I closed my eyes, trying to forget about the dozens of tiny needles firmly inserted across my arm and fingers. I dared not to move, because even a small change of posture could trigger a sharp pain, as if the long needle heads were ripping through my muscles.
我閉上眼睛，盡力不去想幾十根纖細(xì)的針穩(wěn)穩(wěn)地插在我的手臂和手指上的可怕場(chǎng)面。我不敢動(dòng)，因?yàn)樯陨詣?dòng)一下，就會(huì)引發(fā)劇烈的疼痛，好像這些長長的針頭正在我的肌肉里橫沖直撞。

This is how I sat, for two hours every day over the past month, in an acupuncture clinic in Sichuan. In that shabby and cramped room, I spent many long hours counting the clock, waiting for the moment for the doctor to release my needles.
在過去的一個(gè)月里，我每天都這樣在四川的一家針灸診所里坐上兩個(gè)小時(shí)。在那破舊而擁擠的房間里，我掐著表度過漫漫時(shí)光，等著醫(yī)生給我拔掉針的那個(gè)時(shí)刻。

Growing up, I’ve always dismissed acupuncture as an old-fashioned pseudoscience. Its long treatment hours, painful process, combined with a relatively slow recovery speed means it’s not at all appealing, especially when the same illness could often be cured by simply taking a pill.
從小到大，我一直認(rèn)為針灸是一種過時(shí)的偽科學(xué)。它治療時(shí)間漫長，過程痛苦，療效較慢，尤其是針對(duì)僅靠一片藥丸就能痊愈的疾病，它根本沒有吸引力。

But the drama of my recent strange illness and recovery changed my mind completely.
但最近我患上怪病又康復(fù)的神奇經(jīng)歷讓我徹底改變了想法。

Last month, when I slept through a long-haul flight from London to Beijing, I was shocked upon waking up to discover that I could no longer move my right arm and fingers. There was no pain, no bruise, no scar. Instead, my arm just simply did not follow my brain’s instructions to move, as if it no longer belonged to my body.
上個(gè)月，我在從倫敦到北京的長途航班上睡覺，醒來時(shí)我驚呆了，我發(fā)現(xiàn)自己的右臂和手指動(dòng)不了了。我一點(diǎn)也不疼，手上也沒有淤青和傷疤。但手臂就是不能按照大腦的指示活動(dòng)，好像它不再是我身體的一部分一樣。

The doctors at the Sino Japanese Friendship Hospital diagnosed me with neural injury. Aside from prescribing me with some pills and recommending that I see a physiotherapist, he admitted that there was nothing more he could do. “Rest for two months first and come back for further checkup,” he told me.
中日友好醫(yī)院的醫(yī)生診斷我為神經(jīng)損傷。除了給我開一些藥片、推薦我去看理療師之外，他承認(rèn)他已經(jīng)無能為力了?！跋刃菹蓚€(gè)月，然后回來再做進(jìn)一步的檢查，”他這樣告訴我。

I was horrified.
我嚇壞了。

In that moment of despair, a long-time family friend, who is an acupuncturist in Sichuan, offered to help.
在絕望的時(shí)刻，一位在四川做針灸師的老朋友主動(dòng)幫助了我。

I started my acupuncture treatment the next day. If I was sceptical at first, my worries were soon appeased by the results. After a few days, I could move my fingers. Two weeks later, I could eat a meal with chopsticks. Within a month, my arm and fingers were almost back to their normal functions.
第二天我就開始針灸治療。如果說一開始我還滿心懷疑的話，很快我的擔(dān)心就被療效所安撫了。幾天后，我的手指就能動(dòng)了。兩個(gè)星期后，我就能吃用筷子吃飯了。不到一個(gè)月，我的手臂和手指幾乎恢復(fù)正常。

In that clinic, I made friends with many other patients and heard their stories. One 11-year-old boy, who was born with severe autism, started daily acupuncture treatment at the age of three, and now he thinks and communicates quite normally. One lady, who suddenly became deaf in one ear two months ago, has just recovered her hearing abilities.
在那個(gè)診所里，我還結(jié)識(shí)了許多病人，聽了他們的故事。一名11歲的男孩生下來就患有嚴(yán)重的自閉癥，在3歲時(shí)便開始每天接受針灸治療，現(xiàn)在他基本能正常思考和交流。還有一位女士最近剛恢復(fù)聽力，兩個(gè)月前，她的一只耳朵突然聾了。

An old man, who strides across the room of the clinic every day to develop his walking abilities, was previously almost disabled in one leg. Other patients were getting treatment for their jaw infection, cold, fever, knee injury, eczema, among other illnesses.
一位老人每天都在診所里散步，恢復(fù)自己的行走能力，而他以前一條腿幾乎都癱瘓了。有的病人在治療下頜感染，還有的在治感冒、發(fā)燒、膝蓋受傷、濕疹等疾病。

I could not help but marvel at how these tiny needles are capable of curing so many different illnesses, many of which even big hospitals with expensive medical devices struggle with. Is it magic? Or simply luck? My curiosity led me on a journey of investigation.
我不禁感嘆，這些細(xì)小的針是如何能夠治愈這么多不同的疾病，這些疾病里有許多甚至連擁有昂貴醫(yī)療設(shè)備的大醫(yī)院也難以應(yīng)付。這是魔法嗎？或只是運(yùn)氣？我的好奇心促使我開始研究起針灸來。

Acupuncture originated in China more than 2,000 years ago. Essentially, it functions by improving the smooth flow of life force energy, known in Chinese as “qi”, from the body’s primary organs to body tissues of the skin, muscles, tendons, bones, and joints.
針灸起源于2000多年前的中國。從本質(zhì)上講，它的作用原理是促進(jìn)生命能量從身體的主要器官到皮膚、肌肉、肌腱、骨骼和關(guān)節(jié)等身體組織的順暢流動(dòng)，這些生命能量被中國人稱之為“氣”。

The channels through which “qi” flows from the organs to tissues are called meridians, and it is along the meridians where most acupuncture needle points are located. In other words, the needles work by repairing damages to the infrastructure of our bodies, to ensure that the life force energy of “qi” can flow smoothly.
“氣”從器官流動(dòng)到組織的通道稱為經(jīng)絡(luò)，針灸的位置主要就是沿著這些經(jīng)絡(luò)。換句話說，針的作用就是修復(fù)我們身體根基的損傷，確?！皻狻边@種生命能量能夠順暢地流動(dòng)。

Although acupuncture by itself is insufficient to cure all illnesses, at least it creates a good starting point to build a healthy body.
雖然針灸本身不足以治愈所有疾病，但至少它為塑造健康體魄打下了一個(gè)良好基礎(chǔ)。

In more recent times, acupuncture spread internationally. In the UK, more than 3,000 acupuncturists certified by the British Acupuncture Council are currently practicing. London Southbank University now offers a three-year undergraduate degree in acupuncture, and even the NHS (National Health Service) sometimes prescribe acupuncture treatment.
近期，針灸在國際上廣泛傳播。在英國，就有3000多名經(jīng)英國針灸理事會(huì)認(rèn)證的針灸師執(zhí)業(yè)。倫敦南岸大學(xué)目前還提供了針灸三年制本科學(xué)位，甚至連英國國民醫(yī)療服務(wù)體系（NHS）有時(shí)也會(huì)采用針灸療法。

Growing global acceptance has proved the strength of acupuncture, and I hope this wisdom of the Chinese tradition will continue to thrive, to bring health and happiness to friends here and afar.
越來越高的全球接受度證明了針灸的力量，而我希望這項(xiàng)中國傳統(tǒng)的智慧能繼續(xù)茁壯成長，把健康和幸福帶給身邊和遠(yuǎn)方的朋友。

英文來源：“CHINA DAILY”微信公眾號(hào)
翻譯：胡佳李（實(shí)習(xí)）
編審：董靜 丹妮
音頻編輯：焦?jié)?br>更多內(nèi)容請(qǐng)關(guān)注“CHINA DAILY”微信公眾號(hào)：

About the author & broadcaster

Cecily Liu is a London correspondent for China Daily, covering mainly financial news. She was born in Chengdu, grew up in New Zealand, and graduated from University College London with a BA in English Literature.

Contact the writer at Cecily.liu@mail.chinadailyuk.com