Life is full of hassles, roadblocks, frustrations, time constraints, and demands. All of these create stress in our lives which can become so commonplace that stress becomes a way of life. In small doses, stress can help performance under pressure or motivate an individual to do their best. But when we’re constantly running in emergency mode, our mind and body pay the price.
Everyone experiences stress in a way that is unique to the individual. Our body can respond and adjust to stress allowing us to continue interacting with others, sleeping well, and feeling energized when experienced in small doses. Yet, for many of us, life doesn’t hand-out stress in small doses. When stressors in life began to overwhelm us, it becomes more difficult to stay in balance, our lives start changing, our outlook starts changing and stress starts to become a way of life.
Someone who is usually laid back and unflustered can find their responses and adaptation start to change. For one person, they may find that they have a quick temper, experience constant moodiness, irritability, a preference for being left alone, feeling tired or exhausted, abdominal pain, and headaches. Another way stress can show up is with anxiety coupled with endlessly thinking a situation round and round, difficulty falling asleep, or never getting enough rest. They may find that food lacks flavor or taste. Or, too much stress in our lives can show up with chronic body pain, wanting to withdraw, inability to make decisions, and insecurity interacting with others.
There are many ways which stress appears. Yet, Chinese Medicine has the ability to focus on the unique symptoms of stress instead of a single diagnosis of stress. This gives Chinese Medicine the uncommon ability to customized treatments to the individual.
With over 5,000 years of practice and development in real world situations, Chinese Medicine has been able to focus and refine their medical theory, treatments, and medicine to work in real life. Not only using needles, Chinese Medical practice uses natural substances that are grown, prepared, and packaged in accordance with GMP.
In the U.S., pharmaceutical drugs are regulated by the FDA. Pharmaceuticals manufactured outside the US, are required to be in compliance with Good Manufacturing Practices (GMP). GMP covers not only the production, but also the testing of the end product. The United States regulates herbal products under the Dietary Supplement and Health Education Act and considers herbal products as foods. The products are not required to follow GMP in order to enter the U.S.
Conversely, China takes their herbal production very seriously and has regulated them under the GMP guidelines. Many Chinese Medical providers in the U.S., including myself, purchase Chinese herbal products that follow GMP standards. These products will be marked with GMP labeling ensuring product quality, identification, preparation, and packaging.
Coupling acupuncture with herbal remedies ensures better response and repair. Similar to Western Medicine, Chinese Medicine can not guarantee immediate response. And like Western Medicine, Chinese Medicine may require a number of visits in order to identify the best way to treat your stress. The long-term goal of Chinese Medicine is to repair the body so that the body can function on its own. This doesn’t mean that Chinese Medicine can take you back to your early twenties. Yet, it may help make you feel better than you have in years.