We often hear the term homeostasis tossed around when discussing matters of health and medicine. This term refers to the balancing act of health. Too much of either extreme will contribute to disease and dysfunction, and homeostasis is our body's ability to regulate itself and find balance with the extremes that life throws our way. It could be compared to the thermostat in our home in that it carefully senses changes to the environment and then uses what's called a ‘negative feedback loop’ to correct the changes returning us back to our desired state of balance. Homeostasis is a Latin term that literally means 'staying the same' and that 'same' we're speaking of is our state of health. Homeostasis sounds to be quite the static term but in actuality it's quite the opposite. It is a dynamic flux continually seeking health in relation to its environment and is constantly making adjustments every second of our day.
When the body is healthy the sensitivity of this metaphorical thermostat is quite precise and is therefore able to make small corrections quickly. It's best to think of this as riding a bike. As we ride at a nice quick speed only the littlest of corrections are needed to find balance, the tires are spinning quickly and the spokes become invisible to the naked-eye. However, when we fall into a state of either sub-health or true disease/sickness the bike slows down and the spokes become detectable by the naked eye. The spokes are a metaphor for symptoms beginning to show. When there is no longer a balance of yin and yang the bike slows and illness easily pervades. At this slower deficient speed the adjustments needed in order to achieve balance must become much bigger and more sporadic.
At Hero Performance Health we work closely with our clients to educate them as to where they're at and what it will take for their condition to improve. In order to keep this metaphorical bike moving we must keep pedaling but in order to get our speed back up to an easy coasting speed we must also accelerate! Our lifestyle alone is powerful in the fact that it provides consistent support. When optimized properly it will provide the majority, if not all, of the pedaling force. Lifestyle includes diet, movement, posture, meditation, social interaction, mindset, breakdown of goals, and pertinent biohacks. These aspects in their totality should be enough to alter our biological climate in support of health and wellness. However when we're stuck in a rut, unhealthy and need to get going again, lifestyle may just not be enough to do that. We need a boost!
We may often find ourselves in this stuck place, losing faith in our body and its ability to heal itself naturally and on it's own. We begin to believe that we must become dependent on medicine or have surgical interference in order to be "healthy" again. More likely than not this isn’t the solution. There is a large handful of therapeutic approaches that can kickstart and assist the body into homeostasis so that our 'health bird' can leave the nest. Traditional Chinese Medicine is dedicated to these solutions that boost and get our bike coasting again. At HPH this means natural medicine, massage, movement exercises, acupuncture, cupping, guasha, meditation, etc. In other cases this may mean referral to other specialists such as a nutritionist, functional pattern trainer, chiropractor, and in extreme cases a surgeon or pharmacist.
Few treatments truly provide a forever cure, and even for those that do a damn close job of it there always is the tendency for disease to return. This is why we stress lifestyle so strongly! Health is an ongoing thing that requires ongoing treatment. This doesn’t necessarily mean becoming dependent upon ongoing therapy sessions with multiple doctors and therapists, but it does mean that there is an importance to establishing and practicing the healthiest lifestyle we can. The modern lifestyle has become quite unhealthy. Instead of proactively living healthy we seem to live unhealthy lifestyles and seek out medical attention reactively to correct our problems. Not only is this not a lasting solution but it is also very foolish particularly when we find ourselves dependent upon medication and ignoring our seek for a true solution.
Health is often so much more than eliminating symptoms, especially when it is the incessant interference of medication that is blocking off these symptoms in the first place. It instead becomes correcting and modfying our lifestyle tendencies and habits that are contributing to the underlying imbalance. This is never the quick and easy fix we want to hear from the doctor but it is the truth. It’s difficult, tedious and uncomfortable to modify our old habits and retrain new ones. Whether these are postural habits, outlook/mindstate related patterns, or habits of comfort, we fall into grooves and it is not uncommon to fall back into these habits again and again out of unconscious default. It takes time and consistency to overcome mental blocks, but none of these should be excuses to put your health aside. We can't expect ourselves to change overnight and falling back into these habits here and there is not something to demoralize us and let our hopes down. We must understand that it is a part of the journey. This discipline takes repetitive practice just like brushing our teeth and showering does in order for us to have good hygiene. We must aim to do it everyday, and wire our minds in a way that finds enjoyment and appreciation towards the process as opposed to just getting to the end-goal. There is no real end!
When you find yourself stuck and lacking a solution to becoming healthy, consulting your closest doctor of Traditional Chinese Medicine is the best place to start - considering that you're also working closely with your general MD to acquire modern diagnostics and following the appropriate care plan. Your Doctor of Traditional Chinese Medicine will carefully work with you to discover your unique biological climate and any excesses or deficiencies that display themselves from within. They will then provide you with a differential diagnosis and the appropriate lifestyle modifications that will establish balance to this biological climate. A customized approach is important because no person is alike and the same can be said for our health. What works for one person could do the opposite for you. Trial and error will help you discover your body’s needs but the calculated professional approach of Doctor of TCM will save you the lengthy trouble.
After a plan and principles are in place, next we need systems of accountability, inspiration, persistence and the execution to take us there. This is our prime pursuit at Hero Performance Health: Discovering the spark of passion that continually fuels the process. If you’re stuck in the realm of "health is an unenjoyable chore" or simply feel as though health is incompatible with your busy lifestyle then look no further! Did you know that HPH provides these services in person locally, and over video call globally. We will work with you to provide feasible and achievable solutions on a step by step, stage by stage basis full of fulfillment, pride and fun throughout.
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