It might seem more than a little counter-intuitive to seek to relieve pain by taking on more pain, but when I mentioned to Richard, the gentleman who arranges the China Exchange tour from the Chinese end, that I was considering acupuncture to try to cure what’s known as a “frozen shoulder,” he pointed out that there is a government hospital directly across from our hotel here in Xi’an. So it was that I started my day, on Sunday no less, having needles stuck into both my shoulder and just above my wrist. When I first saw the tray of needles, I confess I was somewhat apprehensive, but truly acupuncture barely hurts at all, and that is only when the needles are first inserted. In fact, the procedure is more fascinating than it is uncomfortable, especially when you sense the doctor zeroing in on particular nerves. The whole process, from first booking in to the final consultation with the doctor, including “cupping,” took two hours and cost about $21. That’s less than my copay alone back home. How, you might wonder, could I have a consultation with the doctor, when he spoke no English and I speak no Chinese? Wincing. Everyone understands winces. In fact, there is a whole vocabulary of winces; the mild grimace right up to “Yikes!” The doctor and I understood each other very well. Did the acupuncture work? Yes. It will take another visit or two, but the shoulder is much better than it was the day before the procedure, and given that I am toting a heavy backpack each time we travel to a new city, acupuncture has made me a very happy camper.
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