What’s Your Nagging Minor Physical Ailment?

Pretty much every adult that I’ve met has one (or more). It’s the thing that comes and goes in varying levels of severity, sometimes disappearing completely for a while, sometimes flaring up for a while. Most of the time it’s so low-grade that it’s easy enough to ignore. An achy back, stiff neck, sore knees, allergies, hemorrhoids, athletes foot, bloating after eating, skin rashes, frequent heartburn or constipation, low energy, eye issues, etc. I like to think of these as messages from the body to pay more attention to it. It’s a barometer for how well we are taking care of ourselves.

And in my office, I’ve noticed that people tend to have a flare-up of whatever their issue is when there is a lot of intense energy happening in the world. And I think we can all agree that these are intense times. Wildfires burning, hurricanes battering, political rancor, pandemic still spreading, nations toppling, etc. When there is this much stress and uncertainty in the world, it can take its toll on the physical body. Hence the issue flare-up. So what can we do about it?

Sure we can continue to ignore them or suppress them with medications. But often this can make things even worse over time. The low-grade nagging issue becomes an acute “in-your-face” flare-up. For example, the lower back or neck tightness becomes a full-blown spasm episode that takes you out completely. These issues are indicators of an imbalance. Really the best thing to do is to listen to the messages coming from the body and take steps to shift it back into balance. When it’s caused by stress, this usually means upping our de-stressing and relaxation game. This might also mean prioritizing sleep, some dietary modification, or other life-style change, depending on what your specific situation is.

The beauty of Chinese medicine is its foundation in balance. It excels at helping people get back into a state of balance. It also helps smooth out the discomfort of the imbalance and the “crunchiness” of it. When we live closer to a state of balance, our experience of life is just better. We get sick less, have more energy, and are in a better mood more often. Our physical bodies are more capable and able to do the things we want them to do. And the sooner we identify an imbalance in our bodies and the sooner we take action to correct it, the easier and faster it is to get back into balance. Personally I have found that when we act sooner to correct an imbalance, the period of flare-up is way less intense and much shorter. When we become aware of an imbalance in our bodies, it is an invitation to pay more attention to the body and take steps to come back to center. Of course we all get to choose whether to do something about our “issue”. I hope you will choose to come back into balance sooner rather than later!