Sunday, March 26, 2006

Fire or Needles?

We all develop many fears over the course of our lives. For me, I take issue with needles and having other things under my skin. Splinters really irritate me. I hate it when I get a piece of glass in my foot. I can't convince myself to give blood. The fear that I have of needles is related to this hypodermaphobia.

Until recently, I thought that my fear of fire was just as strong as my fear of needles. However, it seems that I was incorrect. One of the things that my midwife suggested to help bring on a healthy labor is moxibustion. What in the world is moxibustion? There are these little incense cylinders in little cardboard tubes. You stick them to your skin on specific pressure points. Then you light them! The incense burns down and heats the space inside the cardboard tube, putting heat on the pressure point. This stimulates blood flow. Here is what it looks like:


Yes, those are my hands with burning incense on them. It turns out that my fear of fire, at least of smoldering fire, is not as strong as my fear of needles.

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