Balance is a word we hear often in wellness, yet it can also seem rather elusive. When it comes to addressing imbalances in the body, we don’t always know where to begin.
Laura Erlich, a holistic fertility and obstetric specialist, has been an integrative health professional for more than 20 years. Co-author of Feed Your Fertility, A Guide to Cultivating a Healthy Pregnancy with Chinese Medicine, Real Food, and Healthy Living, Erlich has helped grow numerous families by creating a customized plan that addresses each individual’s needs. However, you don’t have to be starting or growing a family to benefit from identifying personal imbalances in the body.
“Learning to listen to our body’s whispers will save us from having to hear it scream,” says Erlich. “Based on the principles of East Asian medicine, our system is in a constant state of adaptation through our ever-adjusting relationship of yin and yang energy. When events like stress, trauma, illness, or injury impact our bodies, this interplay of energy is thrown off, as the body adapts to heal or manage the imbalance.” That’s just one of the reasons it’s important to pay attention to the messages your body is sending. “The key to good health comes from identifying imbalances while they are still subtle and working to correct them early on,” she says. “This creates a foundation for resilience and helps our bodies to function optimally and heal themselves before subtle imbalances become a health crisis.”
Recognizing Imbalances
How do you recognize when you’re experiencing a personal imbalance? It’s easier than you’d think. According to Erlich, balance is another word for homeostasis, the state of our body when all its systems are functioning properly. Are you sleeping well? How is your digestion (including daily bowel movements)? Your metabolism, hormones, and nervous cardiovascular system should be working well and be able to overcome challenges like stress, illness, or injury. “Imbalances in these systems can look like anything out of the norm for you, as well as acknowledging that chronic imbalances are not normal, even if you’re used to them,” says Erlich. “Things like insomnia, heartburn, constipation, anxiety, depression, and chronic pain are all signals that something is out of balance. Working to correct them as soon as they arise will help bring your body back to balance quickly.” Although chronic imbalances take time to heal, Erlich notes that it’s not only possible but also worth the effort.”
Addressing Imbalances
Once you’ve identified an imbalance, it’s important to do something about it. “‘It doesn’t matter if the cat is black or white as long as it catches the mouse,’” is a famous Chinese saying that I apply to addressing wellness,” says Erlich. “What that means is that there are countless ways to address imbalances, and everyone should do what works for them. For example, there are lots of ways to treat insomnia, including acupuncture, herbal medicine, supplements, meditation, and cognitive behavioral therapy, and each of those has something to offer.”
You may prefer an over-the-counter or prescription sleep-aid, and that’s okay. Erlich cautions that such remedies be used only for a short time, just until the body can reset itself. “The benefits of enough sleep are what matters most, so whatever gets you there is fair game,” she says. “Part of being in balance comes from caring for yourself in the way that gives you the least amount of stress and the best outcome. What matters most is that your body is adaptive and resilient.”
