As a practitioner whose job involves listening to people’s stories day in and day out, I can honestly say I have yet to meet the person who has been unaffected by the economic events of the last couple of years. For many, life has become just a little bit more difficult than it was a few years ago. A significant recovery has yet to happen and, as a result, we continue to seek more effective solutions to our problems.
You’re probably asking already, “How does acupuncture, herbs, and holistic healing have anything to do with the economy?” In this month’s newsletter, we’ll be discussing how understanding the benefits of Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) can play a key role in building abundance; as individuals and as a nation.
The first point to understand is that when it comes to maintaining health and avoiding illness, TCM places a HUGE emphasis on prevention. The old saying goes, “Going to a physician (acupuncturist) after you become ill is like beginning to dig a well after you have become thirsty.” This isn’t to say acupuncture and herbs won’t help once you’ve come down with a cold, in fact they help to improve recovery time significantly, but why settle for the inevitability of getting sick when there are effective measures that can be taken to prevent it?
When it comes to understanding how the utilization of preventative health care relates to solving economic problems, the keywords to remember are spending, saving, investing, and debt. One could argue that in America today, we have created a “Culture of Debt”. In a “Culture of Debt”, spending and borrowing are fashionable and instant gratification is the norm. Thrift and self-discipline are boring and passé. Debt increases and wealth decreases.
In the same manner, when it comes to our health, we don’t get ahead in the long run by continually spending without saving or investing. Just as one must save and invest money to build material wealth, we must also be very careful to “save” and “invest” in our health. For example, we “save” for our health by not sacrificing our well-being in order to build a business or work a high-powered job. Certainly at times, despite our best intentions, it’s not possible to put our work or lives on hold when we’re feeling tired or run down. During times like these, we should be able to rely on our “health investments”. “Health investments” include regular exercise, maintaining a healthy diet, supplementing with herbal remedies, and having regular acupuncture treatments to restore and rejuvenate ourselves; body, mind, and spirit. If we choose not to “save” and “invest” in our health, then we essentially borrow against our health, or put or health “in debt”. And as anyone who has ever taken out a loan can tell you, all debts must be paid eventually.
Finally, the connection between health and wealth can be made by looking at a few simple definitions. The dictionary defines “Wealth” as, “An abundance of valuable material possessions or resources.” A “Resource” is defined as, “A natural feature or phenomenon that enhances the quality of human life”. “Health” is defined as, “the condition of being sound in body, mind or spirit.”
I think we’d all agree that being healthy enhances the quality of our lives. By dedicating ourselves to improving our health, we increase our quality of our lives and thereby increase our resources. When we increase our resources, we increase our wealth. Thus by definition, when we increase our health, we increase our wealth!
I am honored to be in the position to provide support for you along your path to building wealth (whether it be material or immaterial). I look forward to being of service to you and the community as we work together to create abundance in our lives.
Best,
-Joe
