Saturday, July 21, 2012

Red Cross Hospital Hangzhou, China




Red Cross Hospital (Hangzhou) ...This was my favorite hospital during my internship


These are tea cups used by kindergarten school children...Dr. Liu likes using them for cupping as she feels they have a very soft edge and while they have great suction they don"t hurt the patient.


A typical setting...ginger slices she uses a lot for gynecological issues.  The biohazard container for needles has no secure top.  This would never be allowed in the U.S.



This hospital was very beautiful inside.  I felt very at home here and everyone was so accommodating and nice, such a pleasure to learn from some of the very best Acupuncture doctors in China.

Acupuncture: Ancient Medicine Goes Mainstream, © 2012

Monday, May 7, 2012

Day 2 China



Day 2, 4/10/2012
Orientation at Zhejiang Chinese Medical University


I am up and ready for my buffet breakfast on the 20th floor.  I put on some comfortable clothes for the day and head up to eat.  The buffet is the largest I have ever seen and there is everything from 10 varieties of fresh fruit, to pastries, sushi, waffles, veggies done all sorts of ways, noodle dishes, soups, egg custard which looks like a decedent french toast, lotus roots...over 100 items at least.  




After breakfast we take our bus to Zhejiang University where we have an orientation with the Dean of the school Dr. Chen and some of his staff.  They welcome us with tea our schedules for the week.  We also meet a few of our interpreters for the clinics.  We visit the schools museum of TCM which has a history of the school and also a vast collection of Chinese Medicinal herbs.  We eat lunch at the school, which is a small platter of eel, bok choy, soup and rice.  After lunch, we head over to west lake for a boat ride around the lake.  The ride lasts about 40 minutes and the heat feels a little exhausting.  


We then are given the night to be on our own for dinner and do whatever we want.  So, a few friends and I go down the street and find a little restaurant that ends up being pretty good.  Two of us decide to go shopping for herbs at the gorgeous high end herb shop called Tong Ren.  It's the Mercedes of herb companies in the China and let me tell you the store was like shopping 5th avenue.  You are escorted the entire time by someone throughout the store and whatever you pick out you can then pick up after you pay for it in the back and bring your slip up to be marked off.  They had ginseng about the size of my palm for $175,000 US or 680,000 rmb, that's right you could buy a small condo with that.  They also made sure we didn't take any pictures.  





Internship Zhejiang University of TCM China 2012


Day 1 Arriving Shanghai (4/8-9/2012)

Got up at 2:30 am to get to the airport by 4am for my 6am flight to Shanghai. The nineteen hour flight was painful.  After we were halfway and flying over the north pole I just couldn't believe we had that much longer still to go.  It seemed I just couldn't stretch my legs enough or sleep long enough and I absolutely couldn't get enough water to drink.  I was very dehydrated by the time we arrived.  

     
















Once we collected our bags at the airport, I beamed straight for the little store to buy my first item.  What did I pick?  Something a little familiar but the Chinese version...orange soda and a bottle of water.  I also decided now or never to head to the toilet as it would probably be nicer than the one we were going to stop at half way to Hangzhou.  To my delight, it was super nice and super clean and no squatting needed including toilet paper...yay, was I happy!!! 




















 It felt strange that I had left Tampa not too long prior on a Sunday and now it was Monday, like being projected into the future.  We gathered our group, loaded the bus and headed to Hangzhou.  










The bus ride was about three hours of which we all were crashed out until we were about 15 minutes from our hotel.  I guess we all needed a good rest.  We had twenty minutes to wash up and meet downstairs for our very first dinner together.  It was very good, a little saltier than what I am used to, but fresh and a huge variety of dishes.  Fourteen different dishes in all.  












After the festivities some of us walked back to the hotel and some explored the night market.  I was just so tired and new we had a big day tomorrow, so I went back and slept.


Wednesday, April 4, 2012

Finals...........China.....here we come!


Studying for Finals...with a little help from Genius (that would be Einstein) and Caffeine--


Packing for China trip...
Coffee------check
EmergenC---check
Cliff bars---check
Labcoat---check
Pillow----check
Toilet paper----oh no...gotta get it!

Saturday, March 10, 2012

Friday, March 9, 2012

Saturday, March 3, 2012

Stress: A closer look at acupoint ST36

Stomach 36
 In this study from Georgetown University, researchers administered electroacupuncture to acupuncture point St36 to the treatment group, sham acupuncture to another group, and no acupuncture to the control group prior to and following a stressor. They exposed all of the groups to fourteen days in a cold environment in order to induce a physiologic stress response. The sympathetic peptide, neuropeptide Y (NPY), elevated levels of which are found in those suffering from PTSD or other chronic stress conditions, and is hypothesized to contribute to the physiological stress response. No difference in NPY levels was found in the sham and control groups. The treatment group saw immediate and sustained suppression of NPY indicating that acupuncture to St36 may be an effective treatment and prevention of chronic stress. 
 Acupuncture at ST36 prevents chronic stress-induced increases in neuropeptide Y in rat. Eshkevari L, Egan R, Phillips D, Tilan J, Carney E, Azzam N, Amri H, Mulroney S. Experimental Biology and Medicine. In press. (2011).

Friday, February 24, 2012

Bronze Man

Bronze acupuncture man

Bronze Acupuncture Man

The bronze acupuncture man was used to teach acupuncture point location. He had holes on the acupuncture points, and was filled with water and coated with wax. If the acupuncture student put the needle in the correct point, water would come out. If they got the wrong point, the needle got stuck in the wax.

Saturday, February 11, 2012

What is Window of the Sky?

I realize that you may be wondering why I named my blog Window of the Sky. So, I thought I would give you a little history of the meaning behind "Windows of the Sky", aka.. "Window of Heaven".

The "Windows of the Sky" are points that are used for several reasons, but usually for local neck and or head pain. The History of these points come from the ancient text called the Nei Jing - Ling Shu, also known as the Spiritual Pivot which was first compiled around 400BC. These points are all located around the neck area or where the head connects to the lower body.
The Window of the Sky is seen as a way to connect our Spiritual Self to our Physical Self. Chronic tension can settle into the neck, and literally strangle your aliveness or spirit. The neck houses the thyroid gland, which balances your metabolism. When tension accumulates and becomes chronic, these points block your healing energy, which can cause chronic fatigue, fibromyalgia, and thyroid problems. The spiritual significance of the Windows of the Sky points is that they govern harmony between your mind and body. When healing energy flows through the Windows of the Sky, your spirit and aliveness makes you happy, inspired, satisfied, and fulfilled. If the energy cannot get through the neck into the higher centers of the brain, a person cannot fully experience spirituality, aliveness, and the wonders of life.

My blog is a way for me to connect my knowledge of Chinese Medicine with the rest of the world, therefore making the title "Window of the Sky" appropriate. I hope that my journey through this unique form of medicine will continue to inspire and enlighten.