What is your goal for treatment? 

How quickly would you like that to be accomplished?

This is a question that we really should ask every new patient who comes through our door – and usually the answer seems obvious enough:  “Fix X as quickly and as easily as possible.”  

It is my role to support and enhance a patient’s treatment  goals, and within the course of treatment to lay down a blue print of balance in the body in order for healing to occur.   In my role as supporter, in addition to acupuncture, moxibustion and massage therapy, I may offer suggestions that, in my experience,  will often speed up the process.   This may include suggestions for chiropractic care, deep tissue massage, dietary changes, supplements or herbs.  A patient is never required to follow these suggestions,  however it may be impossible to meet their treatment goals within the desired time-frame without including them.   These recommendations are made based on over 25 years experience o of training, working with other patients, and treating my own injuries. 

The truth is I facilitate a healing process that is already trying to come forward into physical expression - yes, the body WANTS to be whole and in balance.  That IS its natural state.  My job is to try and remove the blockages that interfere with that process.  That’s it - notice the emphasis on “try.”  I didn’t say I can.   I make my best effort but I think many patients do not understand the impact that their day to day choices have on their bodies ability to move forward into a  healthy state.   This is partly because often, those day-to-day choices don’t show an immediate effect.  Many times the effects are gradual and cumulative (e.g. years of not stretching or having massage work leading to chronically tight muscles which then don’t heal  after a car accident.)   Because patients  don’t realize it, their medical providers often receive take blame.  It becomes our fault that “Condition X” isn’t resolving in the time frame they want.  

A patients timeline to recovery depends on so many things which are out of our control:  how serious is the injury, how long have they had it, diet, lifestyle, attitude, psychological fitness, unresolved unconscious anger or other aspects of psychological or spiritual wounding, use of medications and just plain old genetics to name a few.  In truth, what I actually have control over is where and with how much skill can I put the needles (or moxa or use my hands).  In fact, that might be the ONLY thing I have any control over, so at  in my case I strive to do it well.

Ultimately, I have absolutely no control over the time-frame  of the healing process, and in truth neither does the patient.  While it may be true that their positive actions with regard to their state of health will many times shorten that journey for them, at the end of the day it is really up to something bigger than both of us.  Sometimes a patient gets better in 3-4 visits, sometimes they don’t in 300 - 400.   Sometimes they die. 

My sensei reminds us to treat to the best of our ability, but to try to let go of the results.  This is found in every tradition on the planet – the notion of surrender to something greater than ourselves.  Daily, I try to offer my service in the hope that it will be for their healing, in whatever capacity.  Sometimes it is as simple as their sciatica or headache goes away, but sometimes it is to render aid and comfort as they prepare for the next stage of their journey, whether that is surgery, childbirth, or death.

One of my favorite clients passed away a few year ago, and I saw him on and off for about 6-7 years.  In the early days, since he was a very active senior (still digging ditches in the basement in his late 70s), so he would come in for periodic symptom relief of back pain and sciatica.  After he fell off the roof of his house and was seriously injured, he declined rapidly:  his eyesight went, his heart condition became more serious, and he came in more frequently. By the last year of his life he came in about twice a month, and while I felt sometimes powerless to help both his physical decline, and his corresponding depression at the loss of his independence, I also noticed that while he was here, I would hear peals of laughter coming from the rooms as my staff worked on him, he would play with my dog, and he would  grumble on EVERY VISIT about the out of pocket expense of the acupuncture.  However, he would leave chipper and in a much happier state, more steady on his feet and with a much brighter countenance.   I, however, tried everything in the book to try and relieve his pain, would beat myself up about missing this, or that, since it seemed like no matter how much we did, it was not enough. 

I did not find out until his son called to tell me of his passing that he lived for his visits in the office.  To him, it was much more than medical care – it was  a social outlet, a way to reconnect with the outside world.  I never knew he felt this way because on the outside mostly we heard grumbling about the cost.  It was a reminder that we never really know how we are helping someone, or if we are helping them at all. 

We become so goal oriented about a certain result, that we miss the fact that simple touch, a hug, or a shared laugh together is ALSO part of the treatment, and often a more important part of the treatment.