In my practice, I have encountered many clients and their viewpoints of good health. It truly is a subjective thing to each of us and as an acupuncturist, I work diligently to respect the client’s wishes while also serving as a health practitioner working to improve their health. What is the most challenging to work with is the client who comes in only when they are in pain, not for health maintenance.
What these people fail to realize is that healthy living is not an event, but rather a lifestyle. Until my clients make a lasting commitment to finally follow through with and maintain a program of healthy eating and exercise, they will always return back to my clinic…kind of like a boomerang.
People who utilize acupuncture merely for symptom relief are much like boomerangs. At the first sign that their symptoms are gone, they back off their care…only to find themselves with the same painful problem a short time later. They then come back to their acupuncturist, feel better, leave and start the same vicious cycle all over again.
Not only is this ineffective from a corrective standpoint, but the full benefits of acupuncture can never truly be realized. In addition, the longer a condition is left to fester just under the surface, the more potential it has to develop into something more serious. It is typical to find that each time the problem resurfaces, it is a little more severe than the previous incident. Until finally, a more comprehensive schedule of care is no longer an option but a necessity.
Whether in acupuncture, pain management, or any other of life’s endeavors, lasting results come from committing to a set of long-term goals and then having the discipline to follow through.
Make the commitment to maintenance acupuncture care and a preventative wellness program and avoid the painful out and back patterns of a boomerang.