Deliberate Compassion

acupuncture delight,
originally uploaded by etakadnama.

At the urging of a good friend I made an appointment at a center for alternative medicine. I hoped for answers and relief. I expected, keeping in step with today's conventional medicine, a swift consultation ending with the usual, "Well, I will look this over and give you a call back for an appointment in a few weeks." What I received was absolute attention and deliberate compassion. I want to discuss the tests and the results; but first I think the emphasis should not bypass a doctor who is willing to take time out for a patient. I called yesterday morning to schedule an appointment. I was easily accommodated with an appointment late yesterday afternoon. There was not one point where I felt that I was taking up this doctor’s time. I felt that his full attention was directed at me, his patient. Is this what alternative medicine is about? I understand that the treatment is not mainstream, but I have never worked in unison with a doctor before. I have never wanted to be on the same team as my doctor, until now.

I was called back into the office, and we had a conversation in regards to why I was there; I filled him in on the ENS, as well as the auto-immune issues that I have. We discussed my allergies and talked about my cholesterol levels. The doctor’s technique was a combination of Traditional Chinese Medicine, i.e. 5 element theory, acupuncture, etc... and western medicine as well. I spent 5 weeks in China studying Traditional Chinese Medicine, and have a strong belief in the way parts of the body are connected. Admittedly, I had never applied these thoughts to my life. I am fascinated by this kind of medicine that treats the problem as opposed to fixing the symptoms.

At this point he measured currents going through different parts of my body. This gave him the information he needed to see which systems were working too hard, which ones were okay, and which ones were "burned out". My stomach and small intestine were the systems with the most interest. Not surprisingly, the lung and small intestine are linked as are the sinuses and the stomach. WOW!! It was that simple. Granted, correcting these systems will take a lot of dedication, but for the first time I really feel as if there is something to attain. This was only after the first test.

We then moved to the muscle testing. The whole kinesiology thing really blows my mind; the ability to apply pressure to a muscle and to fight it, or in this case my inability to fight it gave him the answers he needed to find the correct supplements for me to take. He also used this testing for the acupuncture points. I have included a picture of me with needles sticking out of my face. Virtually painless. It was amazing.

Now though, is the tough part. There is a lot of responsibility that I must take in order to treat the problems that all of this testing revealed. My diet has to completely change. I am not to have any of the following: carbs, dairy, any sugars, alcohol, leafy greens, nuts, seafood, fruit. Okay, so all of that hurts, A LOT. Though it is temporary, I think 6-8 weeks. In addition there are a lot of supplements that have been added to my regimen as well. Now only time will tell.

When I first found the forum on Empty Nose Syndrome something inside of me broke. I felt so tired of fighting and the idea of embarking on a life long battle with pain, pressure and infection could not have weighed more heavily on my mind. To believe that all systems are connected, and what caused my sinus problems could potentially be found and fixed has changed my complete outlook of the future. I needed a change of perspective, looks like I got it.