If you were to survey one hundred people that struggle with constant pain or another form of dis-ease, the responses would likely all be fairly uniform—pain causes misery and discomfort.

But what if you were to use dis-ease as an opportunity? Could you approach your understanding, and possibly your treatment, from a different angle?

People who struggle with continual ailments, such as seasonal allergies, lower back pain, or menstrual cramps, often live alongside their discomfort for many years. What’s worse? They often expect their symptoms to occur on a regular basis. For example, someone who experiences hay fever every spring might associate sneezing and itchy eyes—misery—with the spring season. Likewise, many women who suffer from PMS have an arsenal of natural (and not-so-natural) remedies at the ready to get them through the most uncomfortable days of each month. When one month is complete, they often anticipate another month filled with cramps, bloating, and pain.

So, how might TCM view these conditions as an opportunity?

Everything you feel and experience happens first at the level of energy. It is invisible before it becomes visible. This means that if a condition exists at the visible level of the body, something deeper is happening within. For example, we know that breast cancer is present in the body for about eight years before it is physically detectable. Where is it? Why can’t it be detected with modern medical equipment? The cancer exists at the invisible level of energy, Qi.

When an imbalance presents itself, the body has the wisdom to send us pain—along with other symptoms—as a warning signal. At first, the symptoms might be vague or intermittent. If left untreated, they might become more prominent and regular. If the source of the imbalance is not addressed, it will likely eventually reach the physical level of dis-ease.

If you find yourself struggling with any sort of condition, choose the lens you’d like to look through. You can anticipate regular discomfort and illness or view these messages as a path toward healing and growth.

Even if you’ve experienced aching joints every winter, allergies every spring, or PMS every month since you were 15, you can change your patterns. If lower back pain or another condition is a constant in your life, thank your body for this message—this wisdom—and listen. What is your body telling you? Dive down to find the root cause of why you are experiencing this imbalance. Then work to get yourself back on a balanced path.

Keep Learning!

Click here to read about the Five Element Framework and the five major organ systems in the body.

Interested in delving deeper? Click here to explore Grand Master Lu’s extensive library of podcasts.