While working in Abu Dhabi last week, I had reason to visit the well-known acupuncturist and herbalist, Dr Hu Qiwen, at the Gulf Chinese Medical Centre. I have, for many years, believed in the value of this key component of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) that is now recognised around the world as an important adjunct to other forms of treatment.
Sitting in the reception room, I talked to other patients from around the world who had come to see Dr Hu for many different types of medical issues ranging from infertility and headaches to controlling diabetes. However, Dr Hu told me “acupuncture is not a quick fix and one has to be committed to the treatment”.
This conversation took me to thinking as to how committed are we to our own health? Today, we are too often looking for quick solutions to our health problems and, in many ways, I think we have lost the sense of essential commitment to keeping both our mind and body in good health.
Too often we depend on ready meals and packaged food instead of home-cooked vegetables, fish and meat that has retained its natural goodness without being ‘enhanced’ with chemical additives or ‘treated’ with antibiotics.
Why is it that so many of us believe that we can abuse our bodies 24/7 by over-eating, over-work and over-indulgence and still expect them to remain dependably fit for at least 80 years? Why do we still ignore warnings of too much sugar, too little water and too much fat in our diet?
Commitment to our health needs to be a long-term endeavour and if we are to stay committed in the long term, then we need to develop a mindset that understands this as a priority. Keeping healthy should become a part of our everyday living, not just an idea for this week.
It is all too easy to lose touch with this priority and ignore the warning signs of deteriorating health: headaches, chest pain, breathlessness and/or digestive problems etc. You feel the warning signs but ignore them. However, if you were to see a red light come up on your car dashboard, you would probably rush to the garage to get it checked out within 24 hours!
Unfortunately, often not so for our bodies until it is sometimes too late. So why not resolve to respect your health a little more? Here are some suggestions to do just that:
1. Write it down
Your health commitments should be a priority goal for you. If a goal isn’t written down, it’s just a wish. When it’s in writing, it’s a commitment.
2. One at a time
If you have several health goals such as losing weight, running a marathon or drinking 2 litres water daily — pick just one to focus on, to begin with.
3. 30-fay commitment
Focus on the one health goal you have chosen exclusively for the next 30 days. Commit to it, think about it, and plan for it daily.
4. Tell someone
Tell someone about your 30-day health goal that you’re committed to. Create accountability for yourself and share it with others.
5. Get someone to join you
Think of someone who has similar health goals to your own and ask if they might like to join you. It is motivating to do this together.
6. Win-win
Maybe link your health goal to a sponsored charity event and, this way, you will be helping others at the same time as helping yourself.
7. Treat yourself
Have a reward at the end of your 30-day commitment. Reward yourself for your effort and success.
Finally, it is important to know where you are going and why you are going there. Be focused. Be specific and be committed to your health. You need to know where you are going and why.
As for acupuncture, its popularity for effective pain relief has grown not only in China but in the US, Australia and Europe, where it is one of the most common alternative medicine practices. In the UK, acupuncture is used is most pain clinics and hospices, especially for low back pain.
Key points
* Our health is a deteriorating asset — make it last longer.
* Commit to a healthy lifestyle today.
* Publicise your commitment in order to achieve it.
The writer is CEO of an international stress management consultancy and the author of ‘Show Stress Who’s Boss!’.
