Why did I go there and what did I want from them? Well, I was wondering if they could give me some herbal remedies for poor blood circulation. I´m always cold and it´s not fun to be always cold. I have had some pretty bad experiences with the NHS doctors in the past so I figured it´s maybe better to invest some money in something that looks deeper into the cause and not just treating the symptoms, as Western medicine does.
There were two people at the Center: Doctor Zu and his assistent (who was also interpreter) Chan.
The interpreter translated Doctor Zu´s questions which I truthfully answered. Then he checked my pulse and my tongue which, I was told, is normal in Chinese medicine.
Turns out my Ying and Yang are not in harmony and the Zang-fu (Zhi) are causing the problems that I have.
"Aha..."
In plain English: my kidneys are blocking the flow of my fluids and are causing the problems. Oh yes, and my body is highly toxicated! Which is probably not surprising considering the gallons of alcohol I have consumed over the last 2 weeks or so. But then I ate healthy and I thought that would equilibrate it somehow...
Who would have thought!
Anyway, there is help at hand. Chinese medicine is very old and I do believe in its powers.
Everything that mother Earth has provided for us exists for a reason. Nature doesn´t play dice. Everything is carefully planned and why should pharmaceutical pills be better than natural remedies?
The treatment will last for 3 months (!). It includes accupuncture, massages, fire cupping, detoxication and a strict non-meat, non-sweet, non-alcohol, non-cigarettes, non-fried food and non-nuts diet. Just what I need now the weather gets finally warmer!
Accupuncture is pretty straightforward. They sterilize the specific areas (in my case hands, head, legs, arms and feet) and stick needles into your body. It sounds more painful than it actually is. It doesn´t hurt at all, just gives a twitch in the leg, especially in places where the skin is very thin.
After all the needles are carefully placed you can relax (it´s easy - just don´t think of the needles!). This relaxation lasts for about half an hour. It can be boring but I was lucky enough to listen to some Chinese music being played in the background - that kind of music you hear in Chinese restaurants. Needless to say my stomach started to rumble after a while. Unfortunately my bag with the emergency rations was out of reach and I didn´t dare to move. Doctor Zu was kind enough to leave the heating on though. He even placed a warm lamp over my legs so I wouldn´t get cold. That was very thoughtful because 30 Minutes can quickly turn into eternity when you are cold...
When I was just about to fall asleep Doctor Zu came back and removed all the needles. I thought that would be it and wanted to say my goodbyes, but more was to come...
Massage! A wonderful Tuina massage with peppermint oil. I cannot remember the last time I had a massage but the thought of having a wonderful massage like this once a week for the next 3 months makes me happy beyond belief! He wore some gloves while he was massaging specific areas and he released a lot of tension in my muscles.
After it was over I wanted to say my goodbyes for a second time. Doctor Zu however had other plans. Next on the agenda was fire cupping. Fire cupping involves placing cups containing reduced air pressure (suction) on the skin. It feels weird, as if someone is trying to rip your skin off. It doesn´t hurt though. I ´d say it´s neither pleasant nor unpleasant. It is just weird. The cups stay on your back for 20 minutes or so and are then removed which causes a strange sound and leaves your skin full of red marks.
But that´s just one part of the treatment. Doctor Zu´s assistent prepared a special tea for me - or let´s say the ingredients for it. Tailormade, not to be shared with anyone else. I feel so special :). Noone else is allowed to drink it. I could not identify the ingredients but it looked like a big pile of dried bits and pieces you would normally find in your local forest. Oh yes, there was a bath sponge as well.
Back at home I followed the preparation instructions carefully and am now, while writing this, enjoying my first cup of home-brewed poor bloodcirculation defeater! It looks worse than it actually tastes. It looks like sewage and tastes like a very badly brewed beer.
So, is it worth it? I don´t know, it´s too early to say. It is insanely expensive but considering what I get I don´t think it is too bad. I am just not sure at this point how to survive without Alcohol, cigarettes, chocolate and nuts for so long. I can easily live without meat (maybe after 2 failed attempts of trying to become a vegetarian the meat-free area has finally arrived - 3d time lucky....?) though.
Well, as Nietzsche used to say: was uns nicht umbringt macht uns stärker...
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