East meet West - 30 IVs

Eastern medicine has an ancient and esteemed history, yet Western medicine is what is largely practiced in Chinese urban areas. Western "with Chinese characteristics." So many things in all aspects of Chinese society are described as "___________ with Chinese characteristics."

I can't tell what this is. Doctor? Podiatrist? Pedicure? Whatever you want is available on the street. Whether you should get it or not is a totally different story.

A Cold

Last winter I had a cold that I worried had become bronchitis or pneumonia. Finally went to the school clinic (“hospital”; it seems all medical facilities are called hospital) with the help of a university assigned translator. Interesting process. Check in and pre-pay 36 cents to see the doctor (we had a Chinese plastic surgeon in our branch; she makes about $130 a month so 36 cents works; not much). Have a bit of an interview with the doctor and am given orders for a couple of tests. Go to the payment counter and pay $1 for the tests. Go upstairs to the lab and have a blood test and a urine test.

First time for a urine test and blood test for a cold. Get the results and go back to the doctor. She looks at results and writes a prescription for cough syrup, a decongestant, and a tea. Go back to the counter and pay $2 for the medicine. Go to the “Western Medicine” counter and get the cough medicine and the decongestant. Go to the “Eastern Medicine” counter and get the tea. I head home. In a couple of weeks I am as good as new.

Oh, did I mention, no one ever did listen to my lungs – the only thing I went to the doctor about.

An Inflamed Cyst

Just before we returned to China I had an inflamed cyst. My American doctor said, "Can't remove or drain it; that would spread the infection. Take these pills and it will go away." It worked.

One of our BYU teachers here just got an inflamed cyst. His Chinese doctor said, "Lets cut it open." They did. Then they gave him a 3 hour IV of antibiotics that he repeated every other day for a few weeks. He worried about the filth of the hospital. He worried about the needles. He worried about the IV infiltration that swelled his hand up like a softball. He worried about the continued discomfort and the slow healing. But it finally seemed to clear up.

Oops. His cyst just came back. 

“I am getting an IV”

In class this week I am told one of the students went to the "hospital" to get an IV. We have observed that IVs are a very popular Chinese treatment. I stopped class to talk about this a bit. Long story short: our students from urban areas have each had about 30 IVs in their lifetimes as the primary Chinese treatment for everything. In the villages the shaman or "healer" does it differently. Totally eastern; no IVs. (Its interesting to hear how each village's secret sauce only works when combined with the local water [full of its specific local minerals]. Next village over has a different curing formula.)