How do you want to feel as you age?
I think a lot about what it means to age well. As a culture we place so much emphasis on wrinkles and appearances, and pay so little attention to joint function, hormones, inflammation, cardiovascular health, brain health, and pelvic floor health.
What is it actually like to take care of our bodies as we grow older?
I’m healthier now than I was in my 20s and early 30s, and this is firmly because of the longevity practices I learned while studying Traditional Chinese Medicine. Eating warm, cooked foods. Sleeping well. Wearing socks on cold floors. Regulating the energy. Living with seasonal rhythms. Listening to nature as a teacher.
It’s easy to add Botox and look instantly younger, but Botox won’t improve your knees, improve your memory, or reduce your inflammatory load. So while it’s well and beautiful to have a solid plan for how you want to look as you age, I also encourage my clients to think about how you want to feel as you age.
Some potential questions to explore include:
How are you moving your body right now? What feels good? What could use some attention?
How is your sleep?
How is your digestion?
What is your stress like?
How are your energy levels?
And even beyond that…
How connected do you feel to your purpose? Do you both know and feel what lights you up?
What does intimacy look like to you?
What is your relationship like with your community?
How are your friendships? Relationships?
Do you feel a sense of creative fulfillment?
The irony is that paying attention to your total body health will improve your appearances. I’ve seen this happen time and time again.
But truly holistic aging means so much more than looking younger.
This is why all of my cosmetic acupuncture appointments include discussions about your physical health–from your hormones to your sleep. Every acupuncture session includes not only acupuncture points for beauty, but points to improve your total body wellness.
This is also why I also don’t consider cosmetic and facial acupuncture to be an equivalent to Botox or fillers–acupuncture and Traditional Chinese Medicine exists in an entirely different universe when it comes to well-aging philosophy. And while many of my clients do get Botox and fillers, I still work with these clients to improve their long-term, constitutional health.
Holistic medicine has so much to offer you–but we need to be brave enough to ask the questions that matter, and push back against a system that equates surface-level appearances with true vitality.
We can go deeper than that.
And we should.
Because you deserve a life where you not only look great, but feel great too.
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And if you’re looking for acupuncture, holistic medicine, facial acupuncture, and cosmetic acupuncture services in San Francisco where we can explore your total body health, you know where to find me! I’d love to help you reach your goals.