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It wasn't until my third week of the program that I was able to see an acupuncture needle. Here in Hangzhou, the students have concentrations either in acupuncture or herbal medicine (although they learn both in their undergraduate education, a total of 7 years). The first two weeks I sat every morning on an uncomfortable wooden stool in various clinics, listening to the translator dictate herbal dosages and writing them in my notebook. The doctor sat across from her post-graduate assistant and talked with the patient for several minutes in a room full of people waiting to be seen and in the presence of extended family members. I was able to observe the interdependency of families in China and how the illness of one person affects many. At times during my cancer shift, it was the son or daughter of the patient that came in with X-rays, explaining the condition of their loved one in tears. When I visited the gynecology clinic, the doctor would recommend an ultrasound and the patient returned in the same hour with the results, since the hospitals were integrated. I am in awe of this concept.
When I finally got the chance to see acupuncture in China, I was a little intimidated by the quickness of the procedure. It was aggressive. It was effective. People had been coming frequently over the course of months. I have to admit it wasn't my style, but I learned to have courage. When Dr. Wang asked me to cup his patient, it was the first time I would really be participating hands on. With the fire in one hand and the bamboo cup in the other, I tried rapidly to create a vacuum to bring all the blood stasis to the surface. The darker the bruise, the better the treatment. The force was strong enough to draw blood. After receiving Chinese massage (Tuina), I knew these people could handle anything!
At another site, I watched catgut embedding therapy. The doctor injected very fine catgut proteins to be absorbed by the body into acupuncture points for weight loss, fatty liver and irregular menstruation. At the equivalent of $85, a patient could go home with them for 15 days and then come back for more. This therapy was in high demand and the acupuncturist was gifted with needles, also injecting doses of Angelica Sinensis into the necks of patients with cervical spondylosis.
These are only a few moments of what I absorbed during my time in Hangzhou. The variety at each clinic reiterated what I already knew-that TCM is an art to be appreciated and practiced safely without limitations. Every practitioner had their own style and their own relationship with their patients. My opportunities to make the medicine my own are endless.
