Women are not machines; we are attuned to the rhythms of nature and act in accordance with its laws. As the philosopher Chuang Tzu wrote in the second century BC: "Heaven, Earth, and I are one, and all things and I form an inseparable unity." We are linked to nature through an invisible web joining cause and effect, substance with substance, and energy with energy.
As we abide by the laws of the universe, we tap into and unleash incredible powers of healing and creativity. We create our life as we would have it be.
Balancing energy is at the root of all traditional Chinese medicine and wellness practices. As you read in the previous post, you are actually energy - the same energy that burns in the sun and flows in the ocean. Initially, I couldn't fathom the concept myself. In fact, when I first studied traditional Chinese medicine I argued with one of my professors about the interchangeable nature of energy and matter. According to my Western medical training, a cell was a cell, lab values were lab values, and the human body was an ever-deteriorating disease process just waiting to exhibit a symptom so medicine could intervene. When I challenged my Chinese teacher, she humbly told me, "Perhaps you should just listen, or you could look up Einstein's theory of relativity in the library." So I forced my ears to listen and my mind to open to the myriad possibilities it had been closed off to during my Western upbringing and my Western medical training.
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In order to practice Chinese medicine effectively, I had to continue to open my mind beyond the confines of what I had been taught. Originally, learning about the body's limitations made me view the body and life itself as somehow deficient.
Now I started to examine what my patients' life responses were showing me. As I treated women as the miracles they are, their incredible responses shifted what I was looking for. When I looked for disease, I found it. When I focused on wellness, healthy patterns revealed themselves. As those who came to me for help improved, this wisdom caused a new thought pattern to emerge within my own life. I learned to pay attention to what life is, and has always been, trying to teach me - that what l focus on is what I create in my life.
The Universal Energy Force
By opening my ears and my mind, I learned that human cells and tissues conduct and transfer energy through molecules throughout our bodies, giving us life. The Chinese call this universal energy force qi, which is described this way in the classic Chinese medical text, the Neijing:
The root of the way of life, of birth and change is Qi; the myriad things of heaven and earth all obey this law. Thus Qi ni the periphery envelops heaven and earth, Qi in the interior activates them. The source where from the sun, moon and stars derive their light, the thunder, rain, wind and cloud their being, the four seasons and the myriad things their birth, growth, gathering and storing: all this is brought about by Qi. Man's possession of life is completely dependent upon this Qi ...
Let's open our eyes to the mysterious wonder of energy.
The root of the way of life, of birth and change is Qi ...
In the human body, qi manifests in several different ways. First, it is a kind of bioelectrical force that is carried throughout the body by an extensive network of channels called meridians.
These channels, which are formed from the remnants of embryonic folds, are invisible to the naked eye yet have been mapped over thousands of years through observation and experimentation by Oriental physicians and can be felt when you attune yourself to the subtleties found in the background of life. Applying pressure or attention at different points along the meridians produces measurable, demonstrable effects on different body parts, organs, and systems.
Second, qi is converted in the body into fluids and the vital substances yin, yang, and blood that make the body run. Each fluid and substance works within the different organ systems to carry energy throughout the body and to help convert what we take in - air, water, and food - into the nourishment our bodies need. Then these fluids and substances transport the nourishment to our organs, cells, and systems and later remove them from our bodies.
Third, qi is part of our different organs and systems. This means that specific acupuncture points can be used to treat specific organs. For instance, heart qi moves through a channel that runs into the chest, down the inside of the arms, and to the little fingertip. Directing intention, acupressure, needles, magnets, or even your own breath to these positions will affect the flow of qi through the meridian and, in turn, affect the functioning of the heart and spirit, which it controls. While energy cannot be seen or heard, its effects determine our health or disease. If energy is blocked it cannot flow, and if it cannot flow, function is compromised and disease results, on the physical, emotional, or spiritual plane.
When I first began my work with fertility, my initial goal was to help women resolve their obstructed qi to help them conceive a child. After working with thousands of women over the years, however, I realized that not only had previously infertile women become fertile, but their physical and emotional block" ages had been resolved as well. Their lives were changing and getting better. They were moving their homes, pursuing new careers, having new ideas, even releasing spouses who weren't supporting their highest good. They were clearly expressing their creative energy in many ways and no longer settling for anything less than they deserved.
Helena developed ovarian cysts when she and her husband, Thad, were trying to conceive their second child. Her body was giving her a sign, and she learned to listen to it. She discovered unhealthy patterns in her marriage, and she subconsciously thought that if they had a son, her husband would be more supportive to Helena and attentive to their four-year-old daughter, Megan. When Helena and Thad began working to resolve unhealthy patterns in the family, Helena learned that Thad didn't want another child, as he felt financially pressed to support Helena and Megan. They decided a son would not fix anything, and as they developed better communication and support skills, the family of three thrived, and Helena's ovarian cysts went away. The following year Helena and Thad adopted a younger cousin's unwanted son.
When energy is allowed to flow smoothly, it is possible to create good health as well as well-being. Even emotions like anger can be blocked or free-flowing. When appropriately expressed, anger actually improves our response to negative events, like certain cancers. Anger released in an appropriate setting is healthy and necessary. Free-flowing energy strengthens muscle, detoxifies the liver, and clears the skin. If energy is obstructed, however, the growth process can give rise to tumors or cancer - all illness arises from going against our creative nature.
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When blood flow is obstructed, for example, a condition called blood stasis results, making the body prone to varicosities, fibroid tumors, and potentially deadly blood clots. When emotions such as anger are blocked, a person's face gets red, the blood can feel like it's boiling, and blood vessels in the eyes become red and congested; over time, habitually holding in anger may cause migraine headaches, high blood pressure, and strokes.
When stasis is resolved, however, it results in an emotional condition the Greeks called ecstasy. We need to unblock stagnating energy wherever we find it to restore the body's natural balance and live at a more healthful and stress-free level. To learn more, you can check out How To Improve Ovulation.
