Sick-Care to Self-Care: Transforming Health Through Holistic Practices (this week’s FREE discussion at the University Club of Winter Park)
This week I will again speak at the University Club of Winter Park, to share information about health and wellness practices. This month, I will discuss the many factors that play a role in our health and well-being, as well as those “Mind and Body” practices that Western medicine increasingly recognizes as important to our health.
I will be discussing topics such as qi, and how to increase its flow through acupressure (reflexology) on the hands, fingers, and wrists. These exercises can help reduce pain while also increasing grip strength. A strong grip can help reduce falling for those with balance issues.
The concept of “sick-care” is to wait until you get sick to get care. The idea of “self-care” empowers the individual to manage their own well-being by taking active control to prioritize healthy lifestyle choices and consider options beyond traditional Western medicine. It’s never too late to start caring for yourself, so join us to learn how!
UCWP is located at 841 N. Park Avenue, Winter Park, at 2pm Thursday, July 11th. Contact me to confirm attendance at 407-234-0119
Reflexology is based on similar principles to acupuncture as well as some types of massage. Our bodies are mapped by meridians of energy, or “chi” (pronounced “chee’). When we feel pain, discomfort or uneasiness, the flow of energy is blocked in some way. By putting pressure on parts of these meridians, the practitioner sends an impulse or signal all the way along it, which unblocks it and promotes the energy to flow freely again. There are various theories as to where the mapping of the hands, feet and ears corresponds to the different components of the human body. This post focuses mostly on hand positioning methods to achieve better health.
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I write often about topics that affect our health and well-being. Additionally, I teach and offer lecture about qigong, tai chi, baguazhang, and yoga. I also have hundreds of FREE education video classes, lectures and seminars available on my YouTube channel at:
Depending upon which cultures are involved, specific different issues can be discussed. I will comment on Asian body-based methods being assimilated into American culture.
I think many of the challenges have already been occurring for many years. When President Nixon visited China in 1972, Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) and its body-based practices of reflexology (acupressure) and tuina (massage), where not well known in the US at that time. Thanks to the New York Times columnist James Reston reporting of his experience in a Chinese hospital, the American public was able to receive a firsthand account of the benefits of acupuncture and other hands-on methods. TCM methods had been practiced in the US since the immigrants from China arrived long ago, but never was reported much in mainstream media until Reston’s article (Yong, 2015).
Back in the early 1980’s, I had direct exposure to Chinese and Korean culture by way of martial arts, cuisine, language and lifestyle. Many of my relatives and adult peers were veterans of the Korean and Vietnam Wars, having deep political, racial and trust issues towards the Asian cultures. I did not agree with many of their viewpoints, but I did respect them as they had lived, fought and some died while unwillingly experiencing the culture that they were drafted into attending. At that time, my relatives would have never even considered seeking treatment from anyone other than an American medical doctor, even knowing that these were options for healthcare. While I think more Americans are open today to alternative medicine and complimentary practices, I think some of these issues may still exist decades after their initial seeding in the US. I think there can be found, good and bad in everything depending upon how it is chosen to be interpreted.
Other cultures often do not have the same regulations nor requirements as deemed necessary for licensure within the US, making body-based practitioners less likely to seek offering services in the US. I have found that most insurance providers often don’t recognize these methods as legitimate Western allopathic medicine and are seen as quackery or mostly placebo-based treatments.
Ayurveda and Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) are probably the two oldest systems of healthcare practiced throughout the world. Ayurveda has its origins in the Hindu religion within India from 5000 years ago. Traditional Chinese Medicine also has origins from thousands of years ago (475–221 BC) but in China. Both systems have been practiced widely throughout the world, with seemingly very little interest in the US when compared to Western allopathic or biomedicine practices.
What will it take and when will the medical community more fully embrace the benefits of many of these methods and practices that have proven the test of time for many cultures, sometimes over thousands of years?
Reference:
Li, Yong. (2015). Acupuncture journey to America: A turning point in 1971. Journal of Traditional Chinese Medical Sciences. 1. 10.1016/j.jtcms.2015.03.001.
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I write often about topics that affect our health and well-being. Additionally, I teach and offer lecture about qigong, tai chi, baguazhang, and yoga. I also have hundreds of FREE education video classes, lectures and seminars available on my YouTube channel at:
One of the various methods often prescribed in TCM is exercise/movement. Meditation, Tai chi and qigong are methods that affect the breathing patterns which in Western medicine would be connected to stimulation of the vagus nerve and the parasympathetic nervous system. TCM recognizes these methods as a way to balance the qi in the energy meridians and consequently the organs. Management of the breath while practicing these methods are a way to balance emotion and psychological issues.
Various TCM methods of pain management:
Acupuncture: very fine needles placed gently in the skin
Acupressure, reflexology and/or massage
Cupping: heated cups that create suction on your skin
Herbs: teas, powders, and capsules made mostly from plants
Meditation: a way to sit quietly and calm your mind
Moxibustion: dried herbs burned near the skin
Tai chi/qigong; exercises with slow movements and focus on the breath
I write often about topics that affect our health and well-being. Additionally, I teach and offer lecture about qigong, tai chi, baguazhang, and yoga.
Acupressure (no needles) and its parent of acupuncture (needles) from Traditional Chinese medicine, has been around for a few thousand years.
These is an amazing amount of knowledge, methods and alternative options to manage chronic pain beyond surgery, opiates and anti-inflammatories.
These are techniques that I was taught over 40 years ago from my martial arts masters and teachers. The key factor is consistency – practicing the techniques on a regular basis can help relieve the chronic pain associated with headaches and the stress that often accompanies these issues.
I teach classes, seminars, and private instruction focusing on methods of wellness from Traditional Chinese Medicine, Tai Chi, Qigong, acupressure and exercises from martial arts for fitness and improved health. 407-234-0119.
United Martial Arts Association 