青柳诊所手记56

青柳诊所手记56

 今天看完了最后一个病人，我就径直走进了花园。苹果和梨都早已摘完了，连西红柿也差不多连根拔掉了，唯一剩下的一株结着很小的果子，像葡萄一样一个挨着一个。如果能够把它们像葡萄一样一串串撸下来就省事多了，关键是它们有的红有的青有的白，我只能一颗颗把那些先成熟的摘下来。那些枸杞也是一样，我也是一颗一颗摘的。如果这个不能让我变得耐心一点还有什么能？

用来浇灌的水管很长，浇着浇着水就断了。不用说，又是管道在远处打了结子了。我走过去解开这个结，水又哗哗流起来。

那些不大了解中医的人总会问：为什么要针灸？为什么要拔罐？为什么要刮痧？为什么要拨筋？为什么要吃中药？为什么要做冥想？它们对我的健康有什么好处呢？

说白了，这些手法就如解开管道的结子。什么是经络？经络就是你身体内的气的通道。当它们在某个地方打了一个结，你的气血就流不过来了，你的健康就受到损害。

提起结子，我想起一个曾经看过的英文幽默故事。

约翰是一位股票经纪人。有一段时间，他总是感到眼睛发胀，耳朵嗡嗡作响。他想，或许是因为压力太大而造成的。繁忙的工作让他没有时间去顾及自己的健康状况。有一天，他实在忍受不了这些症状的折磨，就去看医生。医生给他做了全面的检查，然后建议他切除他的扁桃体。手术很顺利，可约翰的症状却并没有得到任何改善。于是，他又换了一位医生。这位医生建议他拔掉智齿，他认为这样才能解决他的困扰。但智齿拔完之后约翰还是觉得双眼发胀，烦人的耳鸣也挥之不去。他又去咨询了另外一位专家。经过全面的健康评估之后，这位专家神情凝重地对他说：“对不起，我很遗憾地告诉你，你得了一种罕见的病，最多只能活6个月的时间了。”约翰顿时感到前途一片黑暗，但他转念一想，既然来日无多，那干脆趁这剩下的6个月，把辛苦赚来的钱用掉，好好犒劳一下自己吧。于是，他买了一辆豪华汽车，还预订了豪华邮轮，准备环游世界一趟。在旅游之前，他找到了全城最好的裁缝，请他为自己量身定制了几套西装。为了搭配得当，他决定衬衫也一起定做。“好吧，我来量一下你的尺寸。”裁缝一边说一边掏出皮尺量了起来。“哦，袖长35英寸，衣领15英寸。” “不对，”约翰赶紧申明，“我的衬衣领向来就是14英寸。” 裁缝又量了一次，然后肯定地告诉他： “可我量的就是15英寸，不信你自己瞧瞧这皮尺。” 约翰说：“这怎么可能？我的衣领一直是14英寸，从来就没变过啊。” “先生，”裁缝说，“你可别这么固执啊！你要知道：14英寸的衣领对你来说实在太紧了，如果你总穿这个尺码，你的眼睛会发胀的，严重的话甚至还会产生耳鸣。”

约翰的故事是不是挺搞笑？那个太紧的衣领就是影响他的健康的结子。

当然，这只是个幽默故事，但其中也包含着一些哲理。约翰抗拒衣领尺寸的改变，最终导致的结果就是让他生病。习惯对健康可能有益，也可能无益，到了最后都会结果，就如园里的西红柿一样。

真正的病灶往往来自于我们身体的内部。对于一些严重的或者慢性的疾病，针灸、拔罐、中药为什么有帮助呢？因为它给我们提供一个机会去解开身体深层的结子。

疾病是什么？简单说疾病就是阻碍你的自愈系统的一个绳结。一个医师的工作，其实就是帮助患者做着检测绳结的工作。有时候这个绳结结得太隐秘了，在外面都看不到绳头。这时候谁能帮医师的忙呢？只有你，那个曾经亲手系那个绳结的人。

其实，约翰的故事也展现了生活的另一面：在经历了毁灭性的打击后，他开始全心全意关注自己的喜乐。而也正是因为这种关注，使得他有机会通过那个裁缝找到让他生病的症结所在。

有一种生活哲学叫做“lagom”，它是来自瑞典的一种平衡生活哲学。这个平衡生活的秘诀在于“不多不少，恰到好处”， 用中文来说就是“知足常乐”。它的大致意思是我们要学会在日常生活中找到和谐——无论是工作还是饮食还是家居还是人际关系，用心珍惜，专注当下，不贪多，不过度，刚刚就好。

“lagom”的理念在瑞典似乎颇得人心，尤其在目前全球经济不太确定的时期，以至于瑞典人常将自己的国家称为“lagom之国”。与其在工作或日常生活中追求过多，“lagom”更鼓励你在适度中找到快乐。这是一种关注点的转变——从外在的成就感转向内在的满足感。正如我们花园里的植物一样，它们需要适度的照料——不多不少，刚刚就好。正如我浇水的管子一样，如果拉得太远，任何轻微的弯曲或扭结，就成了一个需要解开的结了。

Whispering of Willows 56

By Dr. Anna Zhao

 After seeing my last patient today, I headed straight out into the garden. The apples and pears had already been picked, and the tomatoes were almost gone. The only remaining tomato vine was laden with tiny fruit, clustered like grapes. It would have been much easier if I could have picked them in bunches, like grapes. The problem was that some were red, some green, some white, and I could only pick the ones that ripened first. The same thing happened previously with the goji berries; I picked them one by one. If that doesn't make me become more patient, what will?

The water hose, long and winding, stopped flowing when I was watering the remaining plants. Needless to say, the pipe had gotten knotted somewhere on the far end. I went over to untie the knot, and the water came gushing out again.

Those who are not experienced with Traditional Chinese Medicine often ask: Why acupuncture? Why cupping? Why scraping? Why acupressure? Why Chinese medicine? Why meditation? What benefits do they bring to my wellbeing?

To put it metaphorically, these therapeutic tools are like untying a knot in a hose. A person’s body is irrigated by countless energy meridians. What are meridians after all? They are the channels of Qi (energy) in your body. With tied knots in your body, your normal flow of Qi and blood flow are interrupted, and hence your health suffers.

The thought of this reminds me of a humorous story I once read.

John, a stockbroker, had been experiencing persistent eye swelling and ringing in his ears. He thought it might be due to excessive stress. His busy schedule left him with no time to consider his health. One day, unable to bear these symptoms any longer, he went to see a doctor. The doctor performed a comprehensive examination and recommended tonsillectomy. The surgery was successful, but John's symptoms showed no improvement. John switched to another doctor, who recommended wisdom tooth removal, believing it would resolve his concerns. Even after the removal, John still experienced the swelling in his eyes and the nagging tinnitus. He consulted yet another specialist. After a comprehensive health assessment, the specialist said solemnly, "I'm sorry to inform you that you have a rare disease and you only have six months to live." John's future seemed bleak, but then he thought, since his time was limited, he might as well use the remaining six months to spend his hard-earned money. So he bought a luxury car as well as booking a luxury cruise, preparing to travel the world. Before his trip, he sought out the best tailor in the city and had several suits custom-made for him. To ensure the perfect match, he decided to order his shirts as well. "Okay, let me take your measurements," the tailor said, taking out a tape. "Oh, the sleeves are 35 inches, and the collar 15 inches." "No," John quickly explained. "My shirt collars are always 14 inches." The tailor took another measurement and assured him, "But my measurement says it is 15 inches. Look at this tape yourself." John said, "How can that be? My collar has always been 14 inches. It's never changed." "Sir," the tailor grumbled, "please be reasonable. You have to understand: a 14-inch collar is too tight for you. If you keep wearing this size, your eyes will swell, and in serious cases, you'll even get tinnitus."

Isn't it a funny story? That tight collar is the knot that affected his health.

Of course, this is just a funny story, but there are truths in it. Being resistant to change as John was with his collar size, can start the process of tying a knot. Habits can be either beneficial to health or not – but both will ripen at their own speed, much like the tomatoes in our yard.

The true cause of illness often lies within our bodies. For serious or chronic illnesses, acupuncture, cupping, and herbal medicine will help. These techniques also provide a window to permit looking deeper into our hearts to untie those deep-seated knots.

What is illness? Simply put, illness is a knot, like those in a hose, that blocks your self-healing system. A doctor's job is to help patients detect the knots and provide some relief. Sometimes the knot is so hidden that the knotted end is invisible from the outside. Who can help the doctor in such a situation? Only you, the one who once tied the knot yourself.

John’s story also illuminates another aspect of life, as he only took time to look after himself after a devastating diagnosis. And it was precisely because of this attention shift that he had the opportunity to discover the root cause of his problem through the help of the tailor.

There is a Swedish life philosophy called lagom, which emphasizes that the secret to happiness is to embrace moderation and contentment. While there’s no direct English translation, 'lagom' roughly means “just the right amount”.  It basically means we should learn to find harmony in our daily lives—whether it’s work, food, home, or relationships, by doing life mindfully, cherishing it with all our hearts, and avoiding excess.

Lagom’s concept is so ingrained that Swedes often refer to their country as “the land of 'lagom'”. Especially during these times of global economic uncertainty, rather than chasing extremes in work or daily life, 'lagom' invites you to find joy in balance and moderation.

It’s a shift in focus – from outward achievements to inner contentment. The plants in our garden, require the right amount of care—not too much, not too little, just the right amount. Humans too require this right amount for everything in life. Health is just like our watering hose, if stretched too far, any slight bend or kink becomes an untidy knot.