the human connection
The antonym for glamour is unexciting, but I believe simplicity may be more appropriate. Acupuncture isn’t a fancy job filled with a lot of prestige. But, then again, prestige is the last characteristic necessary when the goal is supporting good health.
Ellen* could barely walk into the clinic today. It was visible she was in immense pain. Upon further examination, her hands and feet radiated with heat and a redness that reminded me of an extreme sunburn, a result of the chemotherapy drugs circulating in her body to treat her breast cancer. Her hands and feet pained her so much she couldn’t dress or undress herself. And to make matters even more difficult, her mouth was filled with sores.
In Chinese medicine, her symptoms exhibited a tremendous amount of heat trying to find its way out of the body by moving to the most distal points. Needles placed at particular points on her hands and feet worked to release heat and an herbal mouth wash was used to subside the heat in her mouth. At the end of her treatment, the redness surrounding the knuckles on her toes and fingers had decreased dramatically. Ellen’s spirits had visibly lifted as she vibrantly told me of her favorite scarf store where she loved to find brilliant colored scarfs to cover her now bald head. After the treatment, despite the visible improvement in her hands and feet, the skin still remained incredibly tender. As she made her way off the clinic table, I jumped to help her with her socks. It wasn’t a glamorous healing moment, but it was a simple moment in human connection. One human being supporting another human so as not to be diminished by asking for such basic help. It wasn’t glamorous but it was truly profound.
*All patients’ names have been changed.
