If there was a focus to this week, I’d say it was health.
My primary care physician increased my blood pressure medication last month. I was hoping this was going to be short term since I now have the time to workout and prepare better food. After a month, though, my blood pressure was still high. She prescribed some more medication for me, and I went on my way.
It took me a bit to think about the new medication and I remembered someone had cautioned me to not take this sort of med. I couldn’t remember who had said it or why. I could have messaged my doctor, but instead, I chose to message my acupuncturist.
I’ve been seeing an acupuncturist for about a year for hormone and digestive issues and have had great success. It’s been pretty amazing actually. I started experiencing results within two months of treatment for each issue. Plus, I have been learning about the limitations of our western medical systems, and since I see my acupuncturist every 2 weeks, I talk with her more. She knows more about some parts of my day-to-day health.
I took my blood pressure reading a few times this week before seeing her and my blood pressure had already decreased. It’s possible the original medication my primary care doc gave me finally kicked in; I never took the med I was cautioned against by a friend. It’s also likely all the walking and exercising I have been doing for the past 3 weeks has helped, and finally, being out of work has decreased my stress level.
My acupuncturist had set up a plan for me based on my message. She can treat high blood pressure with acupuncture/the needles, and she gave me some supplements to start on. I’m not sure if the supplements have to do with blood pressure specifically, and I forgot to ask when I was there. I’m going to look them up and see what the internet says before I see her again. Then, I can ask more questions when I get there.
The most interesting aspect of this situation to me right now is my attitude towards western and eastern medicine. I find myself more and more frustrated with my primary care physician (“regular doctor”) and more connected with my acupuncturist. The first has challenged me when I said I had gotten a rash with a previous blood pressure med I took. She said it shouldn’t cause rashes or that it doesn’t cause rashes; it was a while ago, so I don’t remember. I know that med is what gave me a rash, though, because I had made no other changes and when I stopped taking that medication, the rash went away. I just get the feeling that my regular doctor doesn’t always trust what I say.
At the same time, I must trust western medicine because that is the first place I turn to when I have a problem. Really, what western medicine can do in a variety of arenas is amazing. I think I want to continue to learn about eastern medicine, though, and try to use it to bolster my health. So far, the success I have had improving my health through working with my acupuncturist has been good as well.
I want to continue to figure out how the two work together. My next step with my regular doctor is to have my blood pressure checked again in a few weeks. My next step with my acupuncturist is to write down what I eat. We’re going to look at macros. I think this concept has developed through western medicine, so that is interesting. If I wanted to go through a western doc, though, I’d go to a nutritionist. Maybe going through my acupuncture doc makes sense, though, since she is more holistic while western med often has specialists for different areas.
I can also keep working on my exercise; my doggie will appreciate the walks.
Peace Out (and In),
~Julie
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