Holistic Lifestyle Counseling

It is the philosophy of Susan Benedek that every person has a deep inner knowledge of what they need to live a life of purpose with the vitality to carry it out. She also acknowledges that some have had their paths clouded along the way with unhealthy lifestyle habits and routines; some from our upbringing and others we’ve acquired along the journey.  Some, we may be totally aware of and others, we have no idea about.

Living a holistic lifestyle is not about being or doing things a certain way but rather by being who we truly are and having health in body, mind, and spirit. At Be Well Holistic Center, everyone is accepted the way they are. There is no pressure.  There is no judgement. The journey toward health is only the individual’s that is seeking it. Our job is to help with gentle awareness, reminders, information, books, community resources, and referrals to other health-care practitioners.

Nutrition plays an important role in health. Clients of Be Well Holistic Center can expect nutritional counseling (but only if it's welcome and wanted) about food, diet, and supplementation during acupuncture and herbal appointments. Please feel free to ask questions :questions about food, questions about diets, questions about herbs and supplements. Nothing is too simple or too complex! Feel free to bring in your knowledge and things that have worked for you, recipes, et cetera — others may benefit from it!

Sleep is very important. People who do not adequately rest their bodies are at risk for poor health. Sleep is almost the number one health concern to “fix” in Chinese medicine. Patients often come in with other health complaints but if a person has poor quality of sleep, they will not respond to other treatments! Some sleep complaints are helped by simple remedies and lifestyle modifications,  others may require herbal treatment or supplements in addition to the acupuncture.

Exercise and movement is important to do everyday. The body is meant to move: most of the day and in a functional manner.  The best exercises are yoga, qigong, taiqi, and simple stretching along with breathing because they build up the body with flexibility, strength and mobility to all the meridians and pathways.  This combination of breath-to-movement is so beneficial and at any age whether sitting in a chair or on a mat.

Anxiety and constant stress is very detrimental to well being.  Acupuncture and/or herbal medicine can, for some people, help to create an inner calm. This may be a learned response for some people and, in time, they can re-create it themselves. A meditation, prayer practice, or just, being in the moment, are all spiritual practices that have life-nurturing aspects. Psychological well-being is very important in Chinese medicine. Treatment for unbalanced emotions is included in all acupuncture and herbal treatment. Chinese medicine does not separate parts of the body. All aspects are thought to affect all other parts.