Juan Manuel Delgado, an artist and native of Costa Rica, swears by acupuncture and credits the therapy with allowing him to walk again, even after countless doctors were all but assured of his lifelong immobility.

Delgado’s love of art began early in life. Born in Costa Rica, his family moved to Canada when he was 3 years old. There, he studied with Peter Schwartzman, a renowned Russian artist and architect. Following in his mentor’s footsteps, Delgado pursued an architecture degree and later returned to Costa Rica where he continued practicing art, refining his skill under the tutelage of a master portrait artist.

Delgado presenting Pope Francis with a portrait

A couple of months before coming to China, Delgado was diagnosed with a serious condition called Ankylosing Spondylitis, a rare type of arthritis that causes pain and stiffness in the spine. It’s a life-long condition that generally begins in the lower back and gradually makes its way towards the neck, often damaging joints in other parts of the body. Due to this condition, Delgado was told he would never be able to walk again and would have to rely on a wheelchair.

“Crimson Lips”

Unable to move, or so much as pick up a paintbrush, Delgado was in agony, and the thought of being wheelchair-bound for the rest of his life weighed heavily. Determined not to be defined by the disease, he began researching a well-known staple of traditional Chinese medicine, acupuncture. Incidentally, this wasn’t Delgado’s first foray into the treatment, having used it earlier in his life.

“Interlaced Fingers”

After deciding that acupuncture outweighed the side effects of all the medications prescribed by his doctors, Delgado sought out treatment in China where his father still lives and works as the ambassador for Costa Rica. Needless to say, his recovery wasn’t easy, however, Delgado is living proof that the power of the mind is greater than we think.

Portrait of Keylor Navas

I had the opportunity to interview Delgado. His story is fascinating and his artwork breathtaking, to say the least.

How do you think acupuncture has helped your recovery?
The beauty of acupuncture is that it focuses on the radiance of the human body as a whole. For example, if you have shoulder pain, the doctor will not inject your shoulder. The doctor might go for your hip or some other body part in order for the body to line up to itself whereas Western medicine only focuses on the individual part of the body. And the beauty of it all is that acupuncture is one of the best techniques that has been practiced for thousands of years here in China to alleviate pain, inflammation, and so many other factors. I opted towards that because I felt it was less harmful in terms of taking the harsh medication for my body, and to be able to have a long life, and I guess following my intuition played a big part.

Would you say that your art served as a coping mechanism during the pandemic?
During the pandemic, for me as an artist, it didn’t affect me that greatly because I’m always working at home or the studio and so I’m not someone who needs to go to the office. So I think for any artist, there weren’t many difficulties stuck at home because the beauty of the pandemic in one way, is that it blossomed much more artists to explore that inner talent or passion that they had but were never able to express it. I think a lot more artists or musicians or poets came to the world because of the pandemic which urged them to focus on their inner worlds.

Portrait of astronaut, Dr. Franklin Chang

What would you say to young artists that aspire to make their work known, as you have with yours?
As an artist, you have to be true to yourself. Some artists might try to paint what people want, just to sell their work but I think it’s more important to find what brings happiness towards you, be it landscapes or flowers or portraits. And that is your own representation of how you see the world and how you’re going to express that world to other people for them to enjoy. So the most important thing is to be true to yourself. Do not give up, continue working hard and being patient, and remain positive because it is a slow career and you learn as you grow.

Images: Juan Manuel

China continues to attract a large number of foreigners yearly. It has proven itself on the world stage as a formidable trading partner and has continued to extend its reach across the world through numerous influential bilateral agreements. The education sector alone sees hundreds of thousands of foreigners from across the globe join the Chinese workforce and burgeoning economy. But this is only one of the many reasons why foreign families choose to settle in China. China still holds a mystic charm to the West. It is still an ancient culture steeped in mysterious customs and traditions. And at its heart sits Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM), which in and of itself continues to hold the world’s fascination as nations around the world try to grapple with the burdens of providing healthcare for ever-growing populations.

However, many of us who now call China home are yet to dip our toe in the TCM pool. We might have dabbled in spicy hotpots and attended Beijing Opera (jing ju), but why are so many foreigners reluctant to give TCM a try? And in a post-COVID-19 world, is it realistic to turn to TCM to provide the answers that Western medicine can as yet not provide?

Acupuncture to help relieve your headaches?

The most widely known form of TCM treatment is acupuncture, which has become part and parcel of Western medical healthcare practices. But few understand how this quite works. Acupuncture relies on TCM’s theory of Qi, which is considered a vital energy that flows along meridians to promote health in the body. Acupuncture needles pierce the skin along any of the hundreds of meridian points in an attempt to redirect qi to encourage normal body function. This can be used in conjunction with herbal remedies to rebalance the forces of yin and yang within the body.

Many Western medicine practitioners still regard TCM with suspicion, despite the World Health Organization’s decision to officially recognize TCM in its global compendium in the mid-2000s. This is because Western medicine relies on controlled clinical trials and statistics to determine how various forms of treatment work for patients.

TCM takes an entirely different tact. It is believed that causes of illness in the body are as unique as the individual, and as such, making a general conclusion on treatment is virtually impossible. Each treatment is tailor-made to meet the needs of the patient, as opposed to a broad cure-all staple of drugs.

Many Western medicine practitioners still regard TCM with suspicion

Dr. Shelley Ochs, a Beijing-based TCM practitioner delves further into who is best suited to TCM treatments. “Chinese medicine is best suited for things that are functional and the way that works from a biomedical point of view is becoming clearer,” offers Ochs.

The efficacy of TCM as a treatment for ailments ranging from chronic pain to infertility has been questioned by mainstream medical experts, but there seems to be new evidence of just how the treatment works.

As Ochs explains, “Now we have FMRI’s where you can see what is happening in the brain in real-time. There are more and more studies that come out about the mechanism of action that shows that if you put a needle in the foot or above the ankle, and we know from traditional knowledge, from the classics, that it affects the eyes. And sure enough, the visual cortex lights up. But it begs the question of how the signal gets there.”

Ochs first fell in love with TCM when she was backpacking as a youth through Asia, and relied on its remedies to bounce back from chronic allergies. Twenty years later, she continues to profess the efficacy of the treatment as a legitimate alternative to otherwise harmful conventional medicines such as antibiotics. Ochs is well supported by evidence such as the compound, artemisinin, which was first isolated by Youyou Tu at the Academy of Traditional Chinese Medicine in Beijing and is currently being used as a powerful treatment against Malaria. It even won Tu the 2015 Nobel Prize in Physiology/Medicine.

“In clinical practice, people can come in and be very cynical and it still works,” says Ochs. “You don’t have to believe in it. But medicine is also about relationships. The trends in Western medicine is to recognize all those components like how we communicate with people and even being positive. If expectation effects, which are part of a placebo effect, if they are real, then why not amplify it, as long as you are not lying to people.”

She goes on to explain that, “You come in and someone listens to you. You are in a quiet room by yourself, with some nice music. You lie on a table for 30 minutes and that is therapeutic.”

This might be because, even though Ochs might seemingly work at cross purposes with a conventional medical doctor, they might both be treating the same thing. Put simply, Western medicine treats the Yin, or everything physical, and TCM strives to treat the Yang, the energy in the body. Western medicine is great for trauma care and treating acute problems, while Chinese medicine works to treat chronic problems and as a preventative therapy option.

Depending on what your needs, it seems possible to have your cake and eat it too as far as Western medicine versus TCM goes. It might be time to set aside your reservations the next time you get a case of the sniffles and see whether TCM might have something for you, as it did for Ochs.

KEEP READING: Health and Safety: Medical insurance – Why You Need It, and How to Get It

Photos: Unsplash

This article appeared in the beijingkids 2020 May issue

After being encouraged by a positive testimonial by an acquaintance, Charlotte Goldenblatt, née York, sits patiently in a clinic waiting area. This is not your average clinic however. It is a fertility clinic, tied to famed doctor Mao, and as the chatty women also in the small confined space croon, he is a miracle worker. With a mixture of smelly herbs and acupuncture, “He could even get a cactus pregnant.”

Cut to Charlotte, now disrobed and on an examination table, with what looks like a thousand pins in her face, while a stoic Dr. Mao encourages her to “Block out that New York noise and concentrate on your breathing.” This is Charlotte’s long journey to possible conception and my first insight into Chinese medicine.

If you still haven’t figured it out, Charlotte is a character from arguably one of the most popular TV shows in America in the 90’s and early 00’s – Sex and The City. It came up in a discussion I had with Doctor Shelley Ochs, an American practitioner of Chinese medicine. Despite my deriving some enjoyment and gaining a curiosity about Chinese medicine from the aforementioned scene, Ochs isn’t too happy about the depiction. Like most things done for TV land, the scene itself is rife with inaccuracies, starting with the placement of the acupuncture needles to how it is purported to have worked on Charlotte’s problem of infertility.

Dr. Shelley Ochs performing an examination

This is because Ochs is an acupuncturist, initially trained in her hometown of Louisville, Kentucky, she came to Beijing twelve years ago to pursue further studies in the field, going beyond just the mere technicalities of the science, but also learning more about the philosophy behind acupuncture. It was a long journey which ultimately led Ochs to her present passion. As a young backpacker in Taiwan, she would fall ill often, an unfortunate effect of bad air on her then unaccustomed lungs. After several attempts at seeking conventional treatment, a friend encouraged her to try Chinese medicine, at which point she consulted an herbalist with great results. After having witnessed the efficacy of the herbs that even antibiotics couldn’t accomplish, Ochs was entirely sold on Chinese medicine, deciding then to make the herbalist her primary care provider.

More and more, people the world over are turning to alternative or and indigenous healthcare options. Along with this rise, has come a deeper understanding of how these different systems work. Chinese medicine in particular has always been shrouded in a cloud of mystery, being relegated to the fringes of western healthcare practices, or approached with great caution or mysticism. Ochs herself admits to this shroud of mystery adding, “Chinese medicine is best suited for things that are functional and the way that works from a bio-medical point of view is becoming clearer. Now we have FMRI’s where you can see what is happening in the brain in real time. There are more and more studies that come out about the mechanism of action that show that if you put a needle in the foot or above the ankle, and we know from traditional knowledge – from the classics – that it affects the eyes. And sure enough, the visual cortex lights up. But it begs the question how the signal gets there.”

Scientists are constantly trying to answer such questions, positing the latest theory of it being an action on the connective tissue. Ultrasound has been used in places like the University of Vermont to show how the connective tissue maps to the classical channels by up to 70 or 80 percent. Simply put, by placing a needle through the three layers of skin, you inevitably contact connective tissue that exists in ‘trains’, affecting interstitial fluid, which in turn affects the central nervous system.

Even though the scientific mechanisms behind the efficacy of acupuncture are becoming less and less of a mystery, the prevailing perception is one of skepticism. Rarely do those who grew up in more Western medicine-oriented backgrounds turn to Chinese medicine, especially acupuncture, as a main form of treatment. At best, it is considered a quaint distraction and at worst, it is an ineffective form of treatment with nothing but a placebo effect to show for itself. To this, Ochs has a response.

“In clinical practice, people can come in and be very cynical and it still works. You don’t have to believe in it. But medicine is also about relationships. The trends in Western medicine is to recognize all those components like how we communicate with people and even being positive. If expectation affects, which are part of a placebo effect, if they are real, then why not amplify it, as long as you are not lying to people. You come in and someone listens to you. You are in a quiet room by yourself, with some nice music. You lie on a table for 30 minutes and that is therapeutic.”

So as it turns out, Charlotte being left in a room with her thoughts was not quite as misleading as I had imaginaed.

As Ochs demonstrates how to take the pulse and perform an analysis, I couldn’t help but wonder who it was that would get this kind of treatment. I hardly think a patient who’s recently suffered a massive brain aneurysm would be a good candidate for the treatment. Be that as it may, Ochs still sees a wide range of patients, though her Beijing-based patients are markedly different from her patients back in Louisville. “Back in Louisville I saw everything. People would come in with rare conditions that maybe only one in a million people have, and the treatment would be their last resort. I would also see patients recovering from cancer.”

Ochs also explained that she sees a large number of patients seeking treatment for stress, insomnia, anxiety and depression, all conditions that respond well to acupuncture. “Acupuncture works very well for that. Why? Because it works on the mind, body and spirit. You’re stimulating or affecting these channels, but when you open these channels then all of the functions of the organism work better,” Ochs offers.

Also included in the roster of patients Ochs sees on a regular basis, are women with fertility issues, painful or irregular periods, peri-menopause and menopause, and also patients suffering from chronic pain, rhinitis, those with low immunity and as she puts it, “poor functioning of every system.”

Ochs has also found that acupuncture works well for patients diagnosed with Bipolar disorder. “They are going through a crisis or the medication isn’t working as it should. There is a flair-up. Or they have a therapist but they don’t want to go on medication but they need some intervention.” As far as efficacy goes, patients are able to feel a change as soon as they get off the table. Each condition requires different durations of treatments, with it going from visits to treatment cycles, with some being done in conjunction with herbs to better target the problem. ‘You’re trying to give the body new information. You want it to shift from this dysfunctional pattern to a functional one. You give it this intervention and then it should be able to hold this pattern on its own”, Ochs explains. She estimates that after four to six treatments, a patient should be able to feel or see a difference, though this is dependent upon how long the condition has been in the body. And after patients achieve resolution, they might also go into the clinic for tune-ups.

With a new generation of parents who are increasingly cautious of what their children are exposed to in terms of medicine, there is a constant drive for alternatives to otherwise harmful treatments. Acupuncture can also be performed on children. According to the classics, once a child is above the age of six, their channels are similar to those of an adult and thus can benefit from this form of treatment. One particular treatment, however, stood out to me as the most fascinating – attempting to induce labor in pregnant women.

According to Ochs, during pregnancy, there are certain points that are forbidden when it comes to acupuncture as using them might induce labor. In countries like Germany, it is common practice for midwives to incorporate acupuncture in women’s birthing plans, as studies have shown its efficacy in shortening labor and ensuring that it goes much smoother. “You’re helping the chi move down, but you’re also getting the liver, kidney and spleen channels open and ready for birth. A patient might come in at week 39 or week 40 of pregnancy, and they are nervous that they might be induced. You use points in the lower back, pushing on the sacrum, massage, do needles, and the ‘He gu’ point in the hand which is a point for inducing labor.” The science behind this technique is unclear but it proves effective for its purpose.

It is tempting to think of this form of treatment as a sort of cure-all for illnesses and conditions that haven’t quite been mastered by Western medicine. Coupled with its affordability and availability in a city like Beijing, it is also a more convenient, safer, and less invasive procedure as compared to conventional Western forms of treatment. Hopefully, should you decide to try it, or even give it a second chance after a previously unsuccessful attempt, you will be in the caring and able hands of a practitioner like Ochs.

Photos: Groupon, Shelley Ochs 

What is baby massage?
Baby massage involves the rhythmic, gentle stroking of different parts of your baby’s body; a professional can apply gentle pressure on certain points to relieve pain and discomfort, while manipulating a baby’s ankles, wrists, and fingers. You can choose between using organic and natural oils or perfume free moisturizers to help make movement over your baby’s skin smoother.

Soothing strokes of your hands can stimulate the production of the feel-good hormone oxytocin in your baby. Oxytocin is the hormone that gives you that heartfelt and tender feeling that one gets when being held by a loved one, or when you hold your baby for the first time and initiate skin-to-skin contact.

Traditional Chinese Massage for Infants and Babies
Nakato Tracy, a student of Beijing University of Chinese Medicine, will graduate this summer with a Bachelors Degree in Traditional Chinese Medicine. The aspiring acupuncturist and Pediatric Masseuse is currently offering parents traditional Chinese massage for babies and infants.

Tracy describes her baby massage sessions as the perfect combination of basic Chinese medicine theory in partnership with therapeutic principles and manipulation of certain parts of the body. The forearms, hands, and sometimes the chest, abdominal area, and head are the main areas of focus.

Tracy highlights that the needs a baby might have cannot always be communicated. It can sometimes be difficult to determine if your baby might be in discomfort or pain. Tracy always asks parents to give as much information as possible while she conducts a tongue and finger vein observation. A combination of these diagnostic techniques helps Tracy to find the root of the pain and discomfort if any so that she can use the appropriate massage to help your baby.

Below are the common infantile disorders that Chinese traditional massage can help with:

• Fever, coughs, and colds
• Poor appetite and malnutrition
• Diarrhea, vomit, and constipation
• Night crying
• Enuresis

To find out more information, message Nakato on WeChat: Nakato1. RMB 300 (for two sessions). Wednesdays 1.30pm-6pm and Saturdays 12pm-4pm (131 2118 8602).

When TCM achieves a “new and scientific” breakthrough, pizza bonanza arrives at Beijing’s tech hub, where to get bespoke cooking classes, and more!

What’s New in BS: Quantum Acupuncture

All moms and dads know they share a very special bond with their offspring. But a report in a Chinese scientific journal has raised eyebrows, to say the least, with a claim that children were successfully cured of illnesses by giving acupuncture to their parents. The writers of the report said that this worked because of quantum entanglement (where sub-atomic particles can interact even at a distance from each other), and it’s hard to say whether the physicians or the physicists who were more outraged by this nonsense. However one netizen saw a practical application, according to whatsonweibo.com: if treating your father doesn’t make you better, maybe they should try giving acupuncture to the neighbor, and see whether that works…

Have a Roman Holiday at the Beijing Pizza Festival (Oct 13-14)

Take a break from the pace and noise of contemporary Beijing life, and indulge yourself in la dolce vita at this year’s Beijing Pizza Festival. The theme is “Roman Holiday”, alluding to the classic movie starring Gregory Peck and Audrey Hepburn, and celebrating the amazing contributions to human culture of Italy and its capital – including, of course, pizza. All Beijing’s best pie-slingers will be there, along with live bands, DJs, and other entertainment, at the festival’s new location in hi-tech Zhongguancun. Early bird tickets cost a fantastico RMB 20 for early birds, and are available from www.thebeijinger.com.

Didi Responds to Tragic Death with New Safety Measures

Ride-hailing service Didi Chuxing has become an essential part of life in China’s cities, but the company faced a backlash in August when a second woman was murdered by her driver. Customers were particularly angry when it was revealed that a different female passenger had flagged up concerns about the driver the day before, but no action was taken. In response, Didi has implemented new safety features, and nighttime services were halted for a week last month while they were rolled out. Your Didi screen now has a button which connects you directly to the police, and the company is improving safety checks on drivers. In addition, audio from all Express and Premier rides will be recorded, so be sure you don’t say anything controversial to your driver!

Eat, Drink, and Raise Money for Good Causes

Good deeds don’t have to be dreary, with two upcoming opportunities to combine your charity work with delicious food and drink. On October 19, Roundabout will be celebrating ten years of fundraising with a Charity Gala Ball at the Hyatt Regency Hotel, featuring drinks, dinner, and dancing, as well as raffles and auctions. Tickets cost RMB 1100. Also marking a decade of good works, Chi Fan For Charity will take place this year on November 10, at top restaurants all across Beijing. For more information on how to take part in either or both events, visit our Events page.

Goodbye Pauline!

We’re all sad to be saying “so long” to writer, chef, and mom Pauline van Hasselt, whom we know is as popular with our readers as she is with her colleagues. She may no longer be “Big in Beijing”, but she’s still a huge personality, with a fabulous sense of humor. We wish her all the very best with her new venture, Pauline’s Cuisine, and we’re sure her cooking classes will be as much fun as the beijingkids office was when she was around!

This article appeared on the beijingkids October 2018 Mental Health issue.
Photos: The Beijinger/Uni You, courtesy of Chi Fan For Charity, iphonedigital and via Flickr