Japanese drugs are great
I got really sick this week. The flu finally caught up with me after dodging it for about six years. It sucked, as having the flu always does, but gave me a glimpse at the way Japan does medicine. It was an interesting experience.
In the past five months I’ve noticed how often Japanese people go to the doctor. My coworker is always going, as well as friends and students, and I’ve come to question why. If you have a cold, do you really need a doctor to tell you that you have a cold? I should say that I come from a bit of a doctor leery family, but I’ve come to believe that you should just listen to your body and act accordingly. Well not anymore! I’m going to Doctor Otashiro from now on.
By day two of the flu I had never been sicker in my life. I had a fever of 104, every part of me ached, and I couldn’t move. I went to the clinic where they stuck me with an IV. This seems to be the number one Japanese remedy. Whether you’ve got a cold, the flu, or ridiculously high stress, you should have an IV. This clinic looks the same as anything in the U.S., except that behind the sliding doors lay the IV rooms. Rows and rows of cots are lined up to administer IVs. I’ve never seen anything like this in a small clinic in the states. And everyone that walked through the door was getting the same treatment, and you know they didn’t all have the flu.
I don’t know what was in that magic potion, but it was some good juju. I can’t believe how fast I turned around. I was practically unconscious when I got there and was my normal chatty self when I left. I also received some Chinese drugs that will make me healthy over time, and some Western drugs to get rid of the flu. It’s a great combination of two medical philosophies.
Tags: Japan
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