Taichi, acupuncture and bone alignment at my age?

As I grew older, I began to understand that age can become a mindset to embrace and that so-called diseases of aging that cause pain can be reversed. There are many ways to do it. But can we avoid them? Is pain akin to growing old?

At 70, all I want to do now is to stay fit and enjoy the more senior years! Technically, we are called septuagenarians. Add 10 more years, and we are octogenarians! Decades ago, we just had two categories: young and old. One is either young or called old. Should growing old include a painful body and mind?

Like everyone else my age, I want to imagine myself without those “traditional” daily grind of the old, like painful waking up blues, having major medical and health issues with the obvious signs of aging body and mind.

When I decided to return to the land of my birth in Naga and stay for good, it was to take care of our beloved Mommy Eliza, and I never regretted it. With our Daddy Jaime gone in 1991, she was by herself for another two decades, surrounded by her family at Mariners and, organically, her children and grandchildren from Lazaro and Jimenez’s sides. I lived through her last years on earth happy and full of love.

I was also witness to her regular itinerary of going to the hospital for a lab test or being visited by her doctor every two weeks, with a new room installed at home, to be bedridden with her trusted caregivers on a shift, and all that my loving Mommy Eliza had to endure as she aged.

She had osteoporosis, a condition that weakened her bones and increased the risk of fractures. She had a bad fall, and she became sensitive to every movement that required standing up and walking. Osteo is a cause of poor posture and body pain. As the eldest daughter, I knew I would somehow care for her old issues. I was a mommy’s girl, after all. I noticed that even her being “low-blood” pressure and prone to gastroenteritis can be “inherited?” Gastroenteritis is a gut issue. I have a gut infection with viruses, bacteria, or other microbes that cause diarrhea, vomiting, and tummy pain, which I often experience when I miss or rush my meals. Or are these irreversible?

I have not been a friend of pharmaceutical medicines since I can remember, except when I am in an emergency as a last resort. Then, after buying a set of prescribed drugs, I part ways with them after a few days, and I go back to my abandoned lifestyle: greens, fish, lots of exercise.

I learned about Taichi at the Naga Cathedral many years ago, and I have been a friend of the Taijeren family mostly of active cheerful senior citizens ever since. Our good young mentor, Shifu Albie Tan, patiently mentors and guides at 7:00 a.m. every Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday of the month.

Tai chi is an ancient Chinese martial art. Initially, it was meant for self-defense, but evolved into a sport and form of meditation exercise, with gentle, low-impact movement where Taijerens perform a series of deliberate, flowing motions while focusing on deep, slow breaths. Unfortunately, with overloads of paperwork and meetings in the evenings, I could not get up early for the morning Taichi schedule.

Recently, I have had to add a monthly schedule of body pricks and bone setting. Body pricks? Yes, acupuncture combined with bone alignment is another addition to treating my aging body. With a specialist and trained therapist, bone alignment simplicity aims to restore the proper alignment of the spine, pelvis, and shoulders to their optimum. Poor alignment can lead to a litany of health issues, from chronic pain and reduced mobility to decreased organ function and even mood disorders.

I had my first combined acupuncture and bone setting last year after a trip abroad left me with a very painful frozen shoulder that I could not usually work for a day. The pain was excruciating and caused me sleepless nights and unproductive days. I had gone to the orthopedic section at Seton, who advised me to do a series of rehabilitative exercises for my back pain as well. I had prepared myself for a year-long therapy, as my doctor recommended.

However, with acupuncture and healthy food, I felt the pain relieved in just four months, and my left arm was gradually back to normal use. For those months, I spent at least an hour or two a week on the therapy bed with pricked needles on the selected meridian points, then combined with gentle bone setting right after before setting for a home. Since then, I have integrated acupuncture and bone-setting treatment for my other health needs at least once a month. With Taichi, all three are a good medicine pack with healthy food to beat.

Acupuncture is a form of alternative medicine and a component of traditional Chinese medicine in which thin needles are inserted into the body. It has been in use in some form for at least 2,500 years. It originated from traditional Chinese medicine but has gained worldwide popularity since the 1970s, even among the scientific community. It is a technique in which the trained therapist inserts fine needles into the skin to treat health problems. It has been helpful for several pain conditions, including back or neck pain and knee pain associated with osteoporosis!

We cannot avoid growing old, but it does not have to be a painful curse. Our bodies—young and old—need proper care and nurturing. When everything is in its optimal position, the body can be like a well-oiled machine. One reason the ESense Masahe at Akyu at the New JaimEliza Hardin at Baras, Canaman, is now open is to help the aching body relax and boost energy from stress at a lower cost to ordinary folks.