sun. Sept 30

It really is worth being prepared and putting energy into being in the clinic. Yesterday I felt awful, runny nose, sneezing, dissipated feeling in my head, sweaty shoulders ... today was much better. I was careful to dry my hair, ate a big breakfast, and drank some ginseng tea. I got much more back from the patients, as well, in terms of signs of relaxation, appreciation, etc.

One poor woman had surgery on her lower back 4 months ago (vertical purple scar over 2~4 lumbar vertebrae) and apparently the doc damaged some nerves in the process ... her main complaint was pain and numbness in her left leg. She walked with great difficulty and could not extend the toes of her left foot. She was still staying in the hospital, getting treatment for free, but it was Dr. Xiao opinion that she would not return to her format state. She seemed in good health generally though her complexion was dark and her eyes full of pain.

The man whose hand was severed is still coming, though his doctor said another operation is necessary to recover full hand functions. In good spirits.

One "ChanSa" man waved around a hundred yuan bill and sent an intern to buy us all ice cream. The patients seemed a bit bemused as we wandered around eating ice cream cones ... cold day today ... :)

An infant boy with a box chest gets tight when he is unhappy. Thumb closed tightly against the index side. Very pretty eyes.

I like working with Li Ke (the Christian) and little Long- they are both serious and intense and we get good work done. Not much talking.

The strange pain in my R. hand pinkie joint is still here, so I did a lot of circular pressing and rolling with the fat of my hand rather then the joints as I usually do.

The curiously weak man with pink cheeks gets migraines often, and what was lower back pain is now neck pain. His shoulders are very tight, which I tried to work on. I wasn't able to get into a rhythm, however, but he was appreciative all the same.

No work till the 8th, which means saturday the 13th for me. I'll see about switching to a busier day...

Sat. Aug 22th

Many lower-back pain patients, as usual. One man in his 30s had been diagnosed with abnormal curvature of the lumbar spine (straight rather then cured forward) a year or more ago, and was treated using tuina at that time. The pain was back so he came in again today. He said many nice things about my technique, which was nice. At the then end of the treatment, when he was sitting on the stool, he was supporting his weight with his arms on his knees rather then sitting straight. I managed to remember several face/head techniques from massage class and used all of them on him.

The small boy with glasses was there early again, getting treated for his poor vision.

The rather weak man with the pink cheeks was there again, but I only spent a couple minutes with him so I dunno how he is.

A lady who knew Dr. Xiao came in for neck and shoulder tension, pain radiating down her left arm. She had a physique similar to mine, very thin with hard muscles and protruding bones. I put a lot of energy into the massage and she appreciated it, especially the neck treatment that I picked up two weeks ago from Xiao Long. (who is a acupuncture major, not bone injury as I mentioned). She remarked several times on my technique.

Xiaolong and I did a good job on the old man who sings; he did a softening technique over the man's sacrum for a good 20 minutes, I worked first on his legs then spent a long time on his shoulders. His range of motion is quite limited- in and back is ok, but turning the arms out is quite uncomfortable. I massaged while moving his upper limbs, which I felt good about, but other then the old man being happy I didn't get see any particular results. That is a disadvantage of only going once a week!

Well, that doesn't sound like a lot, but it kept me busy till 11:30 and I felt great at the end. It is worth it to put a lot of energy into being there.

Sat. Aug 15th

There was only one patient today who didn't have lower back pain ...

His hand had been almost completely severed by a falling steel bar 5 months ago and it was re-attached by a surgeon. The stitching was a mess, but he could manipulate it well, with the exception of pressing the tip of his thumb to the other fingers. A rather important motion! He also had very little sensation in the hand. The other students massaged his hand and shoulder and encouraged him that his thumb would get better.

A man who had a prolapsed lumbar vertebra when was young came in for lumbar pain, he got the regular massage plus traction (one student pulling on each foot) while Dr. Xiao pushed down into his lower back (and held one hand under the patient's thigh, for some reason...)

The rest were normal, nothing in particular.

aspririn

For a long time I've objected to using Western medicine. Well, objected to using it on myself, to be more precise.

I made a bit of progress this evening, and can say with more certainty what it is that I am objecting to.

Aspirin. Ok, if there was a herb or animal product that could produce the effects aspirin and other similar drugs produce I'd probably be all over it. So that is a big chunk of BS.

However, I've been able to isolate one aspect of my objection, which is that aspirin takes away the pain of the situation you have put yourself in. In other words, it takes away a feeling of responsibility for your own well being. You drank too much? Aspirin. You chose to eat that food you are allergic to? Aspirin. You chose to take on that extra project when you should have rested? Aspirin.

See what I'm getting at? Pain-relieving drugs take away the impetus to discover what it is that is causing your pain. Remember, pain is only showing you that there is a problem ... the pain itself is just a form of communication.

Can you take pain-relieving drugs and still keep in mind the responsibility of the decision-making part of yourself? Perhaps. Personally I feel that I can, but that has only come after several years of "dealing with the consequences."

g'night!

Friday, September 7th

Not a terribly busy day, but I managed to keep occupied. One young mother had neck, shoulder, and sciatic nerve pain. Her neck and shoulders did not seem particularly tense, but the outside of her upper arm and feng chi xue were sore. I massaged her for about 20 minutes then Dr. Xiao gave her a much stronger massage. I think she was there not because it was a serious problem but rather because her relative was getting a pregnancy exam.

One weak looking man complained of lower back pain. He had very light musculature (especially the shoulders/upper arms) and pink cheeks. He didn't seem to like painful massage, as he complimented my even rhythm and complained about another person's sometimes painful technique, but he put up with Dr. Xiao's rough treatment quite well.

Dr. Xiao does seem to follow certain paths as he massages, and said he focuses on painful areas (hole positions) while avoiding bony protuberances.

An old man in his 80s was there quite early and gave us a rendition of an old Commie song. I'll sing something for him next time. His main complaint is joint pain and restricted movement, especially in the knees and shoulders. He has a massive chest with hard shoulder/shoulder bone muscles which were rather sensitive. He is otherwise in good health; strong, good skin, energetic, etc. Rather slow in movement however. Dr. Xiao said there is nothing we can do about the joints.

The other students are mostly new to me, some nursing, some acupuncture 7 years, one bone injury major, and one guy (the Christian) who I know from last semester. They are all quite friendly, but many of them are lazy and inactive. That is fine as it means I get to do more!