pain management

At a time when pain management is the prevalent way of dealing with challenges we as humans encounter towards the end of our lives, many of us have not had a chance to familiarize ourselves with the way dying occurs when we allow it to happen in its own good time while the dying individual receives full comfort care. What we do not know easily creates fear and this is especially true when it comes to a topic as emotionally charged as facing the death of a loved one. When it comes to Life-and -Death decisions for our loved ones though, fear does not serve us well as a guide. Is it possible to view death as a natural process and for it to become accepted as a part of life verses something that is feared?
In her book, “Sacred Passages”, Margaret Coberly, a registered nurse with a special interest in hospice, lays out: “The lack of information and fear that has been generated by our cultural inclination to deny death can be reduced by an open minded study”. It is natural for people to fear what they do not understand. For many it is the fear of what will happen next. Holistic medicine has a new approach on death based on the Chinese Five-element theory about death by using a natural charting strategy that is tied to the Earth’s five natural elements, the four seasons, and the stages of Dissolving or death. The model was developed by observing the way things work in nature. This charting strategy can be used to eliminate some of the confusion that arises from not knowing what will happen next. It also illustrates that dying is a process, and does not happen in a moment. The five element model allows one to understand the physical as well as psychological disposition of an individual both in terms of strengths and weakness, and can be used to determine how to most effectively re-balance an individual in case of disease. It also illustrates how in the seasons of the year the entire life cycle is reflected, encouraging us to embrace dying as a part of life.
The five elements the Chinese Five-element theory is based on are wood, fire, earth, metal, and water. Each element correlates with multiple characteristics such as certain colors, foods, tastes, even emotions and sounds, nut also with a specific season of the year, which in turn can be seen in relationship to the phases we all go through in life.
The WOOD element relates to the season of spring, and during our life represents its first part, starting with birth all the way through the toddler and teenage years.
The FIRE element relates to the season of summer and the carefree middle life. The fire element is expressed in the body as it allows it to maintain its inner heat and metabolism. As this element dissolves, the warmth of the body fades, often starting with the extremities, but also expressed in cold breaths being exhaled. Digestive power fades and respirations become shorter and exhalations become longer.
The EARTH element is now considered to relate to late summer, or Indian summer, but originally represented all transitions, the changes occurring as one season turns into the next. Those transitions or times of change are particularly challenging for our health. One example for that is that lots of colds happen when winter turns to spring. The Earth element is represented in the body’s most solid parts: the bones, teeth, nails, but also muscles and skin. As the earth element dissolves, the body becomes in a very literal sense “less solid” through weight loss. It is in this phase that loss of appetite may occur. This usually does not cause discomfort for the dying individual but may be upsetting to their loved ones because not eating is correlated to starvation. A dying body simply has no use for fuel for a future that will not happen. As the earth phase comes to a conclusion, muscle function is at a minimum and the dying individual remains in a resting position.
On an emotional level, times of change mean times of challenge, dying a little death when we leave behind who we were in the past as we transform to who we become. In daily life, examples of such transition times are for a young person growing from adolescence to adulthood, for the parents the time when their child leaves the house to live elsewhere. Losing a job, a divorce, someone hurting us with words, are all times of transition or little deaths.
The METAL element is one associated with the season of autumn. It stretches between heaven and earth as the leaves are falling. It is the time of harvest, of evaluating what has or has not been of lasting value , and it is the time in life when the process of dying takes place. Accordingly, the emotion associated with the element of metal is grief and the sound of weeping. Lastly, the final element is WATER, relating to the season of winter. Winter comes before spring and represents the time of conception. However, winter also comes after autumn, after death took place, and is a time of storage, holding the seed’s potential. The water element is represented in the body through its fluid aspects, such as urine, saliva, blood, and lymph. As the element of water dissolves, the body fluids dry up. While this phase can begin in the Earth’s phase, in the water phase, the individual may withdraw its attention from its immediate environment. This is the time that the dying may report getting in contact with deceased friends or relatives.
When an individual is diagnosed with a terminal illness, there may still be a period of time during which it can continue its daily activities similar to the time before diagnoses. When the illness starts shifting more rapidly, requiring constant care and adjustments, is when hospice support can become a fulltime endeavor. Thereafter may follow the time of final shutting down of all body functions, which is called the “active dying” process. This process can vary in length, from hours to days. During the final moments, there is often little “doing” required of the care giver. At this time, the greatest gift that can be given to the dying individual is to let them know their loved ones will be ok and to provide a peaceful environment as the individual passes on. Death is different for each individual; there are countless variations this so-called process. One could say that inside the Five-Element model of life is seen as an ongoing cycle that goes around and around: as birth inevitably leads toward death, death also leads to another birth.