Are there not healthier ways to express yourself?

Please note the large area of inflammation around the bridge of the nose in the picture to the left.

I try not to get too personal in this blog, but I do have to say that this self-mutilation (in my view) makes me really ill.

Apparently, people are not too concerned about how they may be putting their health in jeopardy, as demonstrated by the following caveat from an online site dedicated to this practice (I can't justify providing the link --it was enough of a struggle to include the actual name of the site):

BME stands for Body Modification Ezine. BME contains the personal experiences of thousands of people all over the planet, in photo and text form. It serves to document the activities of the body modification community in as complete a fashion as possible. (Italics mine in order to separate their text from my comments.)

Warning: Dangerous Acts

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BME contains documentation of dangerous and/or life-threatening activities of sometimes questionable legality -- BME accepts no responsibility or liability for the actions of others and urges anyone interested in this subjects (sic) to educate them completely (sic) and seek professional assistance.

Attempting to replicate any of the acts seen on these pages, including body piercing, can result in serious injury and/or death. We STRONGLY urge you to consult a professional before continuing.

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I guess I'm preaching to the lynch-mob, but a friend of mine who is an acupuncturist related a very interesting clinical story about one of his patients (no names):

This woman was having trouble with insomnia and hyperactivity. He saw that her piercings had stimulated acupuncture points that affect the sympathetic nervous system, that are directly related to those problems. After she had removed the jewelery, the symptoms disappeared.

I am pessimistic that I can make a difference to anyone who wants to get pierced, but please consider this aspect carefully before you go ahead and do it. Perhaps you might consult an acupuncturist to find out whether there are any areas that might even be beneficial to pierce.

I don't know if such points exist, but watch for our in-depth story on this topic in our next newsletter (Look for the link to subscribe in the sidebar).

Side note: I once had a patient who came in complaining of neck pain. He had about five pounds of jewelry piercing his head, ears, face areas alone (also nipples, genitals -- so he told me -- etc.).

I asked him about his motivation for doing it, and he told me that he enjoyed the pain! Truly amazed, I asked him why he sought physical therapy for his neck pain if he enjoyed the pain so much. He responded that he was channeling his emotional pain into physical pain.

This type of self-mutilation (as I see it), and self-destructive behavior due to emotional conflict makes me very sad $-<

I believe that what we show on the outside reflects who we are on the inside, AND that we can begin to change what is happening on the inside by changing from the outside in. Of course, it is only a beginning on the road toward harmony and balance.

Lao Tzu says:

He who stands on tiptoe is not steady.
He who strides forward does not go.
He who shows himself is not harmonious.
He who justifies himself is not prominent.
He who boasts of himself is not given credit.
He who brags does not endure for long.