The tradition of Chinese Medicine as a whole places great emphasis on lifestyle management in order to prevent disease before it occurs. Chinese medicine recognises that health is more than just the absence of disease and it has a unique capacity to maintain and enhance our capacity for well being and happiness through the prevention of disease.
Lifestyle encompasses all areas of our lives. It can be split into two main sections:
Mind and spirit: This includes how we think and feel about things and how we deal with situations and the balance of our emotions. In the West we train our minds in a very logical way at our schools and universities but we miss out on a large area of training our minds to be still and tranquil and how to deal with our emotions. In Chinese Medicine it is the emotions that can lead to disease.
Body: This includes diet, exercise and breathing, and regulation of the proportions of work, rest and exercise. It is also concerned with the conditions in which we conduct all these activities, both physical and mental.
Lifestyle changes offer a way in which we can help ourselves. At The Windrush Clinic, working with the patient, areas will be identified to improve and sustain health.
The above two sections may also be helped using Qi Gong and meditation.
Qi Gong connects mind, body and breath.
Meditation calms the mind and a calm mind is a powerful mind.