slightly uncomfortable to admit I am not a user.
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My Experience
For those that have not had the pleasure of acupuncture please allow me the time to run through what happened in my appointment. After the normalities of waiting rooms and form filling the practitioner guided me into a blissfully warm room. She asked me some general questions including what brought me there. I know only too well the surprise on a holistic practitioner’s face to the answer “I’m here because I can be”.
On our island it is not the norm to take care of our health in this way. I spoke of my poor blood circulation and laughed at how I the people around me will possibly benefit from a balancing of my hormones before she asked me to take my socks off and lay face up on the bed. So comfortable I barely noticed her inserting around ten needles into various points of my body and sensed the smug feeling of a child achieving full marks in their spelling test as she exclaimed how well I managed for my first time, after which she stepped out of the room instructing me to enjoy my time. I chose to spend the next thirty minutes meditating, with a focus on abdominal breathing. By the time she returned to remove the needles I felt the blissful feeling of a deep hypnotic state.
Forced rest?!
The whole experience got me thinking – and I do not wish to disrespect the practise of acupuncture here because I really do believe in the wisdom behind it – I laughed to myself as I wondered whether acupuncture originally started as a tool to force rest upon others! Imagine that, a discussion between two members of the community about how so and so in the cave next door needs to slow down a bit, one of them says, “I know, let us lay her down and put needles all over her body and leave her for half an hour. Then she will have to rest”. You see, that is what the acupuncture did for me (amongst less obvious things I am sure). It forced me to spend thirty minutes of my day meditating. I frequently write about meditation and its benefits, sometimes it does take being pinned to a bed to make it happen.
Prevent rather than Cure
I believe that we should always look at ways to enhance our health before it becomes a problem. Let us take ‘the cancer diet’ as an example. It is a harsh example, but I feel one that makes the point clearly. I imagine that many diagnosed with cancer take it on board. Why do we not all take it on board as a preventative measure? The acupuncturist and I discussed this, she rightly said that she imagines many people spend years taking anti-anxiety medication before seeking the help of a therapist.
I am not anti-medication and consider myself a complementary practitioner. However I have an awareness that many people do not enjoy taking medication and would prefer to find a healthier way to ease their struggles. I wonder whether regular therapy sessions as prevention rather than cure would help. Attending fitness classes before there is a need to get fit. Frequenting an osteopath, chiropractor, massage therapist etc to realign once or twice a year before the big back ache arrives. I am fully aware that from a financial perspective it is often difficult to prioritise health and your immune system in this way. Many of my blog post suggest free ways to optimise health, such as journaling, meditating, and walking in nature.
I will continue to ask the question; how can we direct the focus of health to support the immune system and our vitality through wellbeing to prevent emotional and physical illness rather than trying to fix it once its damaged?
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If you enjoyed this you may enjoy reading about Mindful Meditation and three techniques you can start using today.