heat, needles, herbs, a new yorker article
not much to say lately. having a tough time physically. i started applying heat to my belly as per recommendation by my acupuncturist to see if that helps me feel any better.
today's session was excellent. treatments are relaxing--sometimes i'm on the verge of falling asleep while i'm lying there with the needles in me. it's almost like getting a massage, and leaves me with a sense of euphoria. occasionally, when the needles go in, i start weeping quietly, and it's like an enormous release of tension and i feel so much better afterwards--almost as though i've been cleansed. i don't know if that's normal or not. but whatever...
he gave me an herbal tea called gynostemma pentaphyllum (or jiaogulan), which he hopes will help me. the only drawback is that it tastes incredibly bitter and smells like dried mushrooms. but we'll see. it's a small price to pay if it provides some relief.
my acupuncturist and i also got into talking about laura hillenbrand. has anyone else here seen the movie seabiscuit or read her book (same title)? i saw the movie in denver and want to read the book. i especially appreciated the movie's themes of pain, faith, despair, hope, redemption and optimism. ultimately the move was uplifting and very "feel-good". i see parallels between this story and that of the author's own life.
i first heard of laura hillenbrand, seabiscuit, and her story of debilitating chronic fatigue syndrome a few years back, when that was my presumed diagnosis. so i took a personal interest in it. although i have since learned of my lupus, her story is one i can relate to on so many levels, and i think she is an amazing woman and could be a real role model to others who are in similar circumstances with illness and disability. i also hope her high profile helps increase the visibility and understanding of invisible chronic illnesses as a whole. her tenacity and perseverence, writing in the face of such debility wins my admiration and respect. sometimes i think that as a former english major, i should have become a writer. maybe it's never too late.
anyway, where am i going with all this? my acupuncturist said that there was an article by laura hillenbrand that appeared in the new yorker over the summer. don't know if anyone else here read it. anyway, i love that magazine to death, but don't have a subscription. so somehow i must have missed it. i just moused around on the internet searching all over and alas, the online archives didn't have it and so i'll have to hunt it down in the library or something. i cannot wait to read what she wrote.
well i am tired and my fingers hurt so i'm ending this entry. have a good weekend.
PS: sunday = the built to spill show!
