Our Selves, Our Society and Our Environment
What Traditional Chinese Medicine Can Teach Us about Healing
One of the first things I learned in Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) school is that this is a holistic medicine. You may have noticed when you come in for a treatment that we ask a lot of questions that on the surface have little or nothing to do with the health concern that brought you to acupuncture in the first place. Hopefully we practitioners have done a good job of explaining that this medicine does not separate out your physical health from your emotional or mental health – you are all one system and we treat you as such. This is why we ask about your digestion when your neck hurts – it is our job to spot the clues to formulate a coherent pattern that will lead us to a correct TCM diagnosis. If we get the diagnosis right, our treatment plan will also be correct, leading to better health outcomes for our patients.
This medicine takes that holism further that that. Not only are each of us humans an interconnected, interrelated system of organs, tissues, feelings, thoughts and spirit, but our individual health is reliant on a healthy society and environment. The sages of our medicine state clearly that we cannot separate ourselves out from our society, and we cannot separate ourselves out from our environment. This is pretty obvious if you think about it – a toxic environment makes it very hard for any of us individuals to stay healthy (before moving to LA I didn’t understand the obsession here with toxicity, but after a few years with our air pollution I do now!) and a toxic society sickens our bodies, minds and spirits.
This time we are living through makes this so clear. Just focusing on one sector will not lead to the healing we yearn for. I treat patients across the political spectrum and I can tell you what unites us is our fear, stress and anxiety. I see wellness enthusiasts who have trouble seeing past their own issues; activists, organizers, teachers and social workers who run themselves into exhaustion trying to be of service; and environmental activists who struggle to see how social justice (or the lack thereof) is related to our environment and it’s degradation.
It is up to all of us to make a wider diagnosis, to understand none of us can heal in isolation. In fact, the pandemic-related widespread isolation we are experiencing shows me that being isolated makes us feel terrible. Everyday, multiple times a day, I’m hearing from my patients that they are experiencing increased insomnia, anxiety, panic, hair loss, dizziness, headaches, neck/shoulder/hip pain, sexual function issues and irregular menstrual cycles. Many find it reassuring that they are not alone in these struggles.
Unaddressed generational trauma (which can negatively affect the descendants of both the victims and perpetrators of violence, oppression and coercion) can derail our efforts to heal, to respond appropriately in the moment. The past is prologue, as said by the luminary James Baldwin, but the past does not have to dictate the future. I have seen patients heal extreme trauma, I have seen patients commit to healing their own generational trauma in an attempt to stop it from being passed down. I know healing is possible - I have the great honor to witness healing everyday. But we must make a clear-eyed, honest and accurate with our diagnosis to even begin the process.
One note about this very particular time we are living through – TCM also teaches us that infections can lurk in the body, wrecking havoc but staying below the surface so the illness may not be visible at first glance. In order to treat these lingering infections we must vent them to the surface. This can cause an ugly and uncomfortable rash, but sometimes healing is like that. It is a messy, uncomfortable thing that requires some bravery and fortitude. I wish you all comfort, care and healing as we go through this chaotic time. May it bring us the healing we need so badly. May we all be a part of healing ourselves, our environment and our society. It is up to all of us.
- Holly Anderson, L.Ac.