An Encounter with Oriental Medicine

This morning I went to my Taekkyeon instructor, who is also an Oriental Doctor, for treatment. The tendon of my right hamstring muscle has been bothering me for probably three or four months now. I hurt it one Taekwon-Do session because I thought I can still kick head height without warming up, as I used to do at the age of 18. (Teenagers, beware… the day is coming!) So there I was, at the doctor.

I tried to explain to him what is wrong, but he silenced me. Instead he made me sit and started to take my pulse. First the right wrist. Then the left. Then the right again. He tapped me on the right side to indicate the problem is on the right side of my body. This time he allowed me to show which tendon is causing the fuss.

And then the treatment started. First I lay on my stomach and allowed him to push and pull along my spine, popping stuff and stretching stuff. Initially it felt good; not a relaxing message, but a good working of the muscles. But after half an hour he really started to press all the right places. As if he knew exactly which pressure points would cause me the most excruciating pain; he started to stand on me with his knees, kneed with his elbows, pinch and prod with thumbs and knuckles. It took all my will power not to squirm from under him. And then he started acupuncture with two acupuncture pens. They look similar to normal parker pens, but with special three thronged heads. I felt like screaming, so painful was it. Some of the points stung in long waves along my meridians. Although I’m not fond of getting hurt, I do think that I have a rather high tolerance for pain. But such illusions disappeared under his touch. Apparently I also got some injections near the sore tendon.

What a tender (as in painful, not as in fond) experience. I have to come back often, he said. Once a week.

I have many problems, explained the translator to me. He also referred to my skin problem. I suffer from acne problems – mostly on my back. The doctor said it might be related to my kidneys, liver or a nutritional deficiency. I know for a fact that supplements of zinc and excessive amounts of Vitamin C helps to relieve the inflammation. Hopefully this oriental treatment might fix this long time bane as well.

So, coming Sunday after Taekkyeon training, I will be back for another torture session.