Medical checkups

It seems that mom has discovered, albeit late, the beauty of health care in a former Communist country. First, she never stopped taking advantage of the great alternative medicine doctor she had found back in January (compliments to Liz). When her cold got better she started digging up for all those old problems that had been bothering her and bringing them up to the doc. This has resulted in a lot of "ventuzi", a.k.a. "cupping".

If you have absolutely no idea what "cupping" is, check this out. I know it looks painful, but it's not really. The only real annoyance is to carefully choose one's clothing - tank tops are not a good idea, unless you want to show off your beautiful cupping bruises. However, mom's doctor also performs a different kind of cupping. This involves plastic cups that create a vacuum with the help of a little balloon, while a nail-shaped metal object in the middle presses onto the skin. Mom thinks this is closer to acupuncture or acupressure than actual cupping.



Weird, yet it seems to work. And, even if it weren't working, it is unlikely that it will do any harm, so what's there to lose? Another alternative medicine technique is moxibustion, which mom also had when she had a cold. It does wonders for blocked nose and ears, and mom is very fond of it. She even tried to a guest of hers who had a cold and who, at first, was very weary of the whole procedure ("you're going to do WHAT with THAT?") but then relaxed and enjoyed the calming and unblocking effects of moxa.

On the traditional medicine front, mom got a mammogram today for 30 leva (yes, that's about $20), including an ultrasound and doctor's exam. It was not only an inexpensive, but also very pleasant experience since both the radiology technician and the doctor were extremely nice. It goes without saying that mom is now trying to figure out what other diagnostic tests she could have before leaving the country in less than a month. Any ideas or suggestions are welcome!