In this sponsored post DR WANG HAI DONG, of Bring Health, a specialist service of the Capital Health Centre of Traditional Chinese Medicine, discusses parallels between the habits of good gardeners and personal wellbeing. 

WITH summer just around the corner, many of us are preparing our garden plants for its heat and dryness. It’s also a good time to think about taking care of ourselves. 

While it is well known that gardening offers benefits in healing and health, there are other lessons we can learn from it to improve our own wellbeing. 

1. Garden soil types vs our body types

AS we all know, soil provides the base for growing plants and is the storehouse for nutrients. It may vary in depth, texture and quality from one place to another and even from one time to another. Experienced gardeners regularly test the soil types and make adjustments accordingly. However, has it ever occurred to you that, to some extent, our body is our own soil? How much do you know about your own body type? Wouldn’t you want to make adjustments when your body needs them?

2. Different plant needs vs different human needs

PLANTS are kind of like people, or vice versa; each type of plant has a unique “personality” and may thrive on different kinds and amounts of intake (water, sunlight, nutrients, etcetera). Therefore, a best practice for gardening is to cultivate a “lifestyle” that suits the plant you are caring for. 

For instance, sunflowers love sunlight so much that they prefer to be planted in a spot that has six or more hours of sunlight each day. 

In contrast, shade-favoring plants, such as ferns mostly prefer a cool and shady habitat. 

Likewise, our human body differs in preferences, too. One example, which is probably not yet well known, is that some body types welcome green tea while some others cannot tolerate it. Another example is swimming – it can help some people get healthier and feel good while it can also make others feel sick. Such kinds of differing preferences, when combined, form different lifestyles. Do you know what kind of lifestyle suits you best? 

3. Weeds and pests vs diseases

WHEN it comes to weeds and pests, it is true that prevention is better than cure. Some gardeners may install weed matting while others may use mulch. 

Although, of course, if they are already popping up in the garden, we must get tough and get them out. Still, the best time is when the weeds or pests are in their early stage of growth. 

Similarly, do you have any minor problems that have been bugging you but have not yet brought you to a GP? If the answer is “yes”, then – to draw lessons from gardening – why don’t you nip them in the bud when you easily can? 

IN essence, the above lessons boil down to three points: one, each human being is unique in their health setting, or “constitution”; two, people fare better through lifestyles that suit them and, three, prevention should be the rule of thumb when it comes to any unpleasant but preventable situation. 

Based on this philosophy, a team of healthcare practitioners from Capital Health Centre of Traditional Chinese Medicine, a renowned and busy clinic that has been serving Canberrans for 20 years, established Bring Health this year to help people improve their wellbeing and to stay healthy all year round. 

At Bring Health, we take on the roles of “gardeners” to look after you in the way you take care of your garden. 

We operate by membership, and we take a holistic approach. We analyse and monitor each member’s body constitution, we help members adopt lifestyles that suit them best and we make sure that each individual member thrives through personalised healthcare. 

Aside from professional health assessments and treatments, we also provide frequent activities, such as tai chi, table tennis, modern dance, calligraphy and healthy diet dinners (to name just a few) that all aim to help our members to enrich their lives, exercise their bodies and clear their minds. 

Additionally, one of our members’ favorites is the “VIP tea” tailored to their personal conditions inside and the weather conditions outside! 

We are primarily based in Woden, but information is available in all the three clinics – Belconnen, Woden and Civic. You are welcome to drop by to have a chat. We hope you will have your very own “cup of tea” with us soon. 

Bring Health, email info@bringhealth.com.au or call 6161 8898 or 6162 1992. Website at bringhealth.com.au