As you know if you've been reading my blog, I've had a cold again for the past ten days or so. This one developed into a bronchial thing with me sounding like I was going to bark up a lung at any minute, so many of my friends have expressed concern for me. Well, yesterday after church, my American friend, Julie, asked me to go for a massage with her. Having no idea what she was intending, but lovin' me some massage (being a massage therapist and all...), I agreed to meet her at the place at 5. When we arrived and she ordered the "scraping" for both her and me, I got a little curious. But she assured me, having lived here for 9 years and gotten this done many times, that it was great to get rid of a cold. She had a cold too, and I was fed up with being sick, so I agreed to it. I asked her what kind of scraping we were talking about, and she said, "It's like they're using the back of a comb to stimulate the blood in your back. It's a little uncomfortable but it really helps."
O.K., so off I go to the room, which by the way, I shared with Julie and her uncle (who's here on business from the states and was also getting a massage). In Asia you wear loose fitting clothes for your massage so there's no modesty issues. I gotta tell you, the three therapists chattering away in Chinese was not contributing to me going to my happy place, but I strangely grew used to it and sort of even drowned it out. Of course, I was coughing quite a bit at the beginning as my girl was really working my lungs from the back.
You've probably already seen the picture of my back, but let me assure you, it doesn't hurt, now! (When the gal was doing it, I was thinking, "What kind of comb does Julie use? A metal comb? A really mean comb? If this lady goes much deeper she's going to hit bone! Ouch! Stop, please stop!!") It doesn't hurt, but it looks really bad. I took the picture about 6 hours after she did it, and it was getting deeper purple by the minute I think. But, I woke up this morning and feel A LOT better! So, do I argue with this? I don't know, the jury's out. Weigh in and let me know what you think if you have any thoughts about these kinds of unconventional remedies.
I have to run, but hope to post again in the next few days. It's Monday morning and I have to get to work, just like the rest of the human race. (Speaking of human race... I saw "I Am Legend" at the theater here on Saturday night...ugh! Pretty creepy creatures I must say, but an interesting thought about what "could" cause humans to become almost extinct. Have you seen it? I don't necessarily recommend it, but Will Smith's "guns" are huge. In one scene they're almost as big as his head.)
Until next time, LC
5 comments:
Oh.my.goodness. That looks like torture. And you paid for it?! Six hours later you look like this? Dang, I don't know what else to say. But I'm glad you feel better.
You look like Freddie from Nightmare...YIKES! She must have been using a fro pick...or a rake.
Whoa!! I hope you are feeling better for days after that!! Keep us updated on how your back is and how you're feeling. I hate that you've been practically living with a bad cold.
This method to get rid of a cold or a flu has been around for hundreds of years in China. I had seen this done before when I was a child in Hong Kong but never to the whole back, just to the back of the neck, and with a spoon. In Chinese, it is called 'sand scraping'. I hope you feel better now because all the 'wind' inside your body should have been 'scraped' out. :=)
That picture is INTENSE! But I'm not gonna lie, it sounds kind of appealing, in some masochistic way. I think you should add it to your massage repertoire. ;)
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