Ancient Chinese secrets?

I came to Houston over a week ago to meet some longtime friends from Lexington and to enjoy some warmer weather. Although I was bamboozled on the weather (it's been rather nippy here in Houston), my visit with friends was wonderful! Some friends from Lexington might remember my friend, Ming, who was an ESL student I worked with starting in 1998. I was able to help her learn a lot of English at first, but then we just became friends and would sit around and talk. I guess that helped as much as anything but I like to remind her that I really didn't teach her much. We mostly talked about culture, she taught me about Chinese cooking, and we enjoyed being together twice a week. Her kids were young and I would tease her that she was "raising American kids." Her boys are now grown and her oldest came with her for our visit. We walked long distances, went to Chinatown, shared funny stories from our times together, and she mothered me. By the time we had to say goodbye, she had introduced me to 3 Chinese health behaviors, which she insists I should incorporate into my path:

1. The Chinese foot bath. According to internet research (which is always right), this is a 3,000 year old practice in China. You get a bucket that is big enough for both feet and can hold enough water to mid-shin. Ming suggested water as hot as possible, dunk your feet in repeatedly until you can stand it (it's ok to howl each time as long as your neighbors don't call the cops), and then leave your feet in until the water is lukewarm and/or until you break a sweat. Ming said that some people use herbal remedies in the water, but she doesn't. I looked up what to put in the water and most recipes suggested a green tea bag, ginger, and various essential oils (e.g., lavender, cloves, orange, grapefruit). You don't have to use all of these ingredients or any at all, the process is relaxing either way. When finished, dry your feet, put on socks, and go to bed. The key is to do this just before bed. This process relaxes your entire body and helps you to sleep better all night. I've found that it works quite well. I believe!

2. Ginseng. Ming brought with her ginseng tea bags for me to try so that I can get used to the taste. Not being so familiar with ginseng, I did a Google Scholar search (of course) and found studies showing that ginseng is anti-inflammatory and lowers blood glucose in both diabetics and non-diabetics. Of course, that's all I needed to see. Ming says that the Chinese buy the root, cut small pieces, place the pieces between the cheek and gum, and then chew it and swallow it when it gets soft. Therefore, if I get used to the tea and find that it works for me, she will tell me where to get the root. The tea is extremely bitter so I've been adding a little lemon slice until I acquire a taste for it. I also read that chewing Ginseng is known to help with Keto breath, which I need. Sometimes the acetone smell coming from my lungs (from the ketone waste) is reminiscent of cigarette smoke. Other times, it's just smelly. Lois calls it "dragon breath." From time to time I've insisted that the house was on fire, only to figure out it was my breath.

3. Tai Chi. This one I'm going to have to work on a little because I'm going to need a teacher to introduce the basic concepts for a while before I can practice alone at home. Ming showed me many instructional videos on YouTube and then showed me her own rad moves. She apparently has studied tai chi before and she is quite graceful when she busts out those moves! It looks easy at first but then when you really watch, you realize that there is a lot of balance, shifting, and coordination disguised as slow motion dancing. It's obviously designed to trick you into working out. Like other types of eastern meditation, the research demonstrates positive effects on chronic illnesses (particularly cancer), reduced stress, and overall quality of life. Once I find a teacher, I'm in!

Monday I had bloodwork done and they posted the results online a few days later. My platelets are climbing back up, which is good. However, my neutrophils and lymphocytes remain extremely low. I have to avoid any threat of infection, cold, flu, etc. I'm going to have to continue to be extremely careful - especially on airplanes, with my animals, and on campus. I probably won't need to fly anywhere and staying off campus is easier during the holiday break.

Jason and Aidan arrive on Tuesday, I have a scan and see my doctors on Wednesday, and then we will be headed back to Lubbock in time for Aidan to be at his basketball game on Thursday night (you know, our family has basketball priorities!). If something comes up and my care team has some kind of treatment option they want to start, I'm hoping it can wait until after Christmas. I really want to be home with my little family. I'm pretty sure I can talk my way around any hiccups but I'm also hoping there won't be any. With this place, you never know what's going to happen. Random appointments just show up on the schedule, clinical trials become available seemingly out of nowhere, and the roller coaster of Living La Vida Glioma forces us to shift our plans at a moment's notice. Therefore, I will continue on the path as it becomes visible- even if I can't see the left side.