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This Past Week at Holland Rotary
Pat Leighton, an acupuncturist, talked about the fascinating world of Chinese Medicine.
Donna Bogle and Pat Leighton
Western doctors are slowly starting to suggest patients to see Chinese medicine experts. One reason is due to the fact that Chinese medicine does not have many side effects. It is not particularly dangerous, although it can treat headaches, digestive problems, infertility, back pain, and joint pain.
Pat stated, “When a doctor says, ‘There is nothing more I can do for you’ it is time to seek acupuncture.” The ultimate goal of acupuncture is to keep a balanced lifestyle.
Ed Swart and Pat Leighton
Pat earned a Bachelor’s degree in social work and a Masters degree in Traditional Chinese Medicine. Pat stated that disease is divided in two categories: internal and external causes. Internal stems from inherited diseases and external stems from lifestyle choices, diet, stress, and a lack of exercise. Chinese medicine has been around for over 3,000 years, whereas Western medicine has only been around for 200. One thing that is uncertain is that it is uncertain how Chinese medicine interacts with Western medicine. Some forms of Chinese medicine include Chinese herbs, heat treatment, cupping, feng shui, and Tai chi exercises. In Chinese medicine, chi is energy. Pain develops when chi slows down, and acupuncture is used by hitting the gates in the body to get the chi moving correctly.
The goal of a Chinese medicine practitioner is to determine if a patient has an energy deficiency, stagnation, or excess issue. The practitioners find out a patient’s health history before discussing treatment options. The practitioners also talk about the patient’s personal choices, such as diet, stress level, exercise, or relaxation.