When faced with health challenges, do you choose the easy mode or the hard mode?

A patient in an online consultation asked me, “Will consuming Cordyceps be helpful for my problem?”

This patient had previously tried various miraculous substances from different countries and schools of thought in hopes of finding a solution for his illness. He also experimented with vegetarianism and intermittent fasting, but the more he tried, the worse his condition became. Not to mention the numerous nutritional supplements he had taken.

I asked him, “When facing your health challenges, do you prefer to activate the easy mode or the hard mode? Even though Cordyceps Sinensis is now more expensive than gold, whether you choose to spend money on an expensive or trendy, simple or exciting method to attain your health, they all fall under the easy mode. You might easily be attracted to try them, but unfortunately, they often fall short of success.”

I told him that my advice has always been to choose the hard mode and start with easy steps. It’s crucial to select the challenging path but begin with simple actions.

In this hard mode, apart from finding a suitable professional for diagnosis and seeking the right treatment, everything else relies on the patient’s perseverance to achieve the ultimate goal.

This includes:

1. Treatment is not about enjoyment, especially when dealing with complex diseases. It requires unwavering determination in the right direction.
2. Engage in discussions with the professional, self-reflection, and identify various issues related to lifestyle habits and dietary habits. Develop a comprehensive plan for change and stick to it.
3. Adjust the pace of life, change mindset, engage in appropriate exercise, and continuously stimulate and enhance internal vitality.

I told him that if he can adhere to these three points, TCM medication will serve as a catalyst in achieving his health goals. However, failure to do so may result in recurring issues with some diseases, while others may be beyond anyone’s help.

In this world, spending money is the easiest thing to do, but engaging in continuous self-reflection and personal change when facing illness is the most difficult. Money might solve many problems, but in terms of health, if you’re dealing with a complex challenge, it’s difficult to find a solution without entering the hard mode. However, we can always start with the easiest changes, as transformation accumulates through numerous small steps.

The hard mode of treating diseases is, in fact, similar to how we solve difficult problems in our lives. It is one of the most effective approaches I have witnessed in my practice of traditional Chinese medicine.