Acupuncture

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Aging with dignity.

My lower back has been doing nothing but causing me pain and grief since returning to China.  Too many hours of sitting in trains, planes and buses took its toll.  I also moved to a new apartment, I'm spending more time sitting at my desk. And dammit, I'm just getting older!
I went to my old standby pain specialist who delights in tortuous pinches and pokes which provide instant relief once his painful ministrations subside.  Not much help there.  I decided to visit the acupuncturist.
He guided me to a room where I submitted myself to having my pants pulled down to expose half my ass, and then having needles inserted into the tight muscles in my lower back and buns.  
He then attached these to an electrical pulsing current that caused involuntary twitching akin to the dead frog kicking leg experiments in high school biology class.
All the while a four year old girl watched round eyed from the doorway.  She was more than a little frightened, but my hairy white bum had her captivated like a baby deer in the headlights.
I've had this treatment before, and like before it was quite effective at both relaxing my back and relieving the pain.  The cost was 35 RMB or about $5.75.  At that price I think I'll make this a regular thing. 

It's horrifying, but I can't stop watching!

Back Troubles

I managed to screw my back up a couple of weeks ago.  I’ve had a funky back for quite a number of years.  It has something to do with my sacrum having weakened ligaments.  (The sacrum is where your hip bone is connected to the back bone. Now hear the word of the Lord!)

I had a great chiropractor back in the US, and nobody could match her skills there.  However, I have two great practitioners of Chinese back healing arts that do some great magic at a fraction of the cost.  If I was forced to choose between which country I would live in based on back pain management I would opt for the Middle Kingdom.

I went to my favorite back guy.  Go here to read about him.  He did the usual torturous pokes, then prescribed a traditional herbal concoction.  I then took my prescription to a traditional pharmacy to get it filled.  There are zillions of these places, ranging from funky holes in the wall to modern drug stores with all kinds of modern drugs as well.
The pharmacists weigh and measure each ingredient according to the prescription.  There are barks, twigs, leaves, herbs, insect shells, animal parts, dried fruits, roots, and Buddha knows what else.  You then take the stuff home, boil it, strain it, and drink it.  Mmmmm, bug skins!
I have used several different traditional remedies for various ailments.  There is one for the common cold, that tastes horrible, but is quite effective.  It relieves the symptoms and the cold doesn't seem to linger as long.
My back remedy was assembled, and I was instructed to boil it for 20 minutes, then add one ingredient that looked like flower petals, strain it, add one good shot of baijiu, and drink.  It didn't taste as bad as the cold remedy.  I felt a little drunk, very relaxed and went to bed.  I woke up 3 hours later and felt like I was well on the road to healing.
The next morning I went to the acupuncturist and got my back stabbed.  I had another dose of my feel good meds, and another good nap.
In 3 days I was much better.