青柳診所手記57

 秋天來了，花早都謝得差不多了，不久前還是欣欣向榮的花園現在是一片蕭條的景象，地上到處是枯黃的落葉。

也許因為我父親是搞氣象的，我對天氣和自然界的變化也總是比較敏感。

“為什麼秋天會落葉呢？” 記得我曾這樣問父親。

也許是因為我還太小，父親沒有從科學的角度來正面回答這個問題，而是說：“秋天到了，樹的能量都往下走了，上面的能量不夠了，所以就掉葉子啦。中國的文人都喜歡悲秋。其實有什麼可悲的呢?  葉子掉了不過是樹的能量從顯性變為隱性罷了。樹木積存的能量越多，它來年就越豐茂啊。”

當了醫師之後，我忽然明白，人何嘗不是如此？如果把人看成自然界，上午是春天，中午是夏天，黃昏就是秋天，晚上就等於冬天。那麼，到了黃昏，天漸漸變黑，周遭的能量從陽逐漸轉陰，正如秋天自然界把能量從樹冠收回到樹幹和樹根一樣，人也該把散發在外面的能量慢慢拉回來開始為新的一天做儲存了。

這就是中醫為什麼強調要早睡早起的原因吧。如果到了該休息的時候還不休息，或者躺在了床上還在胡思亂想，那人不就是一直在耗神耗能，身體的氣血津液始終都沒有被給予恢復的機會嗎？而如果我們一有機會就將能量下意識地內存，不等於就在身體裡開了一個看不見的銀行嗎？

那天我經過一個小樹林時，看見一個坐在輪椅里的老人正盯着灌木叢里的一株很不起眼的菊花出神。

我經過她身邊時，她抬頭朝我笑了笑。

“您很喜歡這花啊，”我說，“您一個人在這裡？需要幫忙嗎？”。

她笑一笑，指着坐在遠處樹樁旁的一個玩手機的男人，“我的兒子在那裡等我，他大概等得有些不耐煩了。” 她輕皺一下眉，“我以前跟他一樣，也一天到晚都在擺弄我的手機，卻很少接來自自己身體的電話。你看，“她拍拍自己輪椅裡面的身體，”現在我主動給它打電話它都懶得回了。”

我這才注意到她的身軀看上去極為消瘦和虛弱，她的頭髮也所剩無幾了，我的臨床經驗告訴我她大約是個癌症晚期的病人。我不知道該說什麼才好。忽然間我記起我的手機裡存着一張照片，那是我兩天前在花園裡給一隻鳥兒偷拍的。

好幾個月前阿里醫生就在花園裡放了不少鳥食，最近又給蜂鳥們專門裝了餵食器。餵食器很漂亮，遠遠看去，就如一片荷葉一樣。有時候我給人治病時，時不時看見鳥兒們拍着翅膀朝我鳴叫，或用尖尖的喙兒敲擊窗戶似乎在吸引我的注意。那一天，我看見一隻紅嘴巴黑肚子的小鳥俯身凝視着一朵粉色的玫瑰，似乎在好奇這花為什麼這麼漂亮，又似乎陶醉在它的芬芳中。我趕緊把這個畫面拍了下來給阿里醫生看。

“您看看這張照片，”我對那個老婦說，“這隻小鳥盯着那朵玫瑰時的表情，是不是跟您看菊花時差不多？你們倆都很專注啊。”

老人歪着頭瞧了照片一會兒，滿是皺紋的臉上露出了笑容。

她的兒子這時走過來，我招招手準備離開了。走出樹林那一剎那我回頭一望，正好看到她的兒子欲將她剛才凝視的那朵小花插在她的髮鬢上，但她銀白的頭髮實在太稀疏了，他插了好幾次花都掉下來了。最後老人乾脆把那花握在了手上。她朝我的方向看了一眼，微弱地搖了搖手上的花兒，似乎在朝我告別。這一幕看上去有些讓人心酸，我的眼淚都差點掉下來了。

我們的病人中也有幾個是病情相當嚴重的，包括癌症晚期。

對於他們，我們的治療方案和手段跟治療其它人也差不多。總體說來，就是通過針灸、拔罐、撥筋、推拿、中藥和冥想，試圖儘快地給他們的身體疏通出一些空間來。我們希望至少能夠在減輕症狀或改善生存質量方面幫到他們。

師父早就說過，我們的身體內本來就有自我修復、更新的潛能。當身體內的通道都正常開放了，被疾病打斷的這個自愈潛能也可能有機會復甦起來。

尼古拉·特斯拉曾言：“如果你想知道宇宙的秘密，就用能量、頻率與振動來思考。”

我在想，是不是通往健康的秘密也一樣 - 所謂的疾病就是身體裡面出現了一個偏離了自然、跟生命不和諧的能量波。一旦釋放了這個能量波，那麼健康的到來，只是遲早的事？

如何釋放這個能量波呢？我想，可行的方法至少有兩個，其一就是常常接一接身體以它特有的方式發來的訊息，其二就是順應自然、與自然界的頻率保持和諧共振。

正如艾默生所言：“健康時我們常忘記自己和自己的使命。而我們之所以偶然生病就是為了提醒我們這些而已。”（We forget ourselves and our destinies in health, and the chief use of temporary sickness is to remind us of these concerns.— Ralph Waldo Emerson）。

如果你感到身體有些不適，你是否留意它曾給你發過一個短信：放慢你的腳步，聞一聞那朵花，欣賞一下那一隻鳥，望一望那顆星？

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 Whispering of Willow 57

By Dr. Anna Zhao

 Autumn has arrived, and the flowers have mostly withered. Our once flourishing garden is now a desolate sight, with withered yellow leaves scattered everywhere on the muddy ground.

Perhaps because my father was a meteorologist, I've always been quite sensitive to changes in the weather and nature.

"Why do leaves fall in autumn?" I remember asking my father once.

It is likely because I was too young, my father didn't answer the question directly from a scientific perspective. Instead, he said, "When autumn is here, the tree's energy all flows downwards, leaving little energy at the top, so the leaves fall.  You know, the ‘Sorrow of Autumn’ is a common theme in Chinese literature. But what's there to be sad about? The falling leaves simply mean that the tree's energy has shifted from visible to hidden. The more energy a tree accumulates in its trunk and roots, the more vibrant and lush it will be next year."

After becoming a TCM doctor, it suddenly dawned to me that this energy principle also applies to us humans. If we apply this natural phenomenon to people, morning is comparable to spring, noon is summer, dusk autumn, and night winter. So, as dusk falls, the sky darkens, and the surrounding energy gradually shifts from yang to yin. As my father explained years ago, the tree’s energy is drawn back from the treetops to the trunk and roots. At this time of the day, people should also slowly draw back the energy they scattered in the daytime and store it in their centre. This way a new day’s energy is being guaranteed.

This is probably why Traditional Chinese Medicine emphasizes that we should go to bed with the chickens and wake up with birds. After dusk, when we are supposed to be at rest but aren’t, or when we are lying in bed and ruminating on things, we are still dissipating energy while preventing our body's Qi (energy), blood, and fluids from being re-energized and replenished. If we strive to restore our energy whenever we have the chance, it is like opening an invisible energy bank account in our body.

One day, as I was going through a grove of trees, when I saw an elderly lady in a wheelchair contemplating an unassuming chrysanthemum in the bushes.

As I walked towards her, she looked up and smiled at me.

"You really like this flower," I said. "Are you here alone? Do you need any help?"

She pointed to a man crouching by a tree stump in the distance, playing on his phone. "My son is waiting for me there. He's probably getting a little impatient." She said with a little frown. "I used to be like him, always fiddling with my phone, but rarely answering the messages from my own body. You see," she patted the body stuck in her wheelchair, "now even when I make a call to my body, she does not answer it."

It was then that I noticed how thin and fragile she appeared, and how little hair she had left. My clinical experience told me she was probably in the late stage of cancer. I didn't know what to say. Suddenly, I remembered a photo I had saved on my phone. It was a picture I had secretly taken of a bird in the garden two days earlier.

Several months ago, Dr. Ali had placed plenty of birdseed in the garden and recently installed a bird feeder for the hummingbirds. The feeder is quite elegant and from a distance, it resembles a large lotus leaf.

When treating patients, I catch glimpses of birds flapping their wings while chirping at me, or tapping on the window with their little beaks, seemingly trying to get my attention. One day, I saw a small bird with a red beak and a black belly gazing down at a pink rose, seemingly curious about why the flower was so charming, or perhaps intoxicated by its fragrance. I quickly took a snap of this so I could show it to Dr. Ali.

“Look at this photo,” I said to the lady. “Isn’t the expression on this little bird’s face similar to yours when you were contemplating that flower? You’re both enchanted.”

Tilting her head, the lady peeped at the photo, a pleased beam appeared on her wrinkled face.

Her son came over then, and I waved goodbye. As I strode out of the patch of woods, I glanced back and saw him trying to tuck the little flower she had been gazing at into her hair. But her silvery hair was so sparse that the flower fell off several times. The lady then gave up and held the flower in her hand. She glanced in my direction, feebly shook the flower in her hand, as if saying goodbye. The scene somehow touched my heart, and tears came to my eyes.

Several of our patients have quite serious conditions, including late-stage cancer.

For them, our treatment methods and plans are similar to those for other patients. We still use common modalities such as acupuncture, cupping, acupressure, massage, herbs, and meditation to treat them. The whole purpose is to create a peaceful space in their cluttered bodies as quickly as possible. We work to treat their illness, and at least help them alleviate some symptoms and improve their quality of life.

Our master has long said that our bodies inherently possess the potential for self-repair and renewal. When the normal channels within the body become open, this self-healing potential, interrupted by illness, may have a chance to revive.

Nikola Tesla said: “If you want to find the secrets of the universe, think in terms of energy, frequency and vibration.”

I've been wondering myself if the secret to health could be the same. A disease is simply an energy wave within the body that deviates from nature or appears out of harmony with life itself. Once this energy wave is released, healing may be only a matter of time?

How do we release this energy wave then? I think there are at least two feasible methods: first, to regularly answer the calls that the body sends in its own unique way; second, to harmonize with nature and synchronize our resonance with its frequencies.

As Emerson’s voice rings in our ear, “We forget ourselves and our destinies in health, and the chief use of temporary sickness is to remind us of these concerns.”

If you are not completely healthy, has your body ever sent you a message: Slow down your steps, smell that flower, admire the bird, and have a glance at a distant star?