I Have a Question

Since entering the Oriental Medicine field this "I have a question" has grown a bit larger with greater responsibility. And sometimes what I say does not translate into exact play by play action. And sometimes we make mistakes. Yes, that is the life of a practice. Not all is perfect. Even The Land of Oz had the little man behind the curtain that you were supposed to not pay attention to except that Toto, Dorothy's little dog, kept yapping away at him.

A degree in any field is only a beginning of a long and arduous journey. I remember asking a patient to add Oregano Oil to help combat some problems in a specific way. He bought the oil and added it to his chicken meal. NO, DO NOT DO THAT! Pure Oregano oil on chicken -- it tasted terrible, of course. I had even written down instructions. No matter, it was put on the chicken.

One of my favorite supplements is kelp in dispenser that you sprinkle lightly on sandwiches or salads or other food. One patient put a large tablespoon in her food and it taste terrible. Only a sprinkle I had said -- oh, and that was the last time they tried it. Things don't always translate.

It reminds me of studying martial arts. My martial art teacher used to worry about someone stealing his system and teaching it. After years of watching his senior students he realized, it is nearly impossible to steal it. It is nearly impossible to learn it in the first place, even for the best of his students. To someone who knows the art and does it well -- almost any art, it is almost impossible to steal it.

My teacher used to say, you learn it on different levels. First, you see it and try the best you can. Then you use it and gain some understanding of it. Then you memorize it and repeat it at slow, medium, and fast speeds. You try everything out on bags, pounding away -- letting the bags teach you what did not work. Then you try it in sparring, letting the matches teach you what did not work. Over time, your body takes over and teaches you what your mind could not learn. Then you begin a process of meditation. The awareness kicks in and the levels repeat themselves all over again. The senses and the sensing of energy add a new dimension. By then the teacher has gone over three different levels of using each move ... from simple strikes to point work where a point is hit, to grappling or seizing, to throws, to nerve strikes, or even multiple strikes working in concert with each other.

And if you have done all that -- you deserve to teach it.