May 24- Headache, Eye diseases, Facial Paralysis

The majority of what I've been seeing this week is the headache, stroke, and backpain, and of course, facial paralysis. Many of the the facial paralysis patients are showing improvement, there is a very pretty young woman, who however is not. She's had it for over 3 months. But another young woman has been coming everyday for 25 days, and she can now close her eyes, and is almost back to normal.

Working in the hospital you get to know the patients, they come everyday often, for 10 or more days. Acupuncture is really a social institution here, everyone know what is going on with everyone else, and all talking about their families and diseases. There is no privacy, I think it is not a concept at all in china. Because I kind of stand out, patients are sometimes scared of the foreigner needling them at first, but then after they know I can needle, they think it is special and want me to treat them. Funny being an non-Chinese in the hospital.

The headache treatments have been very successful. This patient is a 40 year old women, with chronic daily headaches for six years. No irregular blood flow, poor sleep, bitter taste in the mouth, frequent urine, periodic breast pain, dry frequent stool, red tongue with yellow coat. Points are tai yang, St 8, Pc6, Sp 6, GB 20, Kid 3, GB 40, 41, Sp 10, Si Shen Cong, yin tang, Lu 7. This is her 6th treatment and her headaches are much relieved.

One sided headache is very similar presentation- selection of GB 41, SP 6, Sp 10, St 36, Lu 7, LI 4, Li11, Yin Tang, Tai Yang, Si Shen Cong.

There are also a lot of eye diseases. I mentioned a man with optic nerve degeneration. He comes everyday and always says he is a little better (so I am not sure what that means, but I believe he was completely blind at one point). He receives alternating back/front treatments of st36, Ki 3, GB 37, UB 2, St 4, Tai Yang, SI 6, LI 4, Li 11, and on the back GB 20, Ub 17, 18, 20, 23, Li 44, SI6, GB 37. Another patient has degeneration of the retina. UB 2, ST 4, si shen cong, LI 11, LI 4, Si 6, St 36, Ki 3, GB 37, Tai yang.

An interesting one is shoulder pain from shingles for one month. She reports great relief from the treatment. 7 star needle on the area, GB 20, LI 15, True Shoulder, Sj14, LI 11, Li 4, Ashi in shoulder.

Oh yea, one of my favorite things my teacher does is needle ST 39 through to UB 57 for shoulder pain, particularly after stroke to treat the UB luo and the yang ming.