I have mentioned to my people and students in other countries what a waste it is for China to be losing its advantage in esoteric medicine which is its legacy to the world. Unfortunately, younger people are drawn more to the "cool" and more financially rewarding career of western medicine.
In esoteric terms, western medicine just makes a simple problem more complicated and expensive than it really is. It's like needing a calculator to compute 17 x 22. Get a paper and pen for heavens sake.
In relation to the above topic. It is disheartening to discover that Yao Ming (7'6") giant NBA basketball player from china, is suffering from recurring stress fractures on his ankles (that will likely permanently end his NBA playing career) and has been undergoing "rehab" and "recovery" but to no avail.
Meanwhile, Grant Hill is an old and "over the Hill" player who continues to contribute decent numbers and doesn't seem to stop despite having ankle surgeries, fractures et al. and despite his advanced age has apparently changed his mind about retirement.
The culprit? Grant Hill (black) has been undergoing acupuncture treatments. Yao Ming is chinese and strangely, I don't see any record of him undergoing TCM treatments.
While we may argue that Yao Ming is a 7'6" giant, it must be placed in perspective that when he was younger, he didn't have those problems (and neither did Grant Hill), and they were already playing basketball. So what is the difference between then and now? The same can be said about Grant Hill who is MUCH older but is in better shape now than he was 4 years ago. The difference between then and now is that the energy flow supporting the physical structure has diminished with age and the body is less able to regenerate as quickly and effectively.
It all goes back to the esoteric fundamentals of medicine but more importantly, life in general. Acupuncture restored Grant Hill's energy force similar to the time when he was younger.
Irony: Chinese Yao Ming doesn't seem to be undergoing acupuncture whereas black american Grant Hill is improving his situation with it.