Proactive medicine on the other hand aims to maintain homeostasis. That is, it aims to maintain health on the physical, mental and emotional levels. The principle behind proactive medicine is prevention is better than cure. In traditional Chinese medicine, for example, patients used to visit their doctors while they were well and healthy and they paid the doctor for his/her services, however, if a patient became ill the treatments were free. The assumption being that the doctor did not do his/her job properly and therefore the patient become ill. Luckily, this is no longer the case, even in China.
If one of the doctor’s patients died, irrespective of the cause, the doctor was forced to hand a red lantern in his surgery and this would tell all his patients how many of the doctor’s patients had died. Boy, talk about having to be accountable.
Proactive medicine includes advising patients about diet, exercise, stress management and lifestyle choices. It also included the use of preventative forms of medicine, examples include: massage and aromatherapy treatments as well as Acupuncture, Chinese and western herbal medicine. Each of these forms of therapy or medicine acknowledges the fact, that there are ways to strengthen the body’s resistance to disease and maintain health and wellbeing.
The effects of massage for example, have been shown to work on a variety of levels. Physically, massage improves blood and lymph circulation, lowers blood pressure, improves immune and digestive system functioning and increases metabolism. Massage also speeds recovery time for athletes and others with injuries, as well as decreasing pain in many chronic conditions such as tension headaches, back problems and arthritis. Psychologically, massage calms the nervous system, decreases stress and boosts energy levels.
Aromatherapy, used as a proactive medicine, has similar effects to massage, with the additional benefit of the therapeutic properties contained in the essential oils.
In addition, Yoga and Tai Chi, both quite well known in the west these days, are forms of proactive medicine, as they aim to establish and maintain the energy balance of the body. Both these forms of ‘exercise’ are well documented in helping people to regain and maintain a good level of fitness, flexibility and overall health. They have been practiced for thousands of years in both India and China and have well and truly stood the test of time in terms of proving their effectiveness.
Both Tai Chi and Yoga improve overall fitness, balance, coordination, and agility. They have also been shown to lower blood pressure and heart rates, promote relaxation, and release stress and tension. People who practice Tai Chi or Yoga on a regular basis tend to have good posture, flexibility, and range of motion, are more mentally alert, and sleep more soundly at night.
Some other conditions positively affected by Tai Chi and Yoga include: Chronic pain and headaches, arthritis and osteoporosis, heart disease, depression and anxiety, high blood pressure, asthma, bronchitis, and emphysema, and many more. Tai Chi and Yoga thus perform a vital function as proactive medicines, with far-reaching benefits way beyond just physical fitness.
Similarly, the use of meditation and relaxation as proactive medicines are not to be underestimated. Generally speaking, meditation is an experience of relaxing the body, quieting the mind, and awakening the spirit. There are many types of meditation, and each has specific techniques and skills that can be learned. The benefits of meditation are, generally, quite extraordinary. For many people, the physical, emotional, psychological, and spiritual benefits of meditation might include: higher levels of energy, creativity, and spontaneity; lower blood pressure; increased exercise tolerance; better concentration; decreased depression and anxiety; fewer cravings for alcohol and cigarettes; increased job satisfaction, and better relationships with others, just to mention a few.
In short, proactive medicine is the best approach to establish and maintain a healthy mind, body and spirit.
Danny Siegenthaler is a doctor of traditional Chinese medicine and together with his wife Susan, a medical herbalist and Aromatherapist, they have created Natural Skin Care Products by Wildcrafted Herbal Products to share their 40 years of combined expertise with you.
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