This month's issue has a number of features focused on acupuncture and Traditional Chinese Medicine.  One of the main tenets of Traditional Chinese Medicine is that the body is in a state of natural balance, and that disease represents some type of imbalance.  As I researched these topics, it occurred to me that the balance referred to in Chinese Medicine is very similar to the balance people living with Chiari and SM must strike in their daily life.

For the lucky ones, dealing with Chiari  and SM may just be a bump in the road, but unfortunately, for many others it can be a daily struggle.  The struggle is oftentimes physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual, and in each case, just like walking a tightrope, we must keep our balance to keep moving  forward.  Also like a tightrope, if we lose our balance, the consequences can be severe.

The physical struggle is the most obvious.  How hard do you push your body?  If you overdo it, how long do you rest for?  How much rest is too much?  The benefits of some level of exercise can be enormous and very uplifting.  Regaining the ability to do certain activities are victories to be celebrated.  The downside is often the day after.  Feeling drained, in pain, wondering if you did any real damage.  It is a tough balancing act.

While the physical struggle is straightforward, the mental struggle is often more challenging.  In your mind, do you accept any limitations you have and go forward with what's left?  Or do you hold out hope for better days ahead, new strength, new treatments, new understanding, and less pain?  There is actually some evidence - not specific to CM/SM - that accepting physical limitations can result in a better quality of life.  Yet if you totally accept the current situation, how can you change it for the better; how can you give up hope?  A delicate balance it is.

The emotional rollercoaster goes hand in hand with the physical and mental struggles.  A day filled with pain can be very discouraging and depressing.  Missing a child's activity even more so.  Do you try to stay upbeat?  Do you let yourself wallow for awhile in the pool of self-pity?  These are difficult questions, and maintaining emotional balance is no easy task.

The spiritual struggle is the most personal as it touches on the essence of our beliefs.  Is there a reason you have this condition?  Is there a reason for this struggle?  Is it just random?  And if it is just random, what does that say about the life we live?  Has the struggle made you a better person, or a bitter person?  Each person must find their own answer, or at least keep on looking.

For many, living with Chiari and syringomyelia is a tough balancing act.  So how best to keep our balance and move forward?  It's just like walking a tightrope:  live in the moment, don't look down, set your own pace, and just keep putting one foot in front of the other.

- Rick Labuda