Searching for Substance 

 September 18, 2019

By  Steve Hoffman

We are all settling into our fall routines after summer, but I have one last post about a summer trip. We took our annual two-week summer vacation at the end of August and I was a bit disappointed with the location. I don’t want to disparage any place and the location was admittedly not my style, so I’ll just say that the location rhymes with girdle reach. What struck me was that the main road that paralleled the coast was littered with pancake houses, candy shops, beach shops, donut shops and vape shops. There were seriously at least two of each on every block. I like a good pancake every now and then but seriously, there had to be 10 of them within a 2-mile stretch. The beach shops all sold the same cheap, plasticky, disposable junk and touristy memorabilia. And it is no wonder that we have gone from consuming 5 pounds of sugar per person per year 200 years ago, to about 150 pounds per person today.

Instant Gratification:

I was talking to my wife, as we were driving that road one day and I said that there had to be a niche that all these shops were not filling. I suggested that a yoga studio might do well. Almost as soon as I said it, it struck me. A yoga studio would fail miserably in this environment. EVERY shop, store and restaurant had to do with one thing: instant gratification. The problem with instant gratification is that, well, it is instant. And then it is instantly over. It leaves you feeling hollow and searching for the next thing to instantly gratify you.

Lasting Gratification:

Practices like yoga and tai chi are just that: practices. It takes time, effort, perseverance and commitment to improve or see physical benefits. Artistry, playing an instrument or earning a degree all take a similar amount of time and effort. But what these pursuits leave you with is a deep sense of accomplishment, satisfaction and self-worth. They are meaningful and lasting.

Acupuncture & Traditional Chinese Medicine:

OK, ready for this, I’m going to tie all of that into what I love to do. Acupuncture is typically the antithesis of instant gratification. It can take 6-8 or even 10-12 treatments in chronic cases before the patient starts seeing results. Have I had cases where someone has hopped off the table and looked at me with wonder saying, “My backache is completely gone!”, yes, I have! But these are few and far between. Most of the time it takes commitment, time and financial, to achieve lasting results. But the results are just that, lasting. Most of us are used to the instant results that western medicine provides. Have a headache, take an Advil, an hour later, the headache is gone (for most people). Have heartburn, take a tums, your tummy feels better. Now I’m not going to compare western medicine to the ode to instant gratification I saw on vacation, but I think we have been conditioned to expect this from our health care. The one similarity is that, in many cases, western medicine does not actually fix anything. The results are fleeting. If you are fed up with the results you are getting for your problem and are finally ready to achieve lasting results and leave your problem behind, call today and set up a consultation.


Princeton Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine

Our patients know just how effective treatments are for these and a host of other problems. Steven Hoffman, a New Jersey Licensed Acupuncturist and Diplomate in Oriental Medicine, will provide you with a thorough intake and evaluation and a clear, comprehensive diagnosis and treatment plan that will insure that your goals are met or exceeded. Do you want to move past these or other problems? We will help you thrive not just survive!

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