ni teng ma?

My ID card... that and a long white coat, and its just about as official as it gets.

We've been taking a "Traditional Chinese Medicine Course" for 2 hours every Monday, taught by a very enthusiastic Chinese Med Doc, who explains us concepts such as Qi (vital substance making up the human body), Xue (red liquid rich in nutrients, not blood but like blood), Jin and Ye (body fluid with two functions - moistening and nourishing). This week I had the opportunity to shadow and observe in the TCM Accupuncture clinic.

When a patient comes in, she or he brings in her own out-patient record, which looks like a notebook, filled with handwritten notes by practitioners, and copies of labs, ultrasound, and imaging results taped in. The TCM doctor takes the history, and then the patient lies down on one of many tables, separated by curtains (although curtains are often drawn).

Then, the patients all seem to get a series of cupping and accupuncture, in various orders, and sometimes even the cupping over an accupuncture needle.

"Multi-Purpose Health Device" - electrodes which attach to the accupuncture needles

Accupuncture for back pain

Cupping
Cupping for shoulder pain

Main chief complaints? insomnia, facial paralysis (bell's, sometimes residual, sometimes less than a week), back pain... also have seen dysmenorrhea (the accupuncture points chosen seem more painful than the dysmenorrhea... like all over the lower abdomen).

The doc is this really sweet older woman, who speaks some English, and is very enthusiastic as well. She always tells me about the patient by first saying what they have "she suffers from paralysis of face," and then follows it with, "after accupuncture, much better!"

Many patients look at me with confusion... and I just tell them something that I've actually become quite good in saying, "wo zhe mei guo xue yi de." (I am a medical student from the US). They point to their skin as if describing an accupuncture needle, and then give me a thumbs up.