Off to China on Monday 4 September 2023 for our first post-Covid seminar!

I have been told that 500 (or to be more accurate, 482!) Chinese acupuncturists are waiting to greet us on the first day of our five element seminar in Beijing on Wednesday 6 September.  I gather that they have had to move the seminar to a larger hotel because of the number of participants.  As usual, I will be accompanied from London by my good friend and colleague, Guy Caplan, and we will be joined by Mei Long, who is the third member of our teacher group, once we are there.

For this seminar, we will be helping diagnose the elements of as many undiagnosed attendees as possible.  I have been told that probably some 350 of them may be either new to our courses or have not formed part of any of our diagnostic procedures at earlier seminars.  As I have blogged before, we have worked out what I consider to be as effective a way as possible of diagnosing as many people in the time available.  And we always emphasize that the diagnoses are provisional, and require confirmation from the effects of treatment.  That is something everybody accepts and feels quite happy with.

 

I will also be carrying out a full TD (traditional diagnosis) in front of the seminar group on one volunteer patient.  Previously we have interacted with patients at a necessarily much more superficial level, because we thought it was more important to help them with their diagnosis of the elements rather than with the techniques needed to carry out a good TD. So I am giving myself as much time as I need to get to know this patient, bearing in mind that all my questions and all the patient's answers will have to be translated into Mandarin, which will inevitably slow the TD down.  Guy and Mei will be focusing on helping participants with their sensory and practical skills, as well as joining me in seeing and treating further class patients  

 

It has been more than 3 years since we have all seen each other, so this will be a lovely reunion with the many good friends we have made over there.  I look forward to reporting back on what I have learnt from my time in Beijing at the end of what I calculate will be my 17th visit to China.