The Body is a Self-Healing Mechanism

Years ago, I had a Reiki client who was an environmentalist by vocation. It was his job to heal the country's rivers. The river he was in charge of at the time was the Hanalei River in Kauai, Hawaii. I was always intrigued by his work. He told me rivers possess self-regenerative capacity. If they cease being poisoned, they will find their way back to health. Rivers will clean themselves, restoring their natural balance.

My friend and his work healing rivers came to mind in light of the recent oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico. I am heartened by the words of my friend, reminding me of the Earth's capacity to heal itself and restore natural order.

I'm also inspired by the story of the Hanalei River as a metaphor for the human body. We, as humans, are part of the earth. We are just as "natural" as the trees and rivers. Only, perhaps not as wise or "connected" all the time.

As an acupuncturist, I believe in the body's ability to regenerate and heal itself. Often, the process of healing is merely stopping behaviors or thought-patterns that are poisoning or blocking the rivers within the body.

There is a quote I particularly like from one of the medical classics, stating there is no such thing as "true deficiency," only relative deficiency from the misappropriation of the body's resources. None of us are truly weak or lacking. We may appear to be weak, deficient in blood, without adequate money, love or confidence. However, the classic Nan Jing would say this is only "our foolishness" obscuring, or blocking things.

Within my acupuncture practice, I support people to heal themselves. The acupuncture channels of the body were named after the 12 major rivers of China. They behave like rivers that dump into the "sea" or organ they are associated with. When blockages are removed, and poisonous behavior and/or thoughts are stopped, the rivers can restore natural balance, resulting in systemic health.

This is the true work that is done within my office: working to let go of that which damages the body. Thoughts created from past experiences, or emotions that have not been released can often be some of the most toxic offenders to the body.

It is believed within Chinese Medicine that unresolved mental or emotional material stagnates the blood and congeals the fluids. Stagnant emotions and thoughts create heat in the body. Heat can become so strong, it literally burns up the fluids and structures of the body. Heat also congeals blood and fluids into masses or tumors, called "fire toxins" within Chinese Medicine. This is believed to be one of the etiologies that cause Cancer.

Toxic heat can also be produced through inappropriate diet, smoking, recreational drugs, and other lifestyle choices incompatible with health.

Addiction and habit are two of the most challenging blocks to letting go of toxic thoughts and behavior. However the addictive behavior is only the symptom. The cause of addiction is frequently a trauma having occurred to the mind or body sometime in the person's past.

Acupuncture excels in helping people release trauma from the past, allowing them to let go of toxic behaviors or thought patterns. Once toxic material is released, the person can allow the rivers and seas within their bodies to regenerate and heal.