Unlike my
uncle, who is a
doctor (a
neurologist to boot), I believe in
Chinese medicine, to a degree of course. For the record, all that
faddish natural energy cures in
America is totally
ridiculous, and the
quacks who practice it should be sent to
prison.
Acupuncture works. I've had it plenty of times. It is particularly effective in the following areas:
Words of
caution in
acupuncture. Make sure you visit a respected practitioner. Not some dinky two-bit shop that says
alternative medicine in big letters out the front. At worst, the
needles are dirty and you get poked in all the wrong spots. Go to
Chinatown. There are
doctors that practice in both
Western and
traditional fields of
medicine. Ask around. My
family doctor in
Shanghai has been doing
acupuncture for 40 years. When he inserts a
needle it doesn't even
hurt.
Chinese medical massage also works. I found it to be effective for minor medical problems such as:
Beware, this hurts. A lot. If it doesn't hurt, then it isn't working. The
masseuse works the
pressure points, and it gets
extremely painful on the sensitive spots, such as your
temples, the ridges on the back of your hand, and the arch of your foot. Try running your finger up toward your
shin from between your big
toe and second toe until the
tendons come together and hit the
bone, then press that
spot.
I never use Chinese traditional medicine for major problems. Only minor ailments. Western medicine is still more important to me, but I would like to avoid taking pills as much as possible, and Chinese medicine doesn't requre any strange chemicals to be imbibed.
Also, drink Chinese tea. For some reason, a combination of Chinese tea and congee solves just about every stomach problem I've ever had.