Herbal Treatment

Well I pulled my back out about 2 weeks ago and was laid out. I couldn't even hold the baby. Thankfully I had a lot of people praying for me and Dad answered, so I'm all better now. I did try to get some relief from a few Chinese remedies which led to some interesting experiences.

First of all I had a massage which started out like any massage, but gradually became more and more like some kind of ancient torture. After rubbing vigorously on my lower back the doctor pushed his thumb into a pressure point in my hip (well I think it was more like my hiney...) That just about shot me off the bed. Then he pushed in on a few more spots down my leg... oh and then he did the other side. He also did this thing where he pushed down on my back and held my leg up and kind of bounced it??? Then to top it all off and he pushed down really hard on my lower spine and released quickly. It definitely loosened all the muscles up, but the next day I was so sore. It felt like my back was bruised and I could hardly stand to lay on it. It didn't really do the trick... so I laid on the floor for the next few days.

Last week my best friend Dora said she wanted to come and give me a treatment. Dora is a traditional Chinese medical doctor and has taught me a lot about what they do. She has also whipped up some really interesting things for me to take including mule skin cooked with other herbs and sticks. A lot of the medicine is cooked in water and then you just drink the "soup". When she called she knew that I would not be willing to take anything like that because I am still nursing Grace... and she also knew that I would not be willing to have acupuncture because I am so afraid of needles. So she came bearing Moxa.

Moxa is a herb that is widely used. As she began to tell me about it I wondered if it was safe, and she assured me it was since it is used on pregnant women all the time. I check WebMD and sure enough it is even used in the States from time to time to help breach babies turn around. So the adventure began. She had these 2 sticks that resembled cigars, only they were wrapped in white paper with green writing on the outside. She said she needed to light them, but we didn't have a lighter so she lit them on the stove. The not so wonderful aroma of moxa proceeded to fill our home as we walked back to the office.

Dora showed me how to find the points myself and then she held the burning sticks about 2 inches from my skin. The first point was on my abdomen just below my belly button. It did exactly what she said it would do... it felt very warm, but not only at the point but also inside. It moved to an area near my side. I could feel the warmth on the inside but my skin was still cool. It was really interesting. Then she held the sticks near a point just above my ankle, then on my back. I was amazed! It was really great but I think next time I want to go outside because the smell of the smoke almost overtook me.

When I lived near the Chinese medical hospital we used to always smell the moxa, but we didn't know what it was. We thought someone was smoking mariguana. I couldn't believe how it filled the air and noone ever seemed to notice. Now I know why... it was just someone getting a treatment.

Thank you Dora for always loving on me! You're the best!!!!