Dr. Na Zhai Clinic Acupuncture & Chinese Medicine

I was proud to become a doctor after five years of medical school—especially in the small town where I grew up. But reality soon set in, and I found myself struggling constantly. The promise of healing that modern medicine seemed to offer felt increasingly hollow.

A childhood friend came to me complaining of a headache that had plagued her for months. I ran every test I could think of, but all results came back normal. I tried various medications, but they only offered temporary relief. Eventually, I had to look her in the eye and say, "I'm sorry." This wasn't an isolated incident—it happened almost daily during my three years of practice at a large local hospital. I felt deeply hurt, confused, and utterly lost.

Meanwhile, some of my classmates working in the emergency department were filled with pride and heroic spirit. They were saving lives from strokes, heart attacks, car accidents, and more. Suddenly, it dawned on me: modern medicine excels in the ER, but it falls short when it comes to chronic conditions like my friend's persistent headache. Why? Because acute and chronic illnesses have fundamentally different pathological backgrounds. The mistake lies in applying the same protocols to entirely different conditions.

Then one day, my headache-stricken friend returned—radiant and joyful. The painful, bleak, and weary expression she once wore had vanished completely.

"Hi Doc," she said with a smile. "I'm pain-free now. No more drugs. I knew you were worried about me."

Surprised? Ashamed? Seeing a new direction? I couldn't quite name what I felt.

"What happened? Who helped you?" I asked eagerly.

"My mother took me to a Chinese doctor who diagnosed me with a digestive disorder," she explained. "He was right—I often had stomach pain, no appetite, and diarrhea. But the headache was what bothered me the most."

I wanted to ask why she hadn't told me about her stomach issues, but I stopped myself. After all, I was the doctor—I should have assessed her whole body, not just focused on her headache. Shame washed over me.

I decided to visit the Chinese doctor who had healed my friend. Through him, I truly experienced what it meant to be a doctor—even on the battlefield of chronic disease.

I knew then that I wanted to become a doctor like him. But still, the acupuncture needles placed on various parts of the body looked and felt almost absurd. Did they really work? How? And why?

I quit my job and embarked on a new journey—to find out whether acupuncture is genuinely effective or merely some kind of psychological effect.