The end of TCM

The week in TCM has been interesting. Dr. Chen and Dr. Ho have taught us so much and showed us their acupuncture techniques. Dr. Chen even put a needle in my hand to show me what it feels like. I was a little nervous about it and skeptical when people said that it just feels numb. But when Dr. Chen tapped the needle into my hand, I hardly felt it except when he moved it around. It felt very tingly and weird. I left it in for a bit while he saw a patient and then he took it out for me. I thought that as long as I had it in I might as well treat the point a little. The point he used is one that is used to treat motion sickness and since I have been sensitive to that lately, I thought that treatment couldn't hurt. It did help a little, as the next time I was on the bus with the crazy driver I didn't get as sick. It was a good experience for me. I think it is important to experience things for yourself to be able to empathize with others.

Dr. Ho taught us a little about his manipulative technique. He showed us what he is feeling for when he does his diagnostic exam. His palpatory skills are very good and I hope that someday I will have those skills. He is able to treat bones that are out of place and tightness in the tissues. He diagnosed several patients with a "twisted pelvis" and prescribed herbal remedies for it. This was interesting to me because I thought that he would use manipulation to fix it, but instead uses herbs. There was also a patient with a cervical spine injury that was seeking treatment. He said that the patient would first have to take some Chinese medicines first before starting acupuncture treatment. Dr. Ho said that the treatments will help but it will take time and that he wasn't sure how much it would help. Because the nerves might be damaged, acupuncture may not be able to fix anything.

On Thursday, TIHTC took us on a field trip. We went to the Geography Park where there are really interesting rock formations. It was fun to see the different shapes of the rocks and the natural erosion that is occurring. It is apparent that the Taiwanese like food; a lot of the rock formations are named after foods. But it was fun. They are very imaginative with the shapes and there are stories to go with them. In the afternoon we toured the Shenkeng Public Health Center, which is a facility that focuses on public health. They have a small clinic and a lot of educational programs for residents in that area. This was a nice trip and we were very lucky to have been able to go.

This last week in TCM has been a very educational week for me. I have learned so much about Chinese medicine and its uses. All of the doctors in the department were very kind and answered all of our questions. The last 4 weeks at Taipei Hospital have been very educational and have reminded me why I decided to go to medical school. Sometimes in all the studying it is easy to forget the clinical side of things and it is experiences like these that keep me pushing through it all. I have really enjoyed all of the clinical experience that I have gained and all of the pearls of knowledge that the doctors have given me.