While I have written elsewhere about physical activity and the important role it plays in my life, I want to return to it now, if only to explain my decision to specialize in a particular field of acupuncture and Chinese medicine treatment.
As I age, and my body inevitably starts to break down—like they all tend to—I find myself drawn increasingly to the joys of being physically active. It is something that I look forward to on a daily basis, and it continues to bring me much joy. Yet ironically, the more I do, the more injuries I tend to experience. If it’s not a hip flexor strain, then it’s something on one side of my back, then the other side of it, or something in my thumb, or now a strain in my bicep. Regardless of what ends up happening to me, there becomes an increased amount of urgency to fix that problem, and to speed up recovery.
I was very lucky to have had the past four or so years be filled with the experience of working with a wonderful team at Tao of Wellness. There I had the chance to be a generalist, and treat things outside of my comfort zone. It made me appreciate the role that herbs play in healing illness, and I am much more comfortable in strongly encouraging my patients to take herbs as a result. But now I’m ready to focus on what has been staring me straight in the face for many years now: sports medicine and pain management.
At the end of the day, we really do have to return to what we are passionate about, and what we are surrounded by. So many of my friends and members of my community are active, and subsequently are continually hurting themselves. And whatever way that I can help not only myself understand the mechanisms of these injuries and how to heal them, but help us all recover faster.
While most, if not all, acupuncturists are “pain management specialists” due to the nature of how acupuncture works, to specialize in body mechanics is something else entirely. I do already study the body, from the perspective of Chinese martial arts, or Kung Fu. It may not be a scientific approach, but it is a tradition passed down in understanding one’s own body in terms of healing, of feeling, and the development of power in its free flow of energy throughout. But I am going to add to this daily investigation by following Matt Callison for a bit. I hope to be able to heal people better, as Chinese medicine ultimately is about a continuous pursuit of improving. To find out more about Matt Callison’s program, please visit his website.