Healing Is Dynamic: When the Body Needs a New Balance

Health is not about arriving at one perfect balance and staying there forever. As life unfolds, the body continues to change. Healing, recovery, aging, stress, emotions, the seasons, and our daily lives all influence how different systems within the body relate to one another.

As these relationships change, the body’s needs may also change.

A treatment that once supported healing may eventually no longer be the treatment the body needs—not because it stopped working, but because the body has entered a new stage and is asking for a new balance.This is one of the reasons Chinese medicine is highly individualized. Treatment is not only based on symptoms or diagnosis, but also on where the body is today.

A recent conversation with a former patient reminded me of this principle.

A Patient’s Story

A former patient contacted me after developing a new group of digestive symptoms.

For nearly ten months, she had faithfully followed the personalized home-care plan we had established together, including daily moxibustion at Shenque (CV8) and Mingmen (DU4) points

The original concerns we had been treating—including urinary frequency and low back discomfort—had remained well controlled during that time.

Months later, however, her body began presenting a different picture.

She experienced:

• Constipation alternating with diarrhea
• Significant abdominal bloating and distension
• Pain in both the upper and lower abdomen
• Reduced appetite
• Weight loss

Medical investigations eventually identified diverticulosis. After several days on a liquid diet followed by a gradual return to regular foods, the abdominal pain improved, but the constipation and bloating gradually began returning.

Looking Beyond the Symptoms

Rather than viewing these digestive symptoms as an isolated problem, I looked at them within the context of her overall constitutional pattern, how her body had responded over the previous ten months, and the way her internal balance had changed over time.

Although her original home-care plan had continued to support the concerns we initially treated, her body’s current presentation suggested that the balance had shifted.

Instead of continuing the same moxibustion routine, I recommended daily moxibustion on ST36 (Zusanli) to support her body’s current needs and help restore a new balance.

The Response

The following day, she wrote:

“Thank you so much for that info. It really helped. Feeling really good today.”

She also shared that she was feeling significantly better overall after adjusting.

While this is only one person’s experience, it beautifully illustrates an important principle of Chinese medicine:

Sometimes the most appropriate treatment is not doing more.

Sometimes it is recognizing that the body has changed, and allowing the treatment to change with it.

Healing Is a Living Process

One of the misconceptions about healing is that once we find something that works, we should continue doing exactly the same thing forever.

Sometimes that is true.

Sometimes it isn’t.

From the perspective of Classical Chinese Medicine, healing is a living process.

As one part of the body becomes stronger, the relationships between different systems also change. What helped restore balance several months ago may eventually need to be adjusted as the body continues to reorganize itself.

The goal is not simply to repeat the same treatment.

The goal is to continue supporting the body’s ability to find its next balance.

Recovery Doesn’t End When You Leave the Clinic

Many people think treatment only happens during an acupuncture appointment.

In my experience, healing continues long after the needles are removed.

Home care—whether through moxibustion, acupressure, movement, breathing practices, or lifestyle changes—can become an important part of recovery. Just as importantly, those recommendations sometimes need to evolve as the body changes.

That ongoing reassessment is one of the reasons I encourage patients to stay in touch, even if they are no longer receiving regular acupuncture treatments.

If You’re No Longer Nearby

Over the years, many of my former patients have moved to different cities and provinces.

Although in-person acupuncture may no longer be possible, I also offer online consultations when appropriate. These sessions focus on understanding your current presentation, reviewing how your body has changed over time, and providing individualized guidance that may include moxibustion, acupressure, lifestyle recommendations, and other home-care strategies based on Classical Chinese Medicine.

Sometimes a small adjustment is all the body needs to continue moving forward.

Final reflection

One of the reasons I continue to love practicing Chinese medicine is that every patient reminds me of the same truth:

Healing is not about returning to one permanent state of balance.

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