China Trip Reflection

    Spending every day in Chengdu University Hospital changed so much of how I think about Chinese Medicine. The most obvious thing you notice about CUH was how many people were there. Thousands, every day. Not different people either, often the same people came back every single day to be treated. The herbal counter was like a bus terminal, constantly swarmed with patients waiting to get their raw herbs.    Before I went to China other China trip alums told me the medicine seems to work better in China, like magic. I saw that right away, but I also saw it wasn't like magic at all. Patients not only came to be treated every day or every other day, but they all truly followed their doctors orders. It was fascinating to see what a world where TCM is trusted and respected, as much as western medicine is back in America, is like.
    The other thing that really stuck with me was the repetition. One doctor, in a specific department would use the same basic herbs that he or she likes best and then modify that formula based on the patients other symptoms. When they did acupuncture or tuina it was the same routine every time, the same "formula" every time. Lumbar disc herniation? Lumbar Jaiji with BL40. With Sciatica? Add GB30, BL53 or 54. Finish off with tuina on the lower back for 15 minutes, some spine twisting and a hot wax compress (used in place of moxa, since there was a separate building for moxa only).
    This repetition was surprising and yet made perfect sense to me. TCM is so complex and yet when you boil it down to basics, it's so simple. Humans are the same. We're all unique and yet so simple. It was incredibly encouraging to experience this well oiled machine that was Chengdu University Hospital. It made me feel so much more assured in my abilities, ideas and plans. In the future I'm sure I'll encounter moments in my practic where I feel overwhelmed by the possibilities or the symptoms. Having had this experience I can now reflect on this time and remember treatments don't always have to be original, complex or confusing. Trust the medicine and results will follow.