The Lady Who Loved Movies but Couldn't See

A lady who loved to go to the movies had to give them up because if she kept her eyes open for more than a few minutes at a time it resulted in considerable discomfort.  She came to see me after being referred by her friend.
  

First of all, I asked her: “Have you seen a doctor or a specialist?” “I did,” she replied.  “Any findings?”  I asked.  “No,” she responded.  Sometimes people are told by their doctors that nothing is wrong with them; this is because the best diagnostic treatments such as x-ray, MRI, or lab tests can give no indication that something is amiss.  Still the person does not feel well, and they end up seeking other ways to treat their dis-ease.  If they come to me, I must take the first step of diagnosis in Chinese medicine, which is to observe.  My naked eye cannot compete with sophisticated equipment, and I am always glad to get the assistance of test results that will rule out certain conditions.

I took her pulse, and found out that the stomach pulse was extremely over-active.  “Do you eat much meat?” I asked.  She replied, “Yes.”  I asked again, “Do you eat much meat everyday?”  She said, “Yes.”  “According to your pulse and what you have told me, I am going to tell you why you are closing your eyes so much.”  She said, “It is not a ‘must’ that I believe you.”  I replied, “And it is not a ‘must’ that I treat you!” 

We paused a little and I asked to see her tongue, which was white with a thick coating.  I said, “You always want to close your eyes because your stomach is no good.”  “How can I believe that?” she asked.  I replied, “Well, you can have a few acupuncture treatments plus some herbal medicines until your stomach gets better, then you will believe what I said.”  She agreed to try a few treatments and herbs.

After a few treatments, she told me that she could look at a book a little longer, but she was still unconvinced about the efficacy of the treatments.  At the beginning of the treatments she could read a book up to 10 minutes only with great struggle.  After some more treatments she began to read about 20 minutes, even though she still lacked confidence in the treatment.

After a few more treatments, she could see for longer periods of time, and her confidence in the treatments began to increase, but there was some doubt and fear.  I comforted her and said, “Getting well is not a big deal!” She said, “Well, don’t make me too happy!”  (When a patient has been suffering for a long time, the suffering casts a shadow over them). 

More treatments were performed, and she could read for longer periods of time.  She finally decided to go to a movie and was able to watch most of it.  Her confidence continued to increase, and her shadow got lighter and lighter with my encouragement and comfort.  She told me that even though she had run out of money, her health was more important and she decided to pay by credit card.  Finally she was discharged.  At the last treatment, I told her to cut down on meat, and don’t forget to exercise.  She was overjoyed!