Traditional Chinese Medicine

by Paulette Avery, R.N., M.S.N.

For the past several weeks I've been under the care of Francine Ball, a licensed acupuncturist and Chinese herbalist with a practice in Walnut Creek. I knew Francine when we both had children at Redwood Heights elementary, and the two of us helped to launch the first-ever health fair at the school about ten years ago. My experience with her and with Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) has been positive, and I want to share it with you.

Before seeing Francine, I made an appointment with my medical doctor because I was concerned with feeling short of breath. I had only a vague awareness of the problem over the last few months, but more recently the feeling intensified even when I was resting in bed. I also felt frequent heart palpitations. Both symptoms scared me, so I went to see my doctor. He examined me, sent me for lab tests, an EKG, and chest x-ray and told me to return in a month, or sooner, if my symptoms worsened. He didn't know what was causing the problem, and since I heard nothing from his office after completing the tests, I assumed they had all been normal.

Meanwhile, a friend suggested that I see Francine. I liked the idea. Although I am a registered nurse and work within the traditional Western model of health care, I find myself more comfortable using alternative or complementary forms of health care. Besides being skilled, the alternative health practitioners I have encountered are also nurturing and intuitive, and I value these characteristics.

I hadn't seen Francine in many years, but she remembered me, and I immediately felt at ease with her. She led me to a seat in her office and began asking questions about why I was there and about my general health. After completing my oral history, she examined my tongue and carefully assessed the pulse in each of my wrists. She told me that my Chinese medicine diagnosis was "chi (or qi) in blood deficiency" and that she didn't think it was anything serious. That was a huge relief. Although that was my gut feeling as well, it helped a lot to hear her say it. By the way, chi refers to energy or life force, and apparently I was lacking a sufficient amount of it in my blood. She told me that one of the reasons she likes Traditional Chinese Medicine is that it sees health as a continuum and works to move you along the continuum into better health. In contrast, Western medicine looks for disease, often using invasive procedures to both diagnose and treat. And although I know there can be great benefits from Western medicine, the TCM approach is much more appealing to me.

Next, she took me into one of her small treatment rooms, each furnished with a comfortable table covered with a cushioned pad, a chair, a small bookcase for equipment, a portable heater, and stereo speakers. Once I was settled on the table, she inserted about seventeen disposable stainless steel needles into various points on my body, cleaning each insertion site with alcohol before placing the needles. I felt mild discomfort as she placed each needle, but it lasted only a second or so in most cases. A few times I felt a tingling sensation that seemed to move along a nerve. That sensation also passed quickly. Once the needles were in, Francine offered me a light blanket, asked if I was comfortable, and left me to rest while I listened to relaxing music.

There's much more to the story. I'll continue it next month.

Paulette Avery is a registered nurse and a freelance writer who specializes in health issues.