Lifestyle ailments

With a population of around 10,000, Drongshok－"homeland of herders" in Tibetan－is a typical herding township in Yushu.

"There are only eight households near the township center, and most residents roam the prairie and highlands to herd yaks all year or dig for caterpillar fungus (a valuable medicinal herb) in the deep mountains for weeks during summer," said Losang Nyima, head of the Drongshok township health clinic.

That lifestyle has led to a high incidence of rheumatic diseases, which cause the immune system to attack the joints, muscles, bones and organs. The Drongshok clinic alone has registered nearly 3,500 people who have the chronic illness.

That was why volunteer doctor Du Wei, an acupuncturist at the Affiliated Hospital of Shaanxi University of Chinese Medicine, found a long line forming outside his temporary department at the rural clinic.

"I brought five packs of acupuncture needles with me, but I almost ran out on the first day," Du said.

"Most patients here had never tried traditional Chinese medicine acupuncture before, and they were amazed by the immediate effects."

Kunga Gyaltsan, 78, a monk from a nearby monastery, was so satisfied with the treatment that he got up at 7 am the next day to see Du again.

"The treatment is very soothing and I had a good sleep last night," he said. "I want to see the doctor as much as possible before he leaves."

Novel approach

During his stay in Drongshok, Du taught Dudul, a local rural doctor, some basic acupuncture skills. He also promised to keep in touch to answer any questions in the future.

As a practitioner of traditional Tibetan medicine, Dudul－who like many people from the Tibetan ethnic group only uses one name－is familiar with the use of needles.

However, it was the first time he had seen the combination of acupuncture with moxibustion, a therapy that entails burning mugwort leaves on particular points of the body, as well as the use of low-frequency therapy to relieve back pain.

"To see the effects of these novel methods with my own eyes motivates me to learn and work harder," he said.

"Dudul is on the right track," Du said, as he guided his pupil to insert needles into the correct acupuncture points on a patient's knee and asked him to cover the patient's legs with a cloth to prevent the ashes from the burning mugwort leaves from hurting him.

"When I was a medical student, I practiced acupuncture on a stack of paper napkins," Du said. "Dudul can train by practicing on a foam board, and I will also send him some acupuncture books."