The Mysterious Power of Ancient Chinese Medicine in the Modern World By: Karam Atli

<---- 蛤蚧 (gap gui) (Texas Horned Lizard) used in brewing Ancient Chinese Herbal Medicines

Since summer vacation started I have been in Hong Kong for about 1½ months. The reason I have been here so long is because of my grandfather’s cancer.

The climate in Hong Kong is extremely humid and hot, due to many high-rise buildings built only a few meters apart from each other. In fact, I think Hong Kong may be even hotter than the sunshine state!

I am lucky that I recovered from jet lag around the 2^nd week, because I tell you, switching day and night is not easy. (Hong Kong is 12 hours ahead of Florida, meaning when it is day in Florida it is night here in Hong Kong. During the first week, I slept almost 18 hours a day, and while the Hong Kong people were sleeping I was roaming around my grandparent's apartment wide-awake.

My grandfather's cancer is at the terminal stage, and is still developing, but the doctor suggested not to do anything since he does not have any pain.

We can tell that his belly has been growing, but not from fat. His body's frame has shrunk. The local hospital's psychiatrist told him about what to expect and how to deal with his disease. Since then, he has not been as worried and upset as before.

My mom, aunts, and uncles, busily looking for other options, heard about a famous Chinese Medicine doctor that specialized in cancer patients, and took my grandfather to see him.

So far, the herbal medicines that the Chinese doctor prescribed to my grandfather seems to have given him more energy and strength. My aunts have even noticed that his face has become less pale. For our family, this has been like a light at the end of a tunnel, giving us hope even at this stage.

For me, this has been amazing, and has opened my eyes to a new type of medical treatment. I've studied in my middle school's Pre-medical Academy for 3 years, but have never learned anything about Eastern medicine. Some of the hospitals here in Hong Kong have developed a system of combining Western medicines and treatment along with Ancient Chinese Meditation Treatments ( such as tai chi, and chi gong- which translates into inner potential energy), and accupuncure to help the patients recover faster, especially for early-stage to middle-stage cancer, heart-disease, and stroke patients. I suspect that the tai chi that my grandfather has been practicing for more than 20 years is one of the factors that has let him have no pain. (Almost like meditating the pain away.)

I hope that one day I can have the chance to learn and further explore Eastern and Western medicine and treatments. That may enable me to become a doctor, and help people after I have completed medical school.