The end of a mind opening trip.

There has been a lot to think about on this trip. As well as meeting some new lifelong friends, you cannot come on a trip like this without it changing how you view the world.

I have travelled to many places in the past but in a sightseeing capacity. To see a country in a hospital and see its sick and vulnerable is to really see a country. I have learnt more about China and it's people than I ever could visiting tourist sites.

We have an image in the west of China and what it is like but it's people are warm, friendly, loving of their families and welcoming of foreigners. Yes I will be glad to leave behind the squat toilets, spitting on the floor and being pushed and jostled wherever you go and even the odd unidentified object in your dinner, but I will miss the people.

China is changing rapidly. It is becoming more Western and consumerism has taken over despite the government trying to slow it down. Chinese Medicine hospitals are an excellent way of treating those with less money in an effective, cheap and  no frills way. The patients respect the doctors and their knowledge. I felt very uncomfortable at times with a vulnerable patients in their pants being gawped at by a bunch of foreigners but they are proud of their medicine and what it can achieve.

Some wards were better than others. The doctor is in charge and his personality is reflected in the ward and its staff. Some wards are more plush and there is more communication between the doctor and his staff, whereas some wards are less comfortable and the patients are treated in more of a conveyor belt manner. However there is still great respect from patient for their doctor and his skills.

There are things to take home for our own healthcare system. What we expect to get from a system that costs more and more money on a weekly basis. What we expect when we visit a hospital. This medicine is a safe an effective way of treating patients on mass. It is totally integrated and all doctors can prescribe western drugs, herbal medicine, do acupuncture and its adjuncts. 

I'm not quite sure how it is going to change my practice yet (I certainly am not in a position to treat daily as they do in China) but I know I have a lot to take home and incorporate. I will never again be concerned about 'over needling'.

I would recommend any BAcC member to take this trip. You won't regret it. You even get used to the ridiculously low temperatures!

Thanks to the BAcC, Confucius Institute, Heilongjiang University, my colleagues,  patients of the hospitals, the Professors and staff and our fantastic translators for this opportunity. It is a trip I will never, ever forget. 

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