Some things in life may require a step of faith
Growing up, few things seemed whackier and more frightening to me than acupuncture. The very thought of having needles stuck into my skin drew a grimace with an imagined stinging pain coursing through my nerves. Without any doubt, no one in my family had ever thought about nor tried this very Asian-associated treatment. And, as luck would have it, unexplained pain was not a common issue for me during my youth.
I dated a Korean girl who had been raised by a North American family. She knew very little about her native culture and language. We agreed to take an introduction to Korean course together at a local community college. Our instructor was an older woman who had survived the Korean War as a child. She shared very vivid memories of North Korean soldiers stealing food from her home during their occupation of Seoul. It was fascinating to hear what has become distant history from an eyewitness.
She also shared with us that she, quite out of the blue, believed that acupuncture had saved her life. All of my aversion to the practice sprang to the surface as she described how she had been in a severe car accident that had left her incapacitated with back pain.
I swallowed my feelings on the issue in order to listen, respect, and give her story a fair hearing. She further explained that for months after her car accident she had visited her doctor who would take x-rays and provide pain medications. The instructor described how after six months of debilitating pain and weary from a lack of sleep, she grew progressively concerned that she would be reliant upon doctor’s appointments and pain medications to simply stand up or walk around.
She needed to find a solution not offered by a standard medical physician and had to think outside of the box. She had never considered acupuncture as an option. Yet, after months of pain, she decided to find an acupuncturist who would give her treatment. Any door that could be opened to help would be opened. And, over the process of a number of appointments, she was restored to health. She could stand up straight, sit down, and drive pain-free without dependence upon pain medications. And, surprisingly, the acupuncturist finished treatment and did not seek further appointments.
As young people who had never experienced such disability nor pain, we listened to her story with sympathy and foreboding. I noted to myself, maybe, just maybe, if there came a moment in life where I found myself in a real bind health-wise, I should re-consider this crazy needle-thing. We finished our class, put our Hangul texts away, and moved onwards.
Fast forward two decades, I’m lacing up my shoes heading to the office. A severe pain I have never felt before shoots up the left side of my leg. I am unable to stand up. Bam, welcome to middle aged life! After a few minutes of excruciating pain and growing uncertainty, I am slowly able to stand up and walk myself to the car and get to the office. But, this sharp pain coursing from my heel up the side of my leg, has now become a frighteningly constant companion.
As luck would have it, next to my office was a chiropractor. I wander over to consult with my friendly blue-eyed Irish Japanese neighbor. He listened to my story and assessed my injury telling me that it is very likely that I have plantar fasciitis and that there is very little that a chiropractor or a doctor can do for it. Doctor “Ian” (not his real name) goes on to tell me he was raised, believe it or not, on a turkey farm, a most North American of professions for his parents (both raised outside of Canada).
I took his professional assessment with disappointment uncertain of what to do next. I read about plantar fasciitis to understand it and how it might be treated. Nothing seemed certain nor hopeful. My wife mentioned that she knew of a Japanese acupuncturist in the city next to us. I was puzzled as I didn’t know that Japanese practiced acupuncture. After going to work for weeks in pain, buying new shoes and finding no solace from the pain, I too was willing to try anything.
I arrived at the acupuncturist’s office prepared for the worst. Visions of long needles and hot cups danced in my head. This was something different. Very different. Tiny needles barely a millimeter long quickly inserted and removed painlessly. Acupuncture does not follow the same mapping of the nervous system used by western medicine. It has a different mapping of the paths of our bodies. And, the needles provoked no pain. I didn’t feel the needles at all.
As the acupuncturist continued to better understand the pathways of my pain and to treat them, the pain gradually diminished and my sharp pain became a dull pain. Within a month or two, the pain diminished by 80% or more and going to work became so much easier. I remembered the words of my Korean instructor and her gratitude came to mind.
Rather than ranting, evangelizing, or rambling, I share this story simply to plant a seed in case you may one day need it. Someone planted the seed in my mind and I’m grateful that she did. Western science has brought many advances into the healthcare world for which we can all be grateful. Yet, that does not mean that our health systems have every answer. Some things we may need to try in life require a step into the unknown to experience in order to understand.
