many people have asked me why am i studying TCM, and i am not going to lie to you and say because i am so interested in it and it's my dream to become a sinseh bla bla bla. of all the various little factors that led me into the course is due to the fact that i do not believe in tcm. i used to think it is absurd how drinking different kinds of dried plants and poking needle through your body can do so much wonders, like bringing a dying cancer patient back to life, making a paralysed person able to walk again etc.. mainly because i've not seen or experienced it for myself. hence, i embarked on this long journey to find my answer.
i haven't found it, but along the way, amidst all the info overload and headaches, there were times when i do see a bit of light.
last saturday's internship was certainly one of them. the acupuncturist i followed is a classical example of a 老中医. his hair may be mostly white, he may be old, but i do have to agree that he is indeed charming. we may not have learnt acupuncture before but his very brief summary and explanation makes it sound so easy. and seeing him planting needles into patients makes it look so easy. i will not forget the scene where he inserted a 4 inch needle from the exterior side of the knees ALL THE WAY in. it didn't come out from the other side though i think it's almost there already.
and there's another patient, a lady in her 40s i guess, who walked in like any normal person, looks quite cheerful and talks quite a lot. had he not mentioned her medical history, i don't think anyone can tell that she suffered from a stroke a year ago and was wheelchair-bound when she first sought treatment from him half a year ago.
i'm indeed very impressed...