Did you ever notice that the biggest hill of a rollercoaster is always somewhere in the
beginning of the ride? This is so that the cars can develop enough momentum from the
first hill to propel them through the rest of the course. Getting to the top of that first hill,
however, takes some work. The full weight of the cars must be towed up the hill from a
standing start before they can be released at the top. In fact, if the ride contains a really
gigantic summit, sometimes you are pulled up a smaller hill first and then the momentum
from that one is used to help you crest the larger one.
The early stages of your acupuncture care are like the first hill of a rollercoaster. Just as it
takes energy to get a heavy train of cars moving from a standstill, breaking a pattern of
chronic meridian imbalances require a large initial output of energy.
Before we can even think about getting you up the first hill, we need to break your current
physical pattern and get you to the start. In other words, we need to stop the negative
momentum, reverse direction, bring your body back to neutral, and then start the process
of climbing up the hill.
Each treatment draws you a little closer to the goal, but initially the body will want to pull
back to its previous posture. This is where the work comes in.
The early progress can be slow going. In addition, unlike the controlled environment of a
roller coaster track, life’s stresses will tend to add weight to your car and act to pull you
back down the hill. But through consistency and regularity of treatment these obstacles
can be overcome.
Imagine how inefficient it would be if the coaster were to come to a complete stop at the
base of each new hill. All momentum would be lost and the hard climb would have to be
repeated over and over again. This is exactly what happens with inconsistent
treatments. Healing builds upon itself, and breaks in care lead to a sputtering response.
Be patient early on in your care and give your treatments time to do their work. Not only
must imbalances be addressed, but the body needs the necessary time to repair and
regenerate from the inside out. Just as a little baby hill would never propel a coaster
through its entire run, one or two treatments will not reverse the effects of chronic
imbalances. Use momentum as your ally and then sit back and enjoy the healthy ride!
