Trees and People - connecting Earth and Sky

One of the fundamental English language books on Chinese Medicine is titled "Between Heaven and Earth." That title refers to a human being as a bridge or link between the elements of Heaven and Earth. Chinese Medicine bases one's health on the balance and harmony of the Five Elements: Fire, Earth, Metal, Water, Wood.

I love trees and volunteered for 2 years with US Peace Corps in Ghana, West Africa, growing and planting trees to help restore and create woodlots for fuel wood and cash crop fruit trees like cashews and mangos.  At the same time, I was doing research for my Masters of Science in Forestry with Michigan Technological University.  

I then spent 8 years working with the Forest Service, Utah Division of Forestry, and Utah State University promoting, educating, and facilitating the planting of thousands of trees. I now practice Chinese Medicine, that medicine is based on nature and how we, the link between Heaven and Earth, interact with nature. Trees reach up to the heavens to capture sunlight and with their roots gather nutrients and water from the earth and create through the most important chemical reaction, photosynthesis, adding carbon dioxide (CO2), sunlight, water (H2O) to produce oxygen (O2) we breathe and simple carbohydrates.

When a tree's environment is disrupted from a healthy ecosystem where sunlight, clean water, unpolluted earth is not available, they often fail to thrive, becoming susceptible to pest and diseases and eventually will die.  This can be a lack of sunlight due to air pollution and smog clogging their leaves, therefore leaves unable to capture sunlight or open their stoma to bring in CO2.  The earth, the soil environment around the tree roots being compacted or too many chemical fertilizers or pesticides poisoning the soil.  Or in recent history in California, several years of drought limiting water. The signs that a tree's health is failing may not be evident immediately, as mature trees may have some reserves and it's only after several years of drought or exposure to harmful pollutants that the signs appear.  

When I was a forester and horticulturalist, diagnosing plants and trees, the number one suggestion for preventing diseases and pests were to keep the plant healthy with proper watering, rich composted soil and adequate sunlight. 

As a Chinese Medicine practitioner, I diagnose human diseases and illnesses, and humans are also similar in that symptoms may only show up after years of stressors like: lack of sleep, poor nutrition, lack of exercise, emotional upset. One of my colleagues recently wrote it is more important to maintain health rather than restore health, to be mindful of our interaction with nature and how to live in harmony between heaven and earth and not wait until symptoms cannot be ignored.

For a 30 minute health and wellness consultation, please contact me at [email protected] or book online at maggieshao.com

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