I was very nervous
and sweating when I put the first needle in
 When I was ten
years old, I often played with my neighbour Man-Li. She was five years
older than me. One day I saw her reading a book about acupuncture.
I was fascinated to hear that one can cure others by putting needles
into the body. I then started to read and discussed it with Man-Li
if I could not understand. A couple of months later, I determined
to put a needle into myself. I chose a point on my right leg. I still
remember that was zu-san-li in the front of the leg, a point for maintaining
good digestion and for treating peptic ulcer. I locked myself in our
dormitory and closed the curtains in case a neighbour came in (they
do not normally knock) as I did not want others to laugh at me. After
about 30 minutes, eventually I put the needle in. I was very nervous
and sweating when I did it. It was a very accurate hit I could tell.
Afterwards I told a friend and asked her to keep the secret. I guess
she must have told someone else to keep the secret. Eventually everyone
of my neighbours was able to keep the secret for me. One morning,
my next door neighbour, auntie Zhao came to my room and asked me to
treat her constipation with acupuncture. I had no idea where to put
the needle in so I said "Can you come back in one hour please.
I am busy just now". I consulted my textbook with excitement
in the next 60 minutes. I found yang-lao point on the back of the
forearm and used one needle only. Next day she came to thank me and
told me that she had a bowel movement yesterday afternoon. My neighbours
let me treat them because they thought I knew what I was doing as
I always got top score in school examinations. I did not know much
at all, I was only 11. But I was very happy that I could help others
with my skill! Auntie Zhao was my first patient. Today, I still often
choose yang-lao single point to treat constipation for my patients
and this method has, so far, never let me down.
I continued self-taught Chinese medicine and acupuncture with great
support from my parents. My mother, Mrs Xiou Rong Hong, gave me
an acupuncture points ear model. That was my best gift for years
and I still have it. The teacher of my middle school also supported
me. She recommended me to the school authority which sent me to
learn Chinese medicine in He-Ping-Li Hospital in Beijing. The training
included acupuncture, herbal medicine and basic anatomy and physiology.
I qualified as a Bare Foot Doctor when I was 17.
An electrician, to
keep the street light bright in Beijing
By the end of 1974, I graduated from high school with A Grades in
all six subjects. During the Cultural Revolution in China it was not
possible for me to attend university. University places were awarded
according to political impression. During this time I was an electrician
in the electrical workshop of a chemical factory in east Beijing.
The factory was one of the biggest factories in Beijing with more
than 2000 employees. My job was to guarantee electrical supply and
to repair all electrical machines throughout the factory. The
leaves on the trees were half yellow in the summer due to the pollution.
The ground near some of the workshops was covered with dust several
inches thick. One of the workshops had a very high chimney with
burning flames you could see miles away. The funny smells were everywhere.
From the first day I worked there, I knew I would not stay. I did
not know how as it was not easy to change job in China.
I love my colleagues there. They are kind and talented people.
One of my colleagues, Ms Di Liu, was an electrical engineer. She
was about ten years older than me. We soon became friends. We shared
a room in the factory dormitory. She gave me a lot of advice for
my work and study. We had a very good free after-work school which
was open to all staff. I took Di's advice and chose integrated mathematics.
Studying science was not encouraged. Instead, everyone in China
was encouraged to study politics and the works of Chairman Mao.
There were not many students in the school. Sometimes there was
only the teacher and myself. That was excellent as I could understand
anything she explained and got all my questions answered.
In the first year I was an assistant electrician. By the end of
the first year, we sat examinations so we could end the trainee
electrician's life. I passed the examinations with top marks in
our electrical workshop. The second year I worked independently.
It was a very interesting time in my life and I am still friends
with the people I worked with. Two of my friends are still working
there: a girl who is suffering from depressed bone marrow disease,
aplastic anemia. The other is a boy suffering from hepatitis D.
Both of them blame the pollution in the factory but the factory
authority disagrees.
The more we know
the better for the patients
 |
Treating one of my patients with ear acupuncture
|
The Cultural Revolution ended in 1977 and the universities had entrance
examinations once again. Because there had been no entrance examination
for ten years, the first entrance year was very competitive. Less
than 3% could be placed. Medical university was even more difficult,
in fact the most difficult university to get into. By that
time, the school in our factory had courses to help prepare for
the examination. The classrooms were so full I could hardly get
in. I passed the examination and left the factory after just over
two years of working there. I was accepted by the Beijing Medical
University, a top university in China.
My father Mr Junde Chao was my inspiration. He made me believe
that I can do anything I want to do. When I said "I do not
know" about something, he would say: "You don't know,
but you know how to learn, don't you" He said "Do your
mathematics, physics and chemistry well. Everything you learn will
be yours forever. Anywhere you go, it will go with you. Nobody can
steal it from you". My life has proved that he was right. By
the way, if you are confused by the four Chinese characters in the
home page of this web, they mean "Chinese Acupuncture".
My father wrote them for my clinic two years before he passed away
in May 2001.
The teachers in the medical university were great. Each one gave
200% of what they had to help us and to help our country. I was
not very patient with five years full time study. Six months after
I started, I asked one of our teachers "why had we to spend
five years studying medicine. The barefoot doctor only spends three
months and they can treat patients". My teacher listened to
me quietly until I finished. She then said "If I say someone
catches a cold, you tell me you understand. The barefoot doctors
tell me they understand. But I know there is a difference between
you". I cannot remember her name. I only remember it was a
sunny day when we talked in front of the physiology building. She
was tall, very elegant and beautiful. The more I learn the more
I understand and agree with her: medical knowledge can never be
too much. The more we know the better for the patients.
At Medical University we had systemic training in both orthodox
and traditional Chinese medicine including Chinese herbal medicine,
traditional Chinese acupuncture and five elements acupuncture.
The finial year was the most interesting and busiest. I underwent
a one year Internship with practical training in Internal Medicine,
Surgery, Gynaecology and Obstetrics, and Paediatrics.
My classmates are still my good friends. They are all very good
doctors all over the world and specialise in different subjects.
After graduating, I was awarded Bachelor of Medicine degree. I
was not allowed to choose where to work. Before we went to university
we signed a contract that we must go wherever we were sent by the
university authority. I was given a place in the Beijing Red Cross
Chao-yang Teaching Hospital. As a house officer, I was on call 24
hours a day, six days a week and lived in the hospital dormitory
for the first two years. It was a busy general hospital with all
kinds of operations all the time. In the first year alone, I operated
on over 200 appendectomy cases. I performed general surgery in the
wards, casualty and outpatient departments as part of the surgical
rotation. I performed numerous operations: Thoracic Surgery, Urology,
Orthopaedics, Plastic and Emergency Surgery and also participated
in the work at the Chinese Medicine, Acupuncture and Osteopathy
Department in the hospital. After three years I became senior registrar
in general surgery and started teaching medical students of Capital
Medical University in clinical practice. More than half of the medicine
we prescribed was Chinese herbal medicine.
Edinburgh, the most
beautiful city in the world
 |
Assisting Consultant Surgeon Mr Jimmy Thomson
in Edinburgh Royal Infirmary
|
There was a park called Purple Bamboo Park in north east Beijing.
Every Sunday, young people came to the park and talked to each other
in English in order to practice. We all knew this place by word of
mouth, there was no sign in the park. We all called it the English
Corner. One day I came to the English Corner with my friend Dr. Hong
Ge of Tumour Hospital. We saw a very tall English Gentleman. Later
I learned his name is John Roberts, a university professor from Sussex.
Of course, every native English speaker was a star in the park. He
was surrounded by lots of young people and answered questions one
by one or rather several by several each time. I got the chance and
asked him about medical care in the UK. I wanted to know whether people
have to pay when they are ill. He then asked me what I was doing and
whether I wanted to study in Britain. "I hope so." I replied.
Shortly after Professor Roberts went back to the UK, he sent me
details of the General Medical Council in London and suggested that
I should write to them. Just before I sent the letter, a British
Chinese friend saw the letter and changed London to Edinburgh. He
said "Go to Edinburgh, the best place in the world to learn
medicine". I felt lucky years later for this change.
I was awarded a scholarship by the Royal College of Surgeons in
Edinburgh. I came to Sir Patrick Forrest's breast unit the following
year, the end of 1987. The first impression of the city was that
this is a Wonder Land. For the first few months, I strolled for
hours at the weekends just to see this beautiful place. Today, I
still think Edinburgh is the most beautiful city in the world.
Surgical training in Edinburgh was a wonderful experience for
me. The Breast Unit is simply the best in the world. Anything you
can think of helping patients they have done. For example, they
arranged consultants and professors of related departments to get
together every week to discuss every new patient's treatment plan;
Doctors travelling between hospitals for patients instead of patients
travelling to see them. The nursing team is also excellent in supporting
the patient. They treat patients as if they are treating their own
families. I learned so much from them and will benefit from this
training for the rest of my life.
When I first came to the UK my English was very limited. I soon
became able to communicate with people but still could not write
properly. The best way to change this was to become a student again!
Two years late, I got a scholarship to do a PhD degree in heart
disease. I feel lucky as I had the best supervisors in the world,
Dr. Rudolph A. Riemersma and Dr Alex Ungar, to guide me. Three years
later, my scholarship ended and I left Edinburgh and came to London.
Shortly after that I met my very romantic husband to be, Charlie.
On the first date, Charlie took me to horse racing! Charlie knows
the education system very well. He used his own spare time after
work to finish his master degree in construction management. His
understanding and support helped me to finish my PhD on time.
I was awarded my PhD at the McEwan Hall in Edinburgh, 1998. Charlie
came to Edinburgh with me, on behalf of both his parents and mine,
as both my father and his were too ill to come. However, I did not
feel too bad as my colleagues and friends came to my graduation
and they are my extended family.
That same year Charlie and I decided to get married and Charlie
celebrated the birth of our daughter Charlotte with tears in November
1998.
Acupuncture: a way
forward
 |
Demonstrating acupuncture during a visit
by the Rt. Hon. William Haig MP
|
The first time I was invited to give a talk about Chinese medicine
and acupuncture was by a teacher at the physiology department of the
University of Edinburgh. She asked me to give over 200 medical students
a talk. I was quite nervous and prepared for three weeks. The talk
was at the Teviot Theatre, Medical School on St Valentines Day in
1992. I was told I would not be paid. I remember telling the students
that this is a Valentine present to you all from me. The students
told me that they were very interested. Normally, in the last hour
of the morning, students are less concentrated but are looking forward
to their lunch break. However that day, they all followed my talk
from the beginning to the end and asked lots of questions after the
lesson. I now often give talks to doctors, but the first time was
such a fond memory. My acupuncture career in the UK started
during my PhD study. I have been a member of the British Acupuncture
Council since 1991. At the beginning I treated colleagues and friends
for free. I did not take payment but got lots of flowers and sweets.
After I came to London, I started to provide acupuncture service
for various GP surgeries and responsible for complementary medicine
education to GP trainees. I worked part time. The income helped
me finish my PhD study.
My medical knowledge and Chinese acupuncture study enables me
to practise acupuncture safely and effectively. For example, a patient
came for treatment to stop smoking. I found he had symptoms of lung
cancer. I found another patient who came to me for treatment had
diabetic symptoms. In both cases I persuaded them to go to their
family doctor straight away. Another patient came for back ache.
I was able to diagnose gallstones. Acupuncture could have exacerbated
her problems. I discussed my findings with her GP and they agreed
with me. I am now also able to use my medical research skills I
leaned during my PhD to improve my treatment success rate further.
I practice acupuncture because I feel that I can give more to
Britain and the people here. They have given me so much. Now is
the time I can use the knowledge I learned here and use our culture
to provide the best quality service for British people. I love the
work I am doing. It is very rewarding. Each time I help someone
to get better, especially those patients who cannot be helped elsewhere,
I feel that all my efforts and studies have been worth it. |
