People across America have been increasingly turning to Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) for help in treating problems associated with our modern age. As the pace of life quickens and the workday lengthens, personal time previously used for relaxation and nourishment has become a luxury in one’s schedule. Our modern life offers many amenities and diversions but it often comes with a price – paid with our good physical, mental, and spiritual health. Many people are becoming aware of the cost of our hectic lifestyles and are looking into the past to seek guidance for today. The resurgence of Yoga, the widespread popularity of Bhuddism, and the incredible boom in TCM lately illustrate that the old wisdoms have a place in the Modern Age. This is because these philosophies can help restore balance and harmony, lessening the negative effects of modern life.

As a practitioner of TCM, I frequently see how profoundly this wonderful medicine can benefit people by restoring balance to their life. The reason for this is that one of the primary tenets of the medicine is based on the harmonious interplay of the forces of life and nature. Essentially, this philosophy recognizes that many things in our daily life effect our health and that it is important to keep these forces in balance. Our environment, home life, work life, emotions, and the foods we eat, as well our activities would be a few examples.

When you visit a TCM practitioner to help with a problem, they will look deeply into the cause of the illness to discover which forces are out of balance. Approaching problems in this fashion will treat the “root” of a disease and affect a deep and lasting healing. A good example would be Carpal Tunnel disease. A TCM practitioner will search out the root of the problem by questioning the client to find out: what makes it worse or better, if a certain event started the problem, what type of work they do, what activities they do regularly, etc. The practitioner can then use any of the TCM modalities – acupuncture, Chinese herbs, massage, exercise therapy, and lifestyle counseling – to treat not only the pain, but to also help correct the underlying imbalance. Ideally the client leaves the office with their symptoms lessened and feeling empowered to take charge of their health.

This is but one of the ways that Traditional Chinese Medicine can be used to help restore harmony to our modern, hectic lifestyles. For those seeking to balance the forces acting within our lives, TCM can a powerful resource. It can provide the vision to see the imbalance and disharmonies, the wisdom to correct them, and the tools necessary to effect a positive and lasting change.