My Alternative Medicine Journey

I wanted to give another update on my health. At the end of my previous update I had started taking artificial tears and ointment indefinitely, and had a new pair of glasses. I had resigned myself to this routine for the rest of my life. I have had a long time interest in meditation and the like, so decided to try acupuncture and traditional Chinese medicine.

I went to get a haircut at Citrus Hair Salon, one of the only places in the city where you can get your beard trimmed well. While making conversation I mentioned my interest in trying acupuncture. The barber, a woman named Juju, comes from the Philippines, and said that her grandmother would use it because they could not afford more expensive healthcare. She recommended that I go to South Philly Community acupuncture, so I made an appointment. I had no idea what to expect.

I had my first consultation in a private room, though subsequent sessions would occur in a community area. Justine, a licensed acupuncturist, asked me a number of questions about my medical history and reason for seeking treatment. She explained to me that the energy meridians of the liver connect to the eyes. Anger imbalances the liver, and I wondered if that explains why so many blind people seem so damn angry.

I lay down on a heated massage table. Justine diagnosed me by feeling the pulses on my wrist. She explained that reading pulses has its own branch of study in itself. She said my pulse felt wiry as often happens to someone in pain. I said I felt in pain and completely exhausted. I also felt a little nervous about needles.

Before beginning I asked if I could touch one of the needles. They feel very thin, like a piece of hair connected to a thicker stalk. She inserted into two points over each eye. It definitely hurt a little but I wanted to persevere. She put in two needles at my temples which felt great. She also put in some needles in my legs for my kidneys and liver. She put a final needle into the crown of the head, and I had already begun feeling energy gathering there.

I had a problem though. The needles over my eyes had seriously started to hurt. They brought up pain and I could feel it clearing, but I didn’t know if I could take it. I almost called out. Suddenly, the needle over my right eye, the worst one, fell out. The pain went away. Later she said that meant that my body had enough. After the session I felt like something subtle had changed. I felt less weary.

I went back for my second session four days later and then it happened. I felt so relaxed. I went in with no expectations and an open but critical mind. Half way through I felt all the pain fall away. For the first time I went back to the time before I had any of this horrible pain. I could then expand this state like I had already learned to do in meditation.

That convinced me. Justine crafted me a custom herbal prescription. I began acupuncture regularly. A few weeks went by but something didn’t seem quite right. Justine said the herbs would take away the gross night sweats which I forgot to write about before, but they mostly continued. On that Sunday she emailed me. She wanted to make sure that I knew that the prescription said to take five grams twice a day, but that the scoop only measures one gram. I had cautiously assumed that one scoop meant one dose, so had taken one scoop twice a day. I had taken one fifth of the amount. As soon as I began taking the proper amount the night sweats went away. I’d pay for that alone.

Along with treating the evident physical symptoms, we also began working on the related less physical ones. Chinese medicine really shines here, because it also addresses the anger, depression, and general lack of energy that comes with chronic pain. I have heard it compared to pealing away the layers of an onion.

A few times when I have felt especially irritated, they have given me an ear seed. This involves taping a mustard seed to an acupuncture point in the ear. In this case they use one called Shen Men. If you feel like you need an extra boost you can press on the seed. Celebrities have gold plated stubs. I’d prefer the mustard seed. They can move mountains.

The traditional Chinese medicine system also includes QiGong, its own version of yoga. I decided to give it a try and immediately fell in love. I have searched for an energy cultivation system for years and have finally found it. Specifically I learn Medical QiGong, which for me includes exercises focusing on the eyes and liver. It deserves an article of its own.

Justine recommended my QiGong instructor named Iris, and we meet once a week. I practice for an hour or two on most days. Even my meditation has become integrated into it. Iris told me about some Taoist techniques which I find quite powerful.

I have become convinced that denying the existence of Qi, the life force, has led us to our current state in western society. We feel like we have collectively lost something. We deny the life force and wonder why we don’t care about life. I found it in QiGong, and I never would have started learning it if I didn’t have my pain. The universe works in weird ways.

I learned something interesting. In Japan, blind acupuncturists have a deserved reputation as some of the best. This article tells a powerful story about the first blind acupuncturist, and caused me to have a healing awakening. An acupuncturist described it as like reading braille in the body. I realized that I could transfer my braille reading skills to energy healing and everything fit together

A few weeks ago I had my three month follow up appointment at Wills Eye. I considered this a day of judgment. I wondered if all of my alternative medicine did any good. The cornea specialist felt impressed with how my eyes looked, relatively speaking. During our last visit he mentioned a “Minor procedure” to scrape off the calcium, but recommended against it because it might further damage my eyes. This time he added the detail that it would cause intense pain for two weeks, and said that my eyes looked better enough that I did not need to consider it. Good!

I noticed that I had better muscle control when asked to move my eyes around during the examination. I have done this since birth so know the drill. Before I could hardly exert any control, but now my eyes felt much stronger. When I first came I ranked my pain at 7-8 out of 10. Now I’d say 0-4 out of 10. My efforts have worked and I have the results to prove it.

I want to make something clear before I close. I have not thrown away western medicine. I have exhausted its limited options. The two systems compliment each other. Community acupuncture centers charge on a sliding scale, and I have never felt pressured. Justine recently told me that she does not want me to become a professional patient. I also wanted to mention that even though I only wrote about Justine, I have had great experiences with all of the acupuncturists I have worked with, including Nicole, Kelly, and the owner Lauren. The receptionists all know me as well, and we often end up chatting.

This pretty much brings things up to the present. I went to acupuncture twice a week, and have brought it down to once a week. Eventually I should only need to come as needed. I have QiGong class once a week, and spend a lot of time focusing internally.

I have had low energy and have slowly begun getting it back. It feels like waking up from a very long sleep. I know myself and don’t want to rush back into things. I need to take it easy. I also plan to only work on my personal projects and current obligations. I need to consciously control my stress and anger levels. At least I have my system. I will likely have another exciting health update in the future about something else Iris told me about, so stay tuned.