Sometimes, the best medicine can be a simple, home-cooked meal. A quiet moment in nature. Or a laugh shared with loved ones.
I believe wellness – and illness – are often related to dietary and lifestyle factors. As a dietitian and Chinese medicine practitioner, my goal is to help patients not only restore their health, but also maintain their health over time. Although I am very, very far from being a “superior physician” (上醫 shàng yī), I am inspired by the philosophy of treating disease before it arises (治未病 zhì wèi bìng).
I am learning that our medicine can be full of surprises. I started out thinking that Chinese medicine needed validation from scientific research – only to realize that this complex, dynamic system does not conform to linear or reductionist modes of reasoning. Now, I am exploring how to practice dietetics in a way that respects and celebrates the Chinese medicine worldview.