Traditional Eastern medicine offers us a good starting point for the life we want to live in order to stay healthy and energetic, even if we have multiple sclerosis (MS).

Traditional Indian medicine, or Ayurveda, treats MS not as a chronic condition, but as an imbalance in the body’s three vital energies, or doshas (vata, pitta, and kapha), and life force, or prana. Given its age, 4,000 years, the chronic diseases of the modern world were certainly unknown, but it treats them in the same holistic way.

Ayurveda is a holistic system in which the specialist assesses the balance of the doshas and formulates a treatment plan for the patient. This treatment includes diet, medicinal herbs, yoga, meditation, massage, detoxification therapies, and a lifestyle that dictates a consistent schedule. They seem very similar to the recommendations that doctors give us!

Another type of traditional medicine that is still practiced is Chinese medicine. It has been practiced for a similar amount of time. It seeks to balance Chi, which is written Qi, or life force, and the balance of Yin and Yang. This is a form of medicine that seeks to treat the root cause, not just the symptoms; it does so by restoring the flow of Qi, or life force, balancing Yin-Yang, strengthening the secondary organs 5 elements, and, essentially, preventing rather than curing.

Traditional Chinese medicine proposes to do this through:

Acupuncture: the insertion of fine needles into specific points on the meridians to regulate Qi.

Phytotherapy: traditional and very precise herbal formulas.

Moxibustion: heating points or areas of the body with mugwort to stimulate Yang or expel cold.

Tuina: Chinese therapeutic massage to unblock channels or relax muscles.

Cupping: mobilizes blood and Qi.

Qigong and Tai Chi: Gentle movement exercises that regulate energy and strengthen the body, usually practiced outdoors.

Chinese dietetics: eating according to constitution, climate, season, and energy needs.

As you can see, these are two ancient traditions based on restoring balance to the body, using methods that are less invasive than modern medicine. I am not recommending replacing modern medicine with practices like these, but I do see the value in using other therapies that can help us manage the symptoms of MS! I have used several traditional Chinese medicine practices to improve my spasms and pain (acupuncture), and I practice Tai Chi, which has improved my posture and balance. I also try to keep up with meditation, but I haven’t been able to make it a routine.