Physicality: On Land, Food, and Medicine

A year ago, I was in a car accident that shook up all areas of my life. One of those areas was my physical health.

Through the accident, I experienced a concussion and internal bruising. Additional symptoms of fatigue, insomnia, nausea, vertigo, tinnitus, rosacea, gastrointestinal issues, muscle tension, and increased acute and generalized anxiety also presented themselves in the following months. I visited a typical American hospital numerous times, but they couldn’t offer any reasons for my symptoms.

In addition to the weight of living with these symptoms, the lack of any solutions from Western medicine made me question my resilience and soundness of mind. I swung between self-pitying, wondering why no one could offer me answers, and self-judgement, wondering why I couldn’t just snap out of this malaise. This state of existence continued through the 9 months before I went to Korea. 

On Land

I’ve been incredibly fortunate that I’ve visited Korea roughly every 2 years since I was born. I sense my accumulated time and experiences in Korea have deeply embedded as positive associations within my mind, body, and spirit. 

The moment I entered Incheon airport, I could feel the muscle tension I’d held onto all those months start to melt away. My body knew the land it was on. My body knew it could be held here.

As my time in Korea continued, I noticed all my symptoms presented themselves less and less frequently. My hunch is that being in Korea allowed my nervous system to start winding back the maladaptive defenses it had turned up too high since the accident. 

I needed the conditions of being in a place that I associated with safety for enough time to assure my system it could surrender. 

On Food

I’ve historically been able to eat any and all foods with no reactivity. However, in the past few years, and especially after the accident, I noticed an increased sensitivity to foods I used to have no problem eating. Especially dairy products. Both my GI tract and skin would signal very loudly to me when they were upset with my food choices.

While in Korea, I ate almost exclusively Korean food. I noticed much fewer protests from my GI tract and skin than when I was in the States. 

“We are what we eat.” But I also wonder if we should eat from where we are from. 

Because of my Korean ancestry, it makes sense to me that the food I may be best adapted to are foods native to Korea. Of course, there are added complexities in that I was born in and grew up eating food in the States. And perhaps my body accommodated this while I was young. But now that I’m older, I sense my body is asking me to return to what is best for it. And asking me to please stay away from dairy 😂

On Medicine

The symptoms that affected my day-to-day activities most were fatigue, nausea, and vertigo. These symptoms sapped all energy and motivation from my bones. They were also compounded by my self-questioning of if I was making my symptoms up as psychosomatic hysterics. 

In Korea, my aunt helped me reach a doctor who was trained both in traditional Eastern medicinal practices, such as acupuncture and cupping, as well as modern Western medicinal practices.

During my initial consultation, after listening to my story and surveying my body, the doctor said, “I don’t know how you’ve been living like this.” I started sobbing. 

It was the first time this year I felt someone in a position of authority and access to potential solutions was taking me seriously. I received regular acupuncture and cupping and noticed a gradual reduction of my fatigue, nausea, and vertigo. I’m told not everyone receives benefits from modalities like acupuncture and cupping. I attribute the shift in my symptoms both to my body’s particular receptiveness to these particular physical procedures as well as finally feeling seen by my doctor.

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Takeaways

There is an interplay between the world inside of me and world outside of me. My body is where the two meet, thereby making it the grounds for interactions.

My health challenges forced me to become more attuned to my body and its needs. Right now, my body needs access to food, medicine, and care that seem connected to my roots.

I sense that many of us have similar needs. But not all of us have the privileges and/or awareness to access these needs. I hope as I continue my own search for what works for me I can plant seeds of curiosity in others as well. And as more of us collectively seek out what is right for each of us, we can create more access to these resources for others as well.

I’m now back in the US. Thankfully, the changes I experienced in Korea still seem to live on in me. I hope to keep the positive effects going for as long as I can. I now start my days with morning yoga, meditation, traditional Korean supplements, and a hot meal. From pouring into myself, I create the conditions and materials to pour back into the world. 

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Questions for you

What is your relationship to land, food, and medicine?

What changes have you noticed in your relationship to your body over the years?

What does your body ask of you?

What are ways you pour back into yourself?