Have you ever felt that maybe you could have got more out of your acupuncture, massage, psychotherapy (or whatever therapy) session but weren't really sure how? I'm hoping that this blog will help you to do just that in your future appointments. With a few key implements to your 'routine' at a wellness clinic, you can walk away feeling that you could not have possibly received more from your treatment. And since Yellow Gazebo Natural Health Care aims to give you exactly that from your acupuncture, massage, psychotherapy (and whatever) treatments, take a look at these easy tips:
1. Be open to thinking dynamically. We're living in a society that seeks out a 'magic pill' to cure illness, and beneath that desire is a tendency to see things in a very linear fashion. "If my shoulder hurts, I want something that will relieve the pain in my shoulder." Sounds reasonable of course, but if we draw a line from what cures that shoulder pain to the pain itself, the very cause of the pain may not even be involved. And it is not always easy to draw a line from cause to symptom, and so we tend to get lost in this confusion, making us eventually give up trying to find a cure, or to just use whatever masks the pain so that we can get on with our lives. Natural health care encourages you to see your body in a cyclical, dynamic way, where your shoulder might hurt because of something that your hip is doing, and might then be helped by loosening your hip muscles. So be open to thinking 'outside the line', so to speak, where your body becomes something living, and not just a machine made up of a bunch of different parts.
2. Get educated about the possibilities that natural health care has to offer. Traditional western medicine, that which your family doctor practices, is great for many things, like antibiotics or issues that require surgery. And indeed, there are certainly times when prescription medication should be used, especially when it's being used alongside natural medicine without any interference. But many doctors are not educated on the benefits of natural healing like acupuncture or reflexology, and so they can only prescribe what they've been taught to in school. It then becomes your job to seek out knowledge that might help you further, but don't let that scare you. There are currently many great websites replete with information about how natural therapies can help you (including Yellow Gazebo). And by all means discuss what you learn with your doctor, he/she may have some good input on the subject once you've brought it up!
3. Get the logistics in place. Try to do the things that make it easier for you to be comfortable in the treatment room. If you book your appointment at least a day or two in advance (a recurring, weekly treatment is best if you can manage it), show up on time, and cancel within the clinic's requested time frame, you'll be more comfortable in the treatment room because you won't have all those worrying logistical thoughts going through your head. These are the parts of the treatment that you yourself can control, so in this way be a therapist to yourself and try to make them happen.
I hope that this helps. For more info, visit us at www.YellowGazeboClinic.com, or call or email us. 416-909-2334, info@yellowgazeboclinic.com.
By Richard Lobbenberg, Acupuncturist and TCM Practitioner
