Supplements
The question of whether to supplement or not is an interesting discussion because it is so controversial. Firstly, supplements cover a vast array of substances and each one has its own qualities, effects, and science behind it. Antioxidants are one such supplement group that is said to protect against that detrimental influences of the environment and the foods that we consume. Antioxidants are also available in the foods we eat, especially a diet rich in colorful fruits, berries and vegetables along with tea and chocolate. If one has a balanced diet that is supporting their needs one may not need to supplement their diet with a concentrated product. On the other hand, we live in a world that is unlike that of any that our ancestors had to live within. Our environment is full of some 80, 000 synthetic chemicals as well as the smoke from billions of smoke stacks coming from automobiles and factories that fuel our modern way of life. This extra pollution is one of the more pervasive arguments for the use of antioxidant supplements.
Ways to maintain health in a polluted environment
We live in a polluted environment. There are 80, 000 and counting chemicals in our environment that were not present there 70 years ago. As we speak, a great deal of highly toxic visible and invisible pollution is seeping and diffusing into the environment from a great many sources, not to mention from the damaged nuclear reactors in Japan. How do we deal with this reality? How do we stay healthy? First, we need not panic, but we need to be firm with the position that this risky and destructive, and in many ways senseless, use of harmful chemicals need not continue in the ways it has. We can all act in ways that minimizes these risks and we can work to keep these toxins from our homes and work space. Secondly, we must simply do everything that we are supposed to do whether there are pollutants or not. We need to exercise well, eat well, and live in accordance with the time and seasons. Along with this, we can reduce our intake of animal products, which contain higher concentrations of chemicals, and we can use herbs and vegetables that detoxify the body in a gentle fashion. Lastly, we can use qi gong, tai ji, and other practices along with meditation to create a more healthy internal environment.
I appreciate your comment on living within the seasons, maintaining a qigong practice, eating good food, etc. How I interpret this is basically keeping your sword sharp, whether or not there is a war to fight with pollutants. It is the warrior way. In clinic, usually whether or not my patient asks, I offer up suggestions on lifestyle adjustments that I see fit. I want to start this type of dialogue with my patients not only because they need the practical ramifications of it but also to sharpen my sword, so that once I get my license I will have started down a path of healing that whole person. This may not be true, and I would never really be able to confirm this, but I do believe that some of my repeat clinic patients come back to me for these nuggets of information, or this nudge to do their own research for their own good. Beyond balancing their bodies with needles and herbs then, I encourage them to take an active stance on their own health and the end result is that I've got a person who is both physically and psychologically ready to heal. Thanks for the blog.
ReplyDeleteI like what you said about "we need to exercise well, eat well, and live in accordance with the time and seasons." - this is so crucial to optimal health. But for most of us, living up to this one simple sentence can be quite a challenge. Exercise: most of us don't have the time. Eat well: again, no time to prepare healthy cooked meals. Live in accordance with time and seasons: I think this is the most challenging out of all three. The stressful lifestyle makes going to bed on time literally impossible and how many of us actually stay at home to "conserve energy" in winter?! May be this is why the opening sentence of Nei Jing states how people nowadays only live up to 60 or 70 because our lifestyle is totally against the laws of nature. But now that we are studying TCM, may be we can start incorporating those health practices into our lifestyle...nothing speaks louder than actions!
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