Each year, our local town, Dali, hosts an event called 三月节 (or “San Yue Jie” which literally means “3rd full moon festival”). Because it is based on the lunar calendar, this festival is usually held in late April or early May. For over 1,000 years, people from across China and neighboring countries like Myanmar (Burma), Laos, Vietnam and Tibet* have made the trek to Dali for this annual event! Today,…
Read MoreAncient Chinese Secret – Part 3
Third in a short series of posts on visiting my traditional Chinese doctor and his medicine shop!
Read MoreAncient Chinese Secret – Part 2
Chinese medicine requires much more personal interaction than modern medicines. It’s not simply a matter of taking a pill after a meal, or just before bedtime. First, there is a strong visual and aromatic interaction with the medicine! Then, there is the whole cooking process which involves waiting 30 minutes after each meal then adding water and boiling/simmering the concoction for 30 minutes before drinking. This process must be repeated (consistently)…
Read MoreAncient Chinese Secret
No, I haven’t gone “native”…but this experience puts me one step closer! I’ve been experiencing a very strange nerve-related pain in my leg for the past several months. Basically, it’s like a burning, numb sensation along the outer surface of my lower left leg. Oddly enough, very strong electrical pulses can be triggered in this same location by simply touching the inside surface of the left leg, just below the knee. While…
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