Chinese Medicine and foot problems

I haven’t posted in a few days, but don’t worry, all is well here. Ireland has had a three-day weekend, and I’ve been home playing with wife and baby a lot. I also happen to be on-call this weekend, so we’re largely stuck at home with little to do, but it’s been a nice three days nevertheless.

Instead of blog-writing, my recent nights have been spent soaking my feet in concoction of hot water and pungent Chinese herbs. I decided to finally do something about an old wart on my left foot that has been there for years and years and has caused me no end of trouble. I went to a local acupuncture/Chinese medicine shop on Grafton Street, having tried Western medicine one too many times and failed (including three doctor’s visits to freeze the wart). The consultation was free, and my blood pressure was 120/80, which is the lowest it’s been in many, many years. The solution to my wart problem was two-fold:

• I needed to walk less and wear more comfortable shoes. My guess is that too much walking was making the circulation weaker, allowing the wart to keep growing.
• I needed to soak my feet in an herbal concoction they recommended me.

My wife and I had visited Chinese doctors before in the US, and it was great. We tried to have a baby for months and months, but after getting some acupuncture done for both of us, we felt less tired and my wife was pregnant shortly thereafter. So, this time around I expected something similar, but instead, they gave me a huge concoction of herbs, 8 herbs (including dried mushrooms, bark and other things) in all, carefully portioned out into large bags. The combination has a strong, bitter old-timey-remedy smell, so when I boil them at night, we have to air out the house pretty good. It’s day 3, and I have to do this for 11 more days (2 weeks total).

Sometimes I wonder if the cure is worse than the disease. :p

At any rate, I am determined to get rid of this wart because I am afraid that Baby may pick it up someday, and considering how much trouble I have had with it, I don’t want Baby to go through the same.

Namuamidabu

P.S. The herbal remedy cost me €112, which means that I better use it up, and that it better work. :p

UPDATE: After 3 days of using the herbs, I gave up. I live in an apartment, and the smell was just too much, and I don’t want to annoy neighbors, or my landlord when it comes time to move out. Sorry, but there has to be a better way.