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The Union of Chinese and Western Medicine in Beijing “Don’t Worry…your friend will be OK.” These words floated through the air outside the emergency room in a Beijing Hospital. As I sat in quiet meditation amid a sea of intricate sounds and cadence, his English words provided me with great comfort. My helplessness was evident and my prayer was heard. It pierced my heart and emphasized how kind and astute the Chinese people are. How observant! Though I never saw who spoke, I knew that those soft, hesitant words were true. That all would be right soon. My Assistant Director, Mary and I have studied Chinese Herbology at the Xuan Wu Traditional Chinese Medicine Hospital for 6 years now. We bring students and adventurers to experience the wonderment of Beijing and Chinese Medicine each November. The integration of Chinese and Western Medicine has always been a passion of mine and there is no better place to experience this than in China. It was my gift this year to learn this integration first hand. We were preparing to leave Beijing for our overnight train ride to Xi’an when Mary presented with extreme chills. Within the hour, she was visibly weak and her temperature was rising. I immediately called our Doctor friend, Zhang Bo, who took a 40 min. bus ride to our hotel to help us. I also called the hotel Dr. to check her fever and provide an injection of Buplureum to disperse it. When Zhang Bo arrived, her temperature was over 103 degrees however, so we prepared to take her to the hospital. He had called our other Chinese friends to meet us and together we dressed and carried her to the taxi. Xuenan, a blind doctor of TuiNa arrived with another Dr. of TCM, Wang Cheng and we piled into the small taxi. Their help was invaluable. Upon arrival at the hospital, Zhang Bo took over the paper work and had Mary’s blood checked and read in no time. A simple prick of the finger and the blood was drawn up into a small straw for testing. The results indicated that she had a bacterial infection and since her lungs were full, she was brought upstairs for a chest x-ray. This was done in a matter of minutes, not hours and she was then admitted into the E.R. room to receive both western and Chinese medicine in IV form. The ER room consisted of 9 small beds in a very small space with IV poles. What struck me almost immediately was the presence of family here. Beside each bed sat a loved one who would tend to their ward with great care. Nurses simply provided the medicine and technical skill needed for wellness. Bed sheets and pillows were communal and coats typically were used for blankets. I rested at the bottom of the small bed with Mary as she was infused with an antibiotic, vitamin C (anti inflammatory), buplureum, and other herbs. Because she was a “senior person”, the medicine was given VERY slowly so as not to impact her weakened kidneys and liver. The cold Beijing wind howled through the long hallway outside our room and our friends waited there, ever vigilant. The night wore on and by 5AM Mary was feeling much better. Her fever was now just 99 degrees. Her delirium and fidgeting was replaced with calmness and she wanted to sleep away from the sounds and activity of the ER. Earlier that evening, a woman taking care of her husband and sharing his extremely narrow bed, dozed off and rolled onto the floor. Thankfully she was fine, though really dazed. She woke everyone and scared Mary and I more than a little, since we were in the next bed! At 5:30 Am, Mary was released with her promise to return for more treatment by 2PM. All 5 of us were then tucked into a taxi and taken to our hotel where we both got more rest and our friends left. After waking and partaking of a raw herb tea (Sang Ju Yin & Bai Hu Tang) and porridge, Mary made her way back to the hospital for another 8 hours of IV infusion. A slow and steady course of treatment worked to her benefit. She was able to take oral antibiotics after her IV treatment since her fever was now normal, and used the herb teas prescribed for her as well. We were out walking the streets of Beijing on the third day of her illness. What is remarkable to me is the seamless method of care that was provided for my friend. There was no judgment about which modality to use. The proper tests were prescribed to diagnose in both Western and Chinese paradigms. How effortlessly the doctors worked to bring about a change in Mary’s illness. The truth is …Sometimes we need Big Medicine! Mary certainly did! She also needed to temper the effects of that drug with Chinese Medicine! Upon our return to the US, we look back at our time spent
in that ER as a time of great learning and gratefulness. Experiencing how our
medicine works day to day was
astounding. The cost for her hospital treatment was about $38.00. Far less than
any care we might expect to receive in the US but costly to many Chinese just
the same. There may never be a way however, to repay the kindness and
compassion that was displayed by our Chinese Doctors & friends. Our hearts are
filled with joy as we look forward to meeting them all again this November! Laura Mignosa is a Nationally Certified Chinese Herbologist and director of The Ct. Institute for Herbal Studies in Wethersfield, CT. She lectures nationally, teaches and conducts yearly trips to Beijing for sightseeing and study in Chinese Medicine. Currently, Laura is working with a major research hospital on a clinical trial measuring the effectiveness of Chinese Herbs on women who cannot use Hormone Replacement Therapy. She enjoys a busy private practice with an emphasis on women’s issues as well. (Appointments for care can be made through the school.)
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