Had a cold and accompanying cough that made for a slow weekend. Felt better as the week progressed. After auditing my class, Yufeng was headed to the hospital for jar therapy and said that a treatment would be good for my congestion. Well, why not try it? The campus hospital is typically cheerless but the doctor was happy to be of help. The application was different than the one I got in Beijing. This time my back was wetted with a lubricant and the doctor moved the jar vigorously up and down each side of my spine before hanging several on as pictured. I guess this is supposed to manipulate something and draw it out...?? The doctor did comment (through Yufeng who interpreted) that the procedure was a bit more diffi
cult due to my hairy back. I guess she doesn't do it much to weigoren (foreigners). I asked Yufeng to take some pictures so all you in bloggoland can see these jars hanging off my back, reddened by the rubbing. Besides a little sore skin I can't say if the treatment has contributed to any improvement I might otherwise be experiencing. The doctor recommended that if I feel another cold coming on I should get acupuncture in a couple of specific spots on the back and then come in for the jars. Not sure if any of this has a basis in science but I'm always willing to try anything that doesn't rely on pharmies.On the title for this post: What movie does the line come from? A fan of Woody Allen's early work will know.
I asked a physician phriend back in the USA about this procedure. Dr. Ira Hinden replied:
ReplyDeleteThe official name for the procedure is called moxibustion and has a very long history in both oriental medicine, as well as in Western medicine, going back to the late medieval period in Western Europe.
It is extensively used in "traditional" Chinese medicine and probably has no scientific basis. You'll find references to "cupping" in Shakespeare and other literature of that period. As you observed first-hand, the heating of the jars and subsequent cooling creates a vacuum when placed on the skin; the suction increases the blood flow in the skin under the jar and may even raise a welt. This is supposed to have some magical curative power. Leeches were also used, at least in the West, for the same purpose. Did it cure your cold any faster than a week's worth of time? Just stay away from some of the many remedies you'll find in the "traditional" drug stores - many of them contain more than a trace of rather poisonous substances.
where in america, where can i get the moxibustion jar therapy done and how much does it cost to get the treatment.
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