A small, lanky girl lay stretched out on a bed, hands splayed, legs straight, too afraid to move, almost too afraid to breathe. From head to toe, she was covered with two-inch long slender needles inserted into her meridian points. She only breathed a little easier when the doctor finally left the room, signifying the end of the needle applications. I was that girl.
At eight years old, I underwent a traditional Chinese medicinal treatment. For several years and more often than I cared to, I was stretched out on the couch, holding a wad of tissue to my nose, and laying a cold compress on my forehead, requisite care for a bleeding nose. I had a nose-bleeding problem.
For one whole week, twice a day, I went to a renowned acupuncturist and received acupuncture. In between the treatments, I had to drink an extremely bitter herbal medicine, brewed to a shiny, viscous black beverage. It was a painful week for a child.
Yet, to my own amazement, my nose-bleeding stopped after that week and to this day, has never recurred. As far as I can tell, the acupuncture treatment was amazingly effective. While I can not say that I enjoyed my acupuncturing experience, I have developed a newfound respect for this ancient practice ever since.
1 comment:
I have another theory. You were a little kid who liked to pick your nose. When you got older, say around 8 years old, you out grew your nose picking tendencies. Coincidentally, that was the same time you went and got your acupuncture. Now isn't that a much more plausible explanation?
Do they have acupuncture for allergies?
Post a Comment