Chinese Medicine and Acupuncture

          So, as I type these words this evening, I’m sipping on my first cup of herbal tea from the Chinese Medicine and Acupuncturist I met with today here in Durango.  His business name is Root and Branch Medicine (www.rootandbranchmedicine.com ) .  I had stopped in the office a couple of days ago to discuss the on-going dysfunction of my salivary glands since radiation and chemotherapy last fall.  I still have very little saliva and it makes eating difficult if not impossible without several glasses of liquid at every meal.

        (Sorry, no pictures tonight, but trust me, I had a bunch of needles stuck in me today!!)

            Todd was very quick to tell me that he thought we could realize some success with my situation; there just needed to be an appointment opening before I leave on May 1^st.  He checked the books and sure enough, there was availability at 1:30 pm today, April 24, 2014. 

            My appointment began promptly at1:30 and Todd spent about 30 minutes talking about my background, particularly the cancer therapies from last year.  Initially, he uses observational diagnostics to assess certain conditions in the patient. He quickly found a couple of blocked areas/pressure points which he recommended that I manipulate daily to enhance the energy flow back to my mouth.  Then, it was on to the table.

            I lay down on the massage table with support under my knees and head.  He inserted 20-22 needles into my ears, arms, legs and feet.  The insertions did not hurt and I did experience some sensations (hard to describe) as some were inserted.  He then turned on a heat lamp on my feet and one on my mid-section, turned down the lights and left the room.  As I lay there I could hear a clock ticking faintly and then some very, very relaxing music (more like just sounds) began to play faintly.  I know I nodded off a couple of times, but with five needles stuck in each ear, I decided it better to stay awake!

            After about ten minutes, he returned to make sure I was doing ok.  He asked if I had any sensations in the areas where the needles were placed.  I said no, until he gently touched the area surrounding the needle.  It was very sensitive to touch.  I asked why this was and he said it’s the build-up of energy at that point.  No, I don’t know any more than that.  I’m just going with the flow here.  It was an amazingly relaxing experience.  I would rate it up there with a massage.  I did note that if I flexed my hands or feet I had a sensation of tension/aching in the particular extremity.  I lay on the table for at least half an hour and found it to be an excellent experience.

            Todd came back in and removed the needles.  He left the room while I relaxed a few more minutes and then I met with him again.  He instructed me in the preparation of herbs for tea to be consumed three times a day for the next two weeks as well as providing me some pills,

(liu wei di huang wan).  I’m to consume about 24 of these per day for the next two weeks.  Todd then wants me to assess progress on saliva production.  He attributes at least some of the dysfunction to the kidneys and spleen and the spleen in particular.

            I look forward to the results I’m going to experience.  All in all, this was a very positive experience.  Obviously I cannot speak to success or failure yet as I’ve only just begun.  From just the relaxation standpoint, I recommend trying Chinese Medicine and acupuncture if someone is considering it.

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