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I received an urgent call from an existing patient, a professional basketball player, informing me that he injured his toe by accidentally ramming it into a sofa. About 15 minutes later, he limped into my office with a swollen and bruised left foot. Following my physical exam and considering the mechanisms contributing to his injury, I performed acupuncture to reduce his pain. Although he was feeling much better after the treatment, I urged him to get an X-ray immediately as he was scheduled to travel overseas within the next week..
We referred him to a nearby imaging center to get his foot X-rayed. Happily, he returned to my office about a half hour later with a CD of his X-Ray image in hand -- and without limping! I immediately loaded the CD into my computer and found that it wasn't the 4th toe that had been injured as our physical exam suggested. Surprisingly, it appeared to be the 5th toe that showed an oblique non-displaced fracture on the proximal phalanx. I told him that in order for him to comfortably leave on his trip, he would need to see me every other day for acupuncture treatments. The next day I received his report from the radiologist which was shocking to me as it reported there as no fracture or dislocation, and that all joints, ligaments and soft tissue appeared normal. I immediately reviewed the X-rays again with Dr. Eric Wang, my associate, we both believed that there was indeed a fracture. Acknowledging that neither of us was a radiologist, we emailed the foot X-ray images to the owner of the Imaging Center, requesting him to explain what we saw on the images. The owner happens to be a very experienced chiropractor. Afraid he'd be too busy to read my email immediately. I also sent him a text message to remind him of my email request. Within minutes, he replied with "I see it and will call for 2nd read." In less than 15 minutes, I received the second report issued by another MD radiologist to confirm that there was indeed an oblique non-displaced fracture through the base of the 5th phalanx. Reading the second report and looking at the obvious fracture on my computer screen, I had a mixed feeling-pride and frustration. Of course, my associate and I were excited that we were right about our findings. On the other hand,we also wondered what why the first MD radiologist did not read the X-rays correctly. Was he drunk or did he look at a totally different patient's foot or body part? We know radiologists have had much better training and read more imaging tests than we do. However, carefully correlating imaging tests with clinical findings is also an important skill. Yes, we may be non-MD licensed acupuncturists, but we routinely demonstrate that we are THE acupuncturists who are also able analyze X-ray images. This case reminds me of my trip to Denver as the keynote for the 2010 symposium of Colorado Acupuncture Association. I was reading a magazine on the plane and totally impressed by a marketing slogan: Don't just follow the experts. Be ONE! Edited by Tom Rigoli, Ph. D.
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 I was driving to my Sunnyvale clinic on Tuesday morning to see a few patients and have lunch with one of them, a VIP patient, who recently gave me a very good book, Into The Magic Shop, written by James R. Doty, a neurosurgeon and professor from Stanford University. I'd like to thank her for introducing me a great book with great stories, all from a great doctor.
While I was parking, I received a message from David, one of my patients in Santa Cruz, who wanted to see me if I happened to be in the Santa Cruz clinic that day. I was there on Tuesday and wished he'd called me on then. Conflicted about driving two hours along the winding Highway 17 for a single patient, I typed, "Sorry I was there on Tuesday and I should have checked in with you then. I'm booked today..." Just before sending the message, I reminded myself, "Wait a minute! Didn't David already say that he'd be super busy from February to end of April when he drove to my Sunnyvale clinic with his wife to see me right after New Year?" He had been driving to Sunnyvale during the whole winter with his wife, never late despite heavy rain. This was the time he needed me, and I am his service provider. Looking at my unsent text, I was a bit embarrassed as I deleted it. I told him I could make it. As I drove in to the parking lot I saw David just turned around to watch me get out of my car. He shook my hand and said, "I hope you did not come just for me." I smiled at him and responded, "Don't you think you deserve my trip to Santa Cruz?" After what we called a great "nap-puncture", he told me he felt guilty taking up so much of my time. In a heartbeat, I reassured him, "That's why I drove here to see you so that you can continue to provide the best accounting service for many more who need." I added, "By the way, I just got a massage myself before coming." The care providers also need care... Frank He, L. Ac., QME Edited by Jonathan He  "I have no special talent. I am only passionately curious." ~Albert Einstein
From time to time I heard patients say I am a talented doctor. But I'd rather say I am always a very curious and hard-working person. I had no idea if acupuncture could be helpful to this patient's condition. But I was curious enough to give it a chance because there was nothing to lose in a case like this. Now my patient and I are so happy that we did it:) "Dr. Frank is a miracle worker who makes hospital calls! I went to ER and received emergency surgery for a severe urological condition. The procedure provided temporary relief but didn't alleviate the underlying problem. A second, more invasive surgery was scheduled for two days hence. The surgeons were exceptional and refreshingly honest in admitting they really didn't know what caused my condition or whether the planned operation - with potentially life-changing, if not life-threatening, consequences - would be completely effective. As I laid in my hospital bed awaiting, with great trepidation, the coming procedure a family member suggested I give acupuncture a try and provided Dr. Frank's phone number, which he'd gotten from a friend-of-a-friend. At 6:30pm I made the call, expecting to get an answering machine. I was pleased when a real person answered and shocked when she forwarded a call from a complete stranger to Dr. Frank. Hearing of my predicament, Dr. Frank offered to come to the hospital and arrived about an hour later. He provided an extensive treatment lasting nearly 60 minutes. To my great surprise (this was my first acupuncture) I didn't feel any discomfort when the needles were applied. Dr. Frank's skill and demeanor instilled much confidence and I very much liked his thoughtful questions and consideration of my situation. I slept very well that night. Early the next morning the nurses arrived to prep me for surgery and noticed a significant improvement. They summoned the surgeons who were amazed at my condition - a 30% decrease in the severity. When I shared the acupuncture treatment and plans to continue seeing Dr. Frank, they decided to postpone the surgery, release me from the hospital and monitor results. It's been a couple of weeks and I've had 5 sessions with Dr. Frank. The progress has been remarkable! During a follow-up exam last week, the surgeons observed I've regained about 80% functionality and am out of danger. They want to know more about Dr. Frank's treatments. Dr. Frank saved the life I knew and enjoyed. Without his ministrations, I would have seen permanent changes to my health and lifestyle and been miserable. In retrospect, while I appreciate the traditional, urgent care I received, I can't help but wonder how things would have gone if my first call had been to Dr. Frank rather than heading to the hospital. The time from my arrival at ER to Dr. Frank's treatment marked the worst 48 hours of my life, filled with excruciating pain and soul-jarring anxiety. For me, it begs the question of why acupuncture isn't part of the mainstream medical repertoire." |
AuthorsAcupuncture Specialists at Integrative Medicine Center Archives
April 2023
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