Because the professional practioner of traditional Chinese medicine works in concord with nature and not against it, Chinese medicine, like most natural medicines, works slower and more smoothly than modern Western medicine. Therefore, the prospective patient must be willing to give Chinese medicine a chance to do its job at the body's own pace. One month of healing for each year a chronic condition has persisted is a generous and realistic time-frame. At first, this may look like the "never never" plan. But, when viewed from the perspective of a seventy year plus life span, six months, a year, a year and a half, or even two is actually a short time if real, deep health and balance are obtained. Having practiced traditional Chinese medicine here in the United States since 1987, it is clear that those patients who stick with Chinese medicine for more than six months get the best and most profound results. In Chinese medicine, traditionally, a doctor could not claim a cure until the patient was able to go through four seasons without a relapse or recurrence. The sweetest music to my ears is when patients tell me two or three years after having undergone a course of Chinese medical treatment how consistently better and better they feel once having been pointed in the right direction.
Unfortunately, we live in such a hurry-up world that many contemporary patients find it difficult to persevere in a single therapy for more than a few weeks or, at most, a couple of months. There are so many options in the healthcare marketplace, and it is difficult not to want to do them all, all at once. "If a little is good, more must be better." But not in Chinese medicine.
Professional Chinese medicine is based on the Doctrine of the Mean, the way of moderation. When seeking balance, more than enough of anything will tip the balance, and once that balance has been tipped, the bodymind will tend to swing erratically for some time. Therefore, it is important to discuss with the professional practioner of Chinese medicine all therapies one is using or wishes to use to get a focused therapeutic principle of treatment . The professional practitioner can help the patient decide what foods, vitamins and minerals, and over the counter medicines are appropriate based on their individualized Chinese energetic diagnosis. In general, symptomatic shotgun therapy is best avoided. It rarely results in actual balance.
The treatment plan of deep relaxation, aerobic exercise, diet, herbal
medicine, and acupuncture is a comprehensive and holistic treatment plan
which seeks not only to allay symptoms but also to restore balance at a
deep level of one's being. In my experience, the better the patient's compliance
and the more perserving their following of the totall treatment plan, the
better the therapeutic result. Following such a comprehensive treatment
plan takes some determination. It is not without its difficulties. But,
not only will one's condition show marked improvement, the patient's entire
health and well-being will take a turn for the better. As in the story
of the turtle and the hare, it is slow and steady which wins this race.
It is little wonder that the turtle is a traditional Chinese symbol of
longevity.