“COVID to the left of me, INFLATION to the right of me—the NEWS vollies and thunders! Yet here we are, afoot and in wonder.” (apologies to A.L. Tennyson.)
Cannon to right of them,
Charge of the LIght Brigade, Tennyson
Cannon to left of them,
Cannon behind them
Volleyed and thundered …
Yes, we are living in a time of wonder for sure! Wondering about this, and wondering about that, and wondering what does personal health care consist of in this time of COVID. If there was ever a time for integrative medicine, this is it!
In the evolutionary wave we live, there is tradition, that which got us as a species to where we are today, and innovation, what we do everyday trying to make tradition better. So we could say that a working definition of evolution is that place called, now, where tradition and innovation meet. In terms of health-care/self-care today, we can call it, integrative medicine: where empirical and intuitive ways of staying healthy meet.
“The intuitive mind is a sacred gift and the rational mind is a faithful servant.”
Albert Einstein
Chinese Medicinal Herbs
Chinese medical herbs comprise a unique system of herbal medicine, where the herbalist combines a specific mix, or ‘formula,’ of individual herbs to help address a particular health problem. This approach to herbal medicine is based on the ancient wisdom that instructs: “The whole is greater than the sum of its parts.”
Embodying this ancient knowing, a Chinese herbal formula is like a symphony which combines a wide array of instruments to achieve a musical effect not attainable by an individual instrument playing on its own. An experienced Chinese medicine herbalist knows how to combine herbs in way that generates a greater magnitude of healing, and like an accomplished composer can adapt generalized formulas, to specifically address your unique health situation.
Just as a well-conducted orchestra creates beautiful music, a properly composed Chinese herbal formula supports the beautiful feeling of health.
Back in 2014 we found out about Cleveland Clinic‘s controversial integration of Oriental Medicine as an adjunct to what is traditionally offered in a hospital in the United States. Seven years later, apparently the complementarity is working. Complementarity has alway been part of what BIOM offers. Kitty’s years of study in hospital nursing is part of the texture of her practice of Oriental Medicine.
[Excerpts from Cleveland Clinic’s Chinese Herbal Therapy brochure.]
What is Chinese herbal therapy?
Chinese herbal medicine is a major part of traditional Chinese medicine. It has been used for centuries in China, where herbs are considered fundamental therapy for many acute and chronic conditions. Herbalists in our Chinese Herbal Therapy Clinic draw from “Materia Medica,” a traditional Chinese medicine text that covers thousands of herbs, minerals and other extracts.
What conditions are best treated with Chinese herbal therapy?
Like acupuncture, Chinese herbs can address unhealthy body patterns that manifest in a variety of symptoms and complaints. Chinese herbal therapy aims to help you regain homeostasis, or balance, in your body and to strengthen your body’s resistance to disease. Chinese herbs may be used to:
• Decrease cold/flu symptoms • Increase your energy
• Improve your breathing• Improve digestion
• Improve your sleep
• Decrease pain
• Improve menopausal symptoms
• Help regulate menstrual cycles if infertility is an issue
Chinese herbal therapy can also be a valuable additional therapy following cancer treatment to aid the body’s recovery from the after-effects of chemotherapy and/or radiation. Chinese herbs are useful in rehabilitation for other chronic diseases too. We may recommend Chinese herbal therapy when:
- You have multiple symptoms or they are hard to pinpoint.
- You’ve exhausted traditional medical options and nothing seems to help.
- You need therapy to counteract side effects of prescribed medication.
- You are interested in preventive treatment.
