On one of my last nights in Portland, I decided to hit up one of my favorite brew-pubs;
Coalition Brewing.
While outside the building, indulging in another bad habit, the other guy out there sneezed and it made a notably lound and weird sound. He apologized for the volume and explained that it was because he had been playing basketball, was elbowed in the throat, and basically had his throat crushed. I was convinced he was telling the truth when he grabbed his adam's
apple and moved it side-to-side, over the entire width of his throat.
He told me that after he was elbowed in the throat, he couldn't speak and had difficulty breathing. While in recovery at the hospital, he had to weigh an absence of health insurance against treatment options, and contacted a friend who had recovered from cancer with the aid of various traditional and alternative treatments.
The story went on, and included microscopic detail, but ultimately what made it interesting was this:
This guy was absolutely certain that using his fingers to apply pressure to various points on his own body allowed him to heal himself. He only went back to the doctor once, and the doctor didn't believe him that he had done it on his own. The practice is known as
acupressure.
