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Published: June 26th 2008
Doctors grandchild
It would be hard to find a more cute child than this one belonging to the Accupuncture Doctor.Vietnamese Acupuncture
Finding medical help in Vietnam is not easy. In Hanoi and other big cities, there are some foreign medical clinics which cater to foreigners. In the big cities, there are a lot of drug stores that dispense medicine without a prescription. For the rest of the country, the people rely on their traditional medicine, local herbal concoctions passed down from generation to generation in families.
I endured lower back pain every day of my six months in Vietnam. I also had a cold much of the time and once a sore throat. I dealt with my infirmaries the best I could with medicine from the drug store for colds and the sore throat. For back pain, I could give myself a chiropractic treatment on a park bench. These concrete park benches were around Hoan Kiem Lake and had a slanted back with a rounded top. I could sit on the bench and move up and lean back and the bench would put my back in place.
My friend Loannie was always worrying about my health. She had contacted polio when she was 8 years old and took acupuncture treatments everyday until she was 13. She credited
Biking to the Doctors house
The fun ride to the Doctor's house took me across the mile long Long Bien Bridge. acupuncture with curing her polio. She wanted me to try it. So I agreed, believing it probably won't do any good but I wanted to experience the treatment.
Loannie's Mother agreed to take me to their acupuncturist. So, Loannie, her Mother and I all showed up for my appointment at the acupuncturist house. The acupuncturist was a woman who had a man assistant. After visiting for some time they took me upstairs to the treatment room.
Before they stuck the needles in me the man assistant went all over my body with acupressure treatment. This was jabbing his very strong thumb in to certain points on my body. This was extremely painful.
Then they put the needles in. Then they attached the needles to electric wires and sent pulsations of electricity through them. I suppose, I laid there about 30 minutes as my body was jumping around from the electric shocks.
After the acupuncture treatment, the man assistant then worked on me with different chiropractic adjustments. This wasn't directed to anything in particular, he just tried to crack every joint in my body. What the purpose of that treatment I don't know. The women acupuncture doctor
Man, bike and sugar cane
This man is taking sugarcane to market. told me she had been doing this for over 35 years. She told me she had a son who did the same thing and I should take the rest of my weeks treatment from him as he lived closer to my hotel.
After the treatment they invited Loannie, her Mother and me to lunch. This turned out to me a wonderful meal that we all enjoyed. My cost: Three dollars.
The Doctors son lived a thirty minute bike ride from my hotel. It was a fun bike ride and I enjoyed going to his house. He gave me the same treatment I got at his Mothers only he was even more powerful and I felt really beat up with his chiropractic treatments.
After a week of treatments, I felt a little improvement with my arthritis pain but that was all. My friend from the U.K. Claire also took the treatment. She had taken acupuncture in London many times. She positively thought the doctors treatments were wonderful. I recommend her blog: http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/Vietnam/Red-River-Delta/Hanoi/blog-273023.html
For me, it was just another experience in Vietnam.
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Camilla Converse Haley
non-member comment
medical treatment
Cute picture of the doctor's grandchild. I thought you were going to tell us that your lower back pain was cured...sorry that didn't work. I know I wouldn't have liked the chiropractic adjustments!