Chinese Medicine

Global View - Chinese Medicine (C0349)
A: What’s wrong?
B: I have a headache. These past few days I’ve been
living off painkillers. Man, I feel like my head is
going to explode.
A: You should get acupuncture treatment. My mom
was always having headache issues and it was
acupuncture that cured her.
B: The results are too slow. On top of that, just the
thought of smoking needles poking into my flesh
frightens me.
A: They don’t just randomly stick you, they find your
pressure points. The heat allows the body to immediately
respond to the treatment, restoring the
body’s ”chi”.
B: But I get scared the moment I see a needle. How
could I stand having needles in my body for hours
on end?
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A: The needles are very thin, and as long as the
doctor’s technique is good, and the patient himself
is relaxed, it won’t hurt–on the contrary it will
actually alleviate pain. Now there are high-tech
needles that are micro thin; they don’t hurt at all.
However, if you are really scared of acupuncture,
scraping or cupping are also options.
B: Scraping is too terrifying. When they finish scrapping,
your body is all red, as if you were just tortured.
Cupping is the same, your body ends up
with red circles all over it–looks like someone beat
you up.
A: This only signifies that the toxins have left the
body. Actually, there is only discomfort during the
treatment process. Once it’s over you feel very
comfortable.
B: Chinese medicine is strange. The patients are already
ill, and then the doctor makes them suffer
more.
A: This is the only way to get at the problem. Anyway,
if you want to relieve the pain,You are just going
to have to be tough and do it.
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c 2011 Praxis Language Ltd.
B: Forget it. I don’t want to inflict any more pain on
myself. In a little while I’ll go and buy some more
painkillers and take a nap.
Key Vocabulary
acupuncture N Chinese Medical prac-
tice or procedure that
treats illness or pro-
vides local anesthesia
by the insertion of nee-
dles at specied sites of
the body.
pressure
point
N a point on the skin
that is extremely sen-
sitive to pressure be-
cause of the presence
of pressure-sensing or-
gans.
treatment N an act or manner of
treating.
needle N a small, slender, rod-
like instrument, usually
of polished steel, with a
sharp point at one end
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cupping V the process of drawing
blood from the body
and the application of a
cupping glass
flesh N the soft substance of
a human or other ani-
mal body, consisting of
muscle and fat.
painkiller N a drug, treatment, or
anything else that re-
lieves pain
Supplementary Vocabulary
meditation N devout religious con-
templation or spiritual
introspection.
tai chi N a meditative exercise,
characterized by slow
circular and stretching
movements and posi-
tions of bodily balance.
herb N a plant when valued for
its medicinal properties
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incense N he perfume or smoke
arising from a sub-
stance when burned
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c 2011 Praxis Language Ltd.