Adventures in Medicine

I went to an acupuncturist earlier this week to see is there's anything to be done about the fact that I've been sick at least 5 times this year. Currently, I have this strange itchy rash that is driving me insane. I tried to go to a traditional doctor, only to find out that my health insurance no longer covers "preventative care" (aka: doctor visits.) They'll pay if I end up in the emergency room, but until then, I'm meant to suffer. Luckily, a parent at the school I work at is a doctor of oriental medicine and is supposed to be very good. And she's kind enough to see me at a very reduced rate. I feel so lucky! This is the route I'd want to go anyway. After putting 9 needles in me, 2 in each leg, 2 in each hand and one in my ear, I became extremely relaxed, as if I had just had a massage. I was given a bag of pulverized herbs to drink 3 times a day. Needless to say, when I mix the powder with water, it looks like mud water, with floaty little bits that look like pieces of tree bark. (It probably is) It's bitter and I have to drink it warm. My first mistake was mixing the teaspoon of bitter herbs into my biggest cup and filling it up with warm water. Having to down a large warm mugful of bitter mud water made me want to gag by the end of it. I wised up and realized that if I mixed it with as little water as possible, it'll be horrible and potent, but it'll be over sooner. And I'm happy to say, I just drank the last cupful for today.