What causes your illnesses?

Most of my patients can tell me why they are sick. 

The most commonly stated reasons are ones you can probably guess: family history, lifestyle (diet, smoking, lack of exercise, overweight, alcohol, drugs). Some cite bad luck of the draw. And then there are those we hear about all the time in the media: stress, a fast paced life, sleep deprivation and toxins in the environment.

If all those reasons are valid, then it would be difficult to find a single healthy person. The answer has to be more complicated. 

Acupuncture is pretty clear and to the point: When there is balance, the body is healthy. Where there is imbalance, there is disease. 

Lets put all of it together.

Perhaps, instead of reasons for disease, my patients are actually stating the smoking gun that brought them down. They were in a state of imbalance, so one or more disease potentials were able to cause their illness. Had they been in a more balanced state, they may have remained healthy despite their exposure, or lifestyle or genetics. 

This meshes with the spiritually-minded belief that illness is something we create for ourselves.  We have a say in whether we are sick or healthy due to the mind, body, and spirit connection we possess. The goal then, is not simply to learn how to take care of ourselves physically, but to learn how to live well. 

Just food for thought for today.