Another installment. Today I will tell you about getting sick, the advice you will get from Chinese friends, Doctors and Hospitals.
If you ever travel to China and have the unfortunate luck of getting sick you are in for one very interesting opinions.
Here are some of my experiences.
First and foremost hospitals and doctors here are very cheap so you need not worry about huge doctors bills.
One of my first health issues was a slipped disk in my neck. This was extremely painful and I visited a hospital. The doctor put me into traction and the pain subsided, but this was a temporary fix because within an hour of returning home the pain was back. So it was a daily trip to the hospital, traction home and repeat. That was until a parent of one of my students literally dragged me to her Chinese doctor. This doctor had not attended any university and had no medical training in my eyes. His father taught him, his grandfather taught his father and so on.
He sat me down and started massaging my neck to relax me, which worked, then he cracked my neck many times and finally gave me acupuncture all over my stomach. To allow the blood flow to return to my arm. I walked out of his office pain free.
Now I know what you're thinking, how can that work right.
well I don't question it any more.
Next I will tell you about a pain that to this day I don't know what caused it. I had a very sharp pain in the center of my shoulder, at the hospital I was told not to sleep under the AC because I had chilled my shoulder. This I could not understand, they gave me some painkillers and send me home. After another two days of pain my wife took me to see a Chinese acupuncturist and cupping specialist. She stuck me with more needles that I could count and wouldn't stop twisting them, playing with them and basically torturing me. This was all followed by cupping which causes massive bruising to the area.
That's me. Not Happy!
But once again it worked!
Now I have no problem visiting or induring Chinese medicine.
However I still argue with some of the Chinese beliefs. For example certain foods will increase your core temperature and make you susceptible to getting sick and other foods will cool down your core temperature. My personal favorite medical belief that almost all Chinese people believe is that a doctor can take your pulse with his/her fingers look at your eyes and your tongue and diagnose your ailment. Then prescribe you a tea that can easily be described as roots, twigs, leaves and other random stuff that tastes disgusting but will fix whatever he/she said you have.
So if you do find yourself In China and in need of medical help, there are two ways to seek help. I look at both depending on what is wrong with me.
In saying all of this Chinese people have to be some of the healthiest people on the planet and train their children to drink water constantly, something us westerners could do more of. I didn't really drink a lot of water until I moved to China and now I seldom drink anything else.
Thanks everyone. Peace and love from Southern China.