For years I suffered from stomach problems – from constant discomfort to unprovoked vomiting. I was prescribed all kinds of wonder drugs. They all seem to come with a warning list as long as my arm. Besides a magnifying glass to read the super-fine print, I’d need a pharmacology degree just to pronounce some of the ingredients, let alone know if I was allergic to any of them or not. These little man-made delights seem to have more possible side effects than I can count on both hands – things like seizures and sudden death.
After talking to a colleague about my stomach troubles and the reason why I didn’t feel like going for lunch with him, he gave me the name of an acupuncturist. Until then, it hadn’t crossed my mind to seek medical help other than from the local family doctor. But I consider myself sufficiently open-minded, so I was not going to dismiss something that has been around for thousands of years or because it didn’t fall into the realm of what we consider modern medicine.
So I went to see this acupuncturist – a nice gentleman. He told me to stick my tongue out. He reached for a very large book. On every page of this cyclopedia, I noticed there were pictures of tongues – hundreds if not thousands of pictures of tongues. He found one which I assumed looked like mine. He then told me I didn’t have a stomach problem but a problem with my spleen. I’m not a biologist. Other than knowing I probably have a spleen, I don’t know what function a spleen performs or even where it’s located.
He had me lay on my back and he proceeded to stick a very fine needle into my abdomen and another in the area of my left knee. He then attached electrical leads to each needle and switched on some sort of device. There was a slight but not unpleasant sensation. While this was happening, he reached for three or four large jars that contained stuff – stuff that resembled something I’d occasionally sweep off my doorstep and walkway. He concocted a mixture from these jars and put it in a brown paper bag. He explained that when I get home, to boil this mixture in water for half an hour and then drink the then dirty brown liquid over the next three days. I did as he suggested – it tasted dreadful.
I’m not saying we should turn our backs on modern medicines, but nor should we be too quick to dismiss traditional remedies. I received that one-time treatment over thirty years ago, and since then, I have never experienced any more problems with my stomach or my spleen.
Tell me your thoughts on medicines in the comments below.
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