Jack is a lawyer. When I first treated him at my traditional Chinese medicine clinic, he acted more like a judge than a patient. He asked: “When did you start treating people with traditional Chinese medicine? Which school did you graduate from? What degree do you have? Do you specialize in a particular illness?” Although he did not trust me, I replied calmly and treated him with respect.
A present intern noticed how calm I was and thought Jack was not being nice. Nevertheless, the intern continued to find the right spots for him to receive acupuncture treatment. Jack told me that whenever he stood on his feet, they hurt, and it felt like he was standing on thousands of needles. He thus could not walk or exercise for a long time. He had also been to many hospitals and tried various treatments but to no avail. This time, he wants to try his luck with traditional Chinese medicine, specifically acupuncture.
Before he left, he said: “If my feet stop hurting, I will pay you in a week.” I nodded. At this moment, the intern replied: “Healing is not like products made in factories, whereby you decide to return or pay for the product after a trial period.” Jack politely but indifferently answered: “Legal consultations with lawyers are always free the first time.” After this, we did not hear from him again about the pain in his feet.
A year and a half later, Jack came back to my clinic. This time, he was suffering from dysentery. Although it was not life-threatening, he would experience diarrhea quickly and often. Again, he came to my traditional Chinese medicine clinic after conventional Western treatments failed to heal him. This time, he came often because an insurance company paid for these treatments.
I soon got to know him better and noticed that, unlike the last time, there was an absence of suspicion and arrogance. He later told me stories about his childhood. He said he had only a small suitcase when his grandfather first came to the United States. He started his career from scratch and ended up owning a few bakeries. He had suffered a lot in his life. His father also had a tough life, so his only hope was for him to make more money.
His father taught him not to trust anyone
He added: “Since I was young, my father always told me I could not trust anyone. When I played football with my father, he often tripped me on purpose, and my face was bruised from those falls. Nevertheless, my father showed no sympathy, but scolded me for being more stupid than a pig. The most impressive thing he ever did to me was pull away the ladder I was climbing. When I asked why, my father replied that he wanted me to learn not to trust anyone. Anyone, including my father.”
I was shocked after hearing his story, but I now understood why he was afflicted with a form of intestinal and stomach disease that often attacked him suddenly and was difficult to heal. Traditional Chinese medicine believes that if the function of the spleen is deficient and has declined, one’s vital energy will stagnate.
His dysentery was thus caused by the deposition of vital energy in his spleen. Furthermore, the spleen governs thinking. Jack has lived his life suffering from panic and distrust. High emotional tension could trigger intestinal spasms. Therefore, Jack’s most effective treatment was not herbs or acupuncture, but for him to fundamentally change his thinking.
Translated by Xianghai
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