Four tests down and still two to go just before starting finals
and a pathology presentation. But enough about tests I want to talk
about clinic.
I am in clinic two days a week on Monday and Saturday mornings.
The shifts are four hours each with a maximum of three maybe four
patients. Monday mornings are slower than Saturdays. (It was rough
getting up Monday due to the time change.)
Three to four patients may seem like a good thing, but interns
have quotas we must meet before we can graduate. Some of them
include: patient numbers as well as new patients, herbal formulas,
cupping, tuina, and electric stimulation. New patient appointments
take two slots because the first appointment is comprehensive with
a complete western medical history and vitals as well as any other
orthopedic tests that may be done. A chiropractic intern is
involved in the history and asks any further questions that may
help the diagnosis process that will also become part of the
patient's file.
Last Saturday, I had a new patient as well as two others. Boy,
was I busy but I loved every minute of it. My first patient came to
the clinic as a referral from a massage student from another
massage institution. She came to the clinic with the hope of
smoking cessation. She had tried other methods, such as the
nicotine patch and gum as well as hypnosis, but with little
success.
Acupuncture has a great protocol for overcoming the emotional,
physical and physiological attributes involved in detoxifying from
an addictive substance. Auricular acupuncture is used. (The ear in
Chinese medicine is thought to be a microcosm of the body, meaning
the whole body is mapped out onto the ear). I also used other
points on her body to help strengthen her constitution.
After the needles were removed, I inserted ear seeds (vaccaria
seeds) with adhesive tape to a specific acupuncture point on the
opposite ear being treated. I instructed her to use acupressure on
each of the seeds for 15-30 seconds, four to five times a day or
whenever she was craving a cigarette.
Upon leaving, the patient stated, "I feel great and I have no
cravings for a cigarette. This is wonderful!" That statement made
me feel good and just reinforced why I chose acupuncture to help
people.