An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.
-----Benjamin Franklin
The sky is a stunning, cloudless azure blue. There is a gentle sea breeze cooling the summer heat from baking to beautiful. You sit on your alfresco watching the water of your swimming pool dance with reflections. In one hand you have an ice-cold beverage in your other hand – your favourite book. All is right with your world. You are content. Then a sharp momentary sting and you realize an ant has invaded your peace. A quick slap, and the problem resolves itself. You sip your drink and let your mind wander back to the fantasy world of your novel. Without warning you feel another sharp sting, then another and another. You look down and, in horror, realise that your foot is covered in the stinging insects. You jump up, grab a towel and start removing the ants. Your foot is on fire and swelling fast. This you cannot ignore – you call your partner and off to emergency you go.
This story is a good metaphor for our health and wellness. We are all guilty of ignoring warning signs. An ache or pain here and there and we think little about it. We take a pill or get out an ice pack or heat pack. We expect that from time to time we will not feel our best. That we’ll be run down or lackluster. But each of these symptoms can be signs of a bigger issue. A potential health problem our body is trying to warn us about.
Conversely, if we were to encounter a major injury or illness – a broken ankle or heart attack – most of us would seek help immediately. We would realise that our body needs help to heal and return to balance. So why are we so quick to recognise the big things and ignore the more subtle signs? Conditioning.
We are conditioned to ignore subtle signs. To mask symptoms with painkillers or anti-depressants or mood enhancers. Yet, these subtle symptoms can prove every bit as damaging over time as the broken bone is in the short term. In order to achieve long-term wellness and stability in our health, we must learn to focus on our bodies, to listen to them and do what we can to assist their natural ability to heal.
Acupuncture for wellness – a once-a-month treatment to help keep your body’s meridian system in balance – can help you achieve this goal. By learning to listen to your body instead of ignoring the signs, you can help eliminate many issues before they’ve begun and keep yourself on a lifelong path of good health and self-care.