Saturdays with Grace: Chinese Traditional Medicine Part 2

The second time I went to see Grace, my Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) practitioner (in Beijing China); I went with an open heart and mind.  I had endured discomfort during my first appointment, but it quickly turned to pain relief and relaxation.  Now, one might argue that after you are repeatedly pinched and pounded on, you are bound to feel better when it is all over.  However, I knew there was something more to it.

It was late March. As with the first time, I was instructed to put on pajamas and lay face down on the massage table.  Grace touched the bottom of my feet and asked me if I had been soaking my feet each evening. I had done it a couple times, but not every night.  I was honest and a bit apologetic.  She expressed concern about my Qi (pronounced “chee”) flow, and determined that I needed acupuncture on my legs and ankles to get the Qi to flow. 

At this point I need to state that the main reasons I had come to Grace was because I had a pinched nerve somewhere in my back that was causing pain and numbness to my left arm.  I was having trouble sleeping at night and experienced discomfort during the day. It had been going on for almost two months.  Acupuncture in my ankles did not make logical sense to me, but massage and Dr visits for my back were not working.

And here is the amazing thing that happened.  I was given acupuncture, acupressure and cupping.  I was also given Tui na (Chinese massage)  - that grabbing, pinching and pulling kind of massage.  It was not comfortable most of the time.  But it was at home during that second week that I realized – it was gone.  The pain. The numbness.

I returned on Week 3 to continue with the idea that seeing Grace once a week would help me focus on good habits for my health and to prevent any re-occurrences.  I had some to love the quiet wisdom of Grace and the mint tea and conversation after. I continued to see Grace until we left Beijing in early June. Here are some of the things I learned:

·      Blocked Qi is real. When I have upper back pain it is often because I eat too much and both my blood and Qi (energy) cannot flow smoothly through my body. Eating many meals in small amounts throughout the day are more sensible that a big meal at any time. And less sugar!!

·      Gentle wisdom from Grace: don’t get lost in too many ideologies. Select one and work with that – commit to it.  It gets too confusing and stressful to add too much in life. 

·      The power of human touch is REAL and very healing.  I especially reflect on this when I think of the number of people who lack touching another human on a day-to-day basis. Perhaps that is why we have pets???

·      No pain no gain. I remember this from weightlifting but it is true in life.  Pills are easy, but making real lifestyle changes are hard.  A painful massage does allow pain relief.  Deal with it.

·      There is beauty and goodness in everything.  Be patient with myself.  It takes a long time to develop a mindset that supports my body.

So…my journey into TCM has begun. I am reading and learning many good books on the topic. And as we move to our next city in China, I will be looking for another version of Grace to continue to enlighten me.