Review of my experience seeing a doctor in China: Henan

Review of my experience seeing a doctor in China:
Jammy herself who often gets sick (sick for more than 10 days)
When the Shaolin snow flu led me to a clinic in Henan, no one wants to get sick while traveling. But when it can't be avoided, what I can do is to deal with it as best I can. This experience of seeing a doctor in China was full of new things, from taking my pulse to receiving a large set of herbal medicine. And of course... enduring unfamiliar medicine and symptoms (those who are familiar with it first will take a handful of medicines) because Thailand doesn't have snow to make me feel cold like this. First time at the clinic: 39 degrees Celsius fever with 9 sets of medicine, 3 times a day. The snow flu hit me hard. My symptoms were complete, including chills, fatigue, and aches and pains. So I decided to go to a clinic in Henan. The clinic here doesn't look like a big hospital. It's like this Thai clinic, but there is a doctor who specializes in Chinese medicine. The doctor started by taking my pulse (a popular Chinese medicine diagnosis) and asked me a few questions. He emphasized that it was really small. The rest of the questions were very harsh. Then he prescribed a set of medicine, which I had to take 3 times a day for 3 days. Of course, the amount of medicine I received was more than I've ever experienced in my entire life combined. There are sleeping pills in the pills. Sleep soundly, sleep seriously. Second visit to the clinic: Because the doctor told me to see him again after finishing the medicine. My symptoms improved, but the doctor said I still need to take supplements. My pulse was still not strong. After finishing the medicine for 3 days, my symptoms improved a lot. Regarding the fever, I went back to see the doctor again, hoping to get confirmation that I was cured. But no… The doctor took my pulse again and said, “My body is still weak. I need to take supplements.” Then he gave me 50 herbal pills to nourish my body. Okay… The doctor said I had to take them, even though I wondered why I needed so much. Third visit: I had to come back because I had a stomachache. But the doctor was really fierce. I took the medicine as instructed, but I had pain in my right abdomen all night. I couldn’t sleep at all. In the morning, I had to drag my body back to the doctor. At that time, I had a stomachache and a fever. I went back in a bad state, but what I encountered was that the doctor was fierce! He didn’t examine the area where I had a stomachache. He just asked about my symptoms and prescribed me a lot more medicine. At this point, I was both confused and suspicious. But I have to admit that in China, TCM treatment emphasizes balance of the body rather than treating specific symptoms. Conclusion from experience of seeing a doctor in China: 1. Taking the pulse is the most important thing – Chinese doctors use taking the pulse as the main tool for diagnosis and may not perform a detailed physical examination like Western doctors. 2. Medicine comes in sets and in large quantities – TCM focuses on nourishing and balancing the body, not just treating specific symptoms. 3. The doctor is very fierce, does not explain much – Doctors in China seem strict and serious. Ask about symptoms and then give medicine right away, do not explain much in detail. 4. Must be patient with medicine and side effects. Taking Chinese medicine requires patience. Some medicines may have a strong taste or cause strange side effects, like what we experienced. #Henan #SickAbroad #TravelChina

Post by Merayadan43 | Jul 12, 2025