Why aren’t you letting go?

Once a pattern of imbalance is discerned according to Traditional Chinese Medicine principles, the areas of the spirit, body and mind are brought back into harmony and balance, restoring the full expression of symptom-free health.

by Dr. David Lowenstein — 

Dina was a patient who suffered from fibromyalgia and depression, as diagnosed by her medical doctor. The overall impression was that she was “holding on” emotionally. She could not or would not let go of many painful events from her life. After an examination based on Traditional Chinese Medicine, the conclusion was that the fibromyalgia and depression had manifested because of her emotional holding on, creating an imbalance in her body, mind and spirit.

The examination and treatment of this patient were based on the traditions of the 4 pillars of asking, touching, listening and looking; the 8 principles of hot versus cold, wet versus dry, yin versus yang, and full versus empty; the 5 elements of wood, fire, earth, metal and water; and the Zang-Fu and Meridian syndromes to determine patterns of imbalance and disharmony.

Through the examination, it became clear that this patient was indeed holding on emotionally; what was initially unclear, though, was the area where the imbalances were occurring. After a thorough examination, we discovered her holding-on pattern was an imbalance of liver qi stagnation, which created heat and wind, with wood over-controlling earth. This pattern caused symptoms which were medically diagnosed as fibromyalgia and depression. The treatment principle was to clear the heat, dispel the wind, calm the liver and gall bladder, and sedate wood.

Once a pattern of imbalance is discerned according to Traditional Chinese Medicine principles, the areas of the spirit, body and mind are brought back into harmony and balance, restoring the full expression of symptom-free health. Western medicine treats the symptoms directly, then labels the conditions as fibromyalgia and depression. Traditional Chinese Medicine, as practiced for thousands of years, differs, in that it treats the imbalances in the 8 principles, 5 elements, or Zang-Fu and the Meridians.

A patient should ask a licensed acupuncturist which modalities they use and exactly how they practice. It is important to determine whether they treat a patient’s presenting symptom(s) with its medical diagnosis, versus treating the imbalance and disharmony as described in the long history of Traditional Chinese Medicine.

David Lowenstein, D.C., LAc, M.A., M.S., is a diplomate in acupuncture and Asian bodywork therapy and is a certified instructor and practitioner of Shiatsu. www.bluerockcenter.com, [email protected] or 602-957-6100.

Reprinted from AzNetNews, Volume 25, Number 6, December 2006/January 2007.