The time my father brought me to a traditional Chinese medicine doctor

My father traveled for business often when we were growing up. We grew so used to his absence that when he returned we had to adjust to his presence. He had his own routines that did not fit in with ours, and for the most part, he lived a life in the periphery of home and hearth. This was not uncommon among his generation of Chinese men, over whom traditional gender roles ruled.

Dad so seldom participated in domestic activities relegated to women that I distinctly remember the time he brought me to a traditional Chinese medicine doctor. I couldn't have been over 5 years old. I was scared. Mom said I had to go with dad to get my swollen knee fixed. I cried. Why couldn't mom or grandma take me instead? Where was dad taking me?

I held onto my father as he carried me up a steep staircase. When we reached the top I smelled the herbs: a potpourri of traditional Chinese medicine staples sorted in see-through glass cylinders with metal lids, a wall of wooden drawers labeled with characters I could not read. 

I tried not to squirm as the doctor applied a poultice on my knee. The herbal paste shocked my skin at first with minty cool and then pleasantly warmed up and soothed my pain. He wrapped it in place with a plastic wrap and then secured it with a white bandage.

In my family, my father is the eccentric. He loves natural remedies to the point of obsession. There is no moderation for him. When he went on a fresh guava kick--he had read that it was beneficial for diabetics, he bought guava by the case from the Puerto Rican market. When he learned of the health benefits of apple cider vinegar, he put it in everything. I mean everything. Soup, rice, vegetables, stews, toast, everything. On his day off, he peels clove after clove of garlic, both to eat raw and to use in everything he cooks. 

Unfortunately for my father, the more obsessed he is, the less everyone around him listens. His singular focus exhausts us; after saying "no, thanks" to "would you like apple cider vinegar fried rice with garlic?" for the 10th time in one day, it takes every bit of self control not to scream NOOOOOO!!! 

Everything comes full circle, of course, because these days I start every morning with a concoction of fresh-squeezed lemon juice, apple cider vinegar, and raw honey with hot water.

I am a big fan of acupuncture and traditional Chinese medicine.

A poultice for anything sounds awesome. 

Herbalist preparing packets of medicine ordered by traditional Chinese medicine doctor
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