Nepal Part 2: No concept of time

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Majority of patients in the village have no transport, they walk anywhere from 10 mins to over 4 hours to get to the ARP clinic over rocky paths and hills. Many don’t have a concept of time, some don’t even know how old they are or how to read a clock. There was one woman who when asked her age, said she’s between 70 and 80 years old.  And another young man said he could be anywhere between 29 to 33 years old. Patients don’t come to the clinic by an appointment basis, they either come in the morning or afternoon and hang around with other villagers, sometimes for hours, chatting and enjoying each other’s company as they wait. Because they have no concept of time, unlike us who have 100 things going on in our minds, they are always in the moment and genuinely listening. One heart, one mind, one thing at a time. They master the art of ‘being’ which many of us in the first world have lost and are desperately seeking. How many of us look at the time every now and then at work to check when the day ends so we can go home? When was the last time we sat down quietly just to enjoy our meals, without having our TVs on or checking our phones at the same time?

A photo of Rachel and an old man

This patient walked over 4 hours to see us.

A photo of patients waiting outside the clinic

Patients interacting whilst waiting outside the clinic to be seen.

A photo of Rachel applying scalp acupuncture

Applying scalp acupuncture.

Photo of a boy chasing and balancing a hoop with a stick

A boy chasing and balancing a hoop with a stick. Children in the village have no technology to play with, but back to basics, playing outdoors and in the fields.

 

Photo of view from rooftop of clinic

The view from the rooftop of the clinic in Bajra Barahi.

 

Nepal Part 1: My volunteer experience in a rural village

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Photo of Rachel with 2 Nepalese Women

Sharing love in Nepal

For 2 months from January to March this year, I volunteered with the Acupuncture Relief Project (ARP) and provided primary healthcare to a rural village 3 hours South of Kathmandu, Nepal where there is no access to medical care.

Nepal remains one of the poorest countries on the planet. As we all know, on April 25th last year, the big earthquake had taken the lives of many and left many homeless. It has been a year since and I still saw many living in half collapsed homes and in temporarily built tents. And there is a high infantile death rate, mainly from lack of hygiene.

We saw on average 100-120 patients a day. We treated patients suffering from poverty and aftermath of earthquake. For the majority who has no money to pay for medicine, seeking hospital care may mean they lose their farm and home. Common conditions include digestive issues from dirty water and lack of food, respiratory problems, musculoskeletal and skin diseases, stroke rehab, recovery from tuberculosis, typhoid fever, hypertension and diabetes.

I was part of a team which consisted of 5 health practitioners and 2 team leaders. We all come from different parts of the world. Including the local coordinators and cook, there were 10 of us in total living in the same building. Basically for 2 months, I learnt to share a bathroom with 10 people and a room with 3 other women. It was in the middle of winter, temperatures can drop down to -3 degrees at night with no heating available. Squat toilets and no toilet paper. Perhaps a tepid shower once a week, twice if lucky. Frequent electricity blackouts. We ate whatever our cook made for us as food choices were limited and mainly vegetarian.

That having said, volunteering with ARP in poverty and disaster stricken Nepal is one of the most rewarding experiences I have ever had.  Not only had I got to meet and work with an incredible team of practitioners and locals, I was also able to gain firsthand experience of using acupuncture and herbal medicine to treat acute/third world diseases. And the invaluable lessons I have learnt from the way of life of the Nepalese villagers, have deeply changed my life and my practice of medicine. As a healthcare practitioner, this experience has strengthened my lifelong determination to support the wellbeing of people so they can work to their full potential to contribute to society in their own ways.  In the following weeks, I will upload a series of posts on my experiences and realisations volunteering in Nepal.

WINTER – THE SEASON TO REST

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Winter - the season to rest

Winter – the season to rest

WHILE MOST PARTS OF THE WORLD MARK THEIR SEASONS BY SOLSTICE AND EQUINOX DATES, IN AUSTRALIA, IT IS GENERALLY ACCEPTED THAT SEASONS BEGIN ON THE FIRST OF THE APPROPRIATE MONTH. THEREFORE WINTER BEGINS ON THE FIRST OF JUNE, SPRING ON THE FIRST OF SEPTEMBER, AND SO ON. THIS TRADITION TRACES BACK TO THE EARLY DAYS OF THE COLONY IN SYDNEY WHEN NSW CORPS CHANGED INTO WINTER UNIFORMS AT THE BEGINNING OF THE MONTH (LOMB, 2013).

The Chinese solar calendar, however, calculates the changes of seasons by measuring the angle of the sun. The winter solstice is taken to be the peak of winter when the sun casts the longest shadow on the shortest day of the year. Hence counting backwards, the first day of winter this year fell approximately on the 5th of May.

With the weather changes, we are seeing an increase in patients with coughs, colds, blocked and running noses, asthma, and more aches and pains, as the peripheral blood vessels start to constrict to retain heat in the core of the body.

HOW SHOULD WE BE GEARING OURSELVES UP TO KEEP HEALTHY IN WINTER?

Think what animals do in nature. While we don’t have the luxury of hibernation in this modern lifestyle, we can still follow the flow of the season by slowing down, resting more, conserving our body heat and energy.

Food: Eat food that are warming and nourishing. Stews, casseroles, soups are lovely in winter. Consume more red meat, as these are warm in nature, and help maintain our body temperature. Ginger is a great food to warm within, and to improve blood circulation to the hands and feet. Avoid consuming anything cold as these further reduces the core body temperature and impedes digestion.

Clothing: Start putting on long sleeves and long pants, as a lot of body heat is lost through the skin. Keep neck and shoulders covered, as the upper body is most susceptible to the cold wind. Keep feet covered against the cold seeping up from the ground. Keep lower back warm and covered as the kidneys are the organs most affected by the winter cold.

Exercise: Engage in gentle and mindful exercises that are aimed at stretching the muscles and building core strength. Avoid excessive sweating as it promotes loss of body heat. If you are an avid runner even in winter, keep your knees and calves covered. The protection from cold air will maintain blood circulation to the joints and muscles, thus preventing stiffness and injury. This will ensure a spring in your sprint in the next season.

Turn inwards: As the leaves fall and the trees turn bare, that is essentially the trees’ innate ability to conserve its energy. By shedding its leaves, the tree minimise loss of moisture and heat, thus preserving its main trunk and roots. Taking our cue from the trees, winter is the time to turn inwards. Calm our minds, review lessons in the past year, seek resolution within. Have some quiet time to understand ourselves. Meditate. Ground. Cultivate stillness. Feel. Watch. Trees are not just sleeping in winter. They are extending their roots beneath the ground. Animals huddle together. Reconnect with friends, or family. Face-to-face. Heart-to-heart. Not social media. This is the time to nurture relationships.

References
Lomb, N. 2013. The start of winter in Australia and temperatures in Sydney. Retrieved from:http://www.sydneyobservatory.com.au/2013/the-start-of-winter-in-australia-and-temperatures-in-sydney/.