My Journey with Traditional Chinese Medicine-Baowen Gao

Many people ask me why I chose the path of Traditional Chinese Medicine.

Looking back, I often feel that it was not a carefully planned decision. Rather, it was a journey that life gradually led me toward.

More than twenty years ago, my father passed away from liver cancer. In the final stage of his illness, he said something to my siblings and me that I will never forget:

“Children, please try to find a way.”

But at that moment, we could do nothing.

Watching someone you love suffer while feeling completely powerless leaves a deep mark on the heart. That feeling stayed with me for many years.

During my father's battle with cancer, I accompanied him to Panyu, where we studied Qigong under a master. For several months, we practiced day and night every day with many other patients who were also seeking healing. 

I also learned some simple Qigong techniques that could help others recover from illness. My only hope was that cultivating energy through practice might help my father regain strength and ease some of his suffering.

At one point, we even fasted together for four days, hoping that somewhere within these efforts we might find a small chance for recovery.

Although we ultimately could not save him, that experience planted a quiet seed in my heart:

If one day I could truly learn how to help people heal, how meaningful that would be.

Years later, I witnessed the power of Traditional Chinese Medicine again.

About twenty years ago, my mother developed a severe lumbar disc herniation and could barely walk. Western doctors recommended surgery, but my mother did not want to undergo an operation. So I traveled with her to Shenzhen to seek treatment from a well-known acupuncturist. We stayed at a small hotel near the clinic and visited it every day for a full month of treatment.

After that month of acupuncture therapy, my mother was able to walk normally again.

It was the first time I personally witnessed the remarkable effect of acupuncture. The experience left a lasting impression on me.

In the years that followed, whenever relatives or friends experienced back pain or other health problems, I often accompanied them to acupuncture treatments. Gradually, I began to notice that acupuncture point selection was not random. There was a clear system, logic, and wisdom behind it.

For the first time, a thought quietly formed in my mind:

If I could learn this skill myself, perhaps I could take better care of my family.

Later, an unexpected life event brought me even closer to Chinese medicine.

In 2012, I discovered that my pregnancy had stopped developing at nine weeks, and I had to go through a miscarriage. Afterward, my body became extremely weak. During that time, I began reading books about Traditional Chinese Medicine and started learning how to restore my health through natural methods.

A few years later, when I prepared to become pregnant again, I was already considered a high-risk pregnancy due to my age. To strengthen my body, I practiced moxibustion regularly for three months, five days each week.

Later, I gave birth to a very healthy baby boy.

That experience helped me realize deeply that Traditional Chinese Medicine is not only about treating illness — it is also about nurturing life and restoring balance.

However, the event that truly changed the direction of my life happened in 2016.

My sister developed a severe lumbar disc herniation. After several steroid injections failed, the pain became unbearable. She was taken to the emergency room, where even morphine could not control the pain. The doctors said there was little else they could do except surgery, or she could go home and rest.

That night, I brought her back to my home from the hospital. Even the simple act of getting into the car took more than twenty minutes. When we arrived home, the few steps from the door to the bed felt incredibly long for her. She could not squat to use the bathroom, could not sit down, and could not lie down properly. Every movement caused unbearable pain, and she could barely breathe.

I cooked eggs to give her some strength, but she could not move at all, so I had to feed her slowly, one small bite at a time.

At that moment, I said to her,

“Since there seemed to be no other options left, how about letting me use acupuncture and moxibustion to give it a try?”

At that time, I had only been studying Chinese medicine on my own and did not yet have a license. But she was willing to trust me.

I lit a moxa stick and began moxibustion treatment for her. Gradually, I noticed her breathing becoming calm and steady — she had actually fallen asleep.

Early the next morning, I gave her acupuncture and continued the moxibustion treatment.

That evening, she was already able to sit at the dining table and have dinner with us, although still a little weak.

We continued the treatment for two weeks, and she gradually recovered. After two weeks, her husband came to take her home. Not long after that, she was able to return to work.

Her coworkers were surprised and curious about what had helped her recover. When they heard that she had received Traditional Chinese Medicine treatment, some of them also wanted to come to me for help.

That experience planted an even stronger seed in my heart.

I realized that if I could study Traditional Chinese Medicine systematically, perhaps I could help many more people who felt as helpless as she once did.

So I made a decision that would change my life: I decided to formally study Traditional Chinese Medicine.

Returning to school was not easy. The program required completing 65 courses and earning more than 190 academic credits, along with over 1,000 hours of clinical internship and treating more than 350 patients.

During that internship period, my family faced another major challenge.

My husband was diagnosed with nasopharyngeal cancer, between stage III and stage IV.

At that time, I had to pause my internship and return home to support my family. During his chemotherapy treatments, I performed moxibustion for him every morning, hoping to strengthen his body's vital energy and help him endure the treatment.

I will never forget the first day he returned home after chemotherapy.

He had underestimated how strong the treatment would be. The hospital was close to our home, so he thought he could simply go back on his own.

When I arrived home later, I found him curled up tightly on the bed. His socks and belt were still on, as if he had collapsed onto the bed the moment he arrived. The blanket covered his head, and one arm hung weakly by his side. It looked completely different from the way he normally slept.

At that moment, I had to leave again to take my child to a guitar lesson. While waiting there, I kept worrying: when I returned home and lifted the blanket, would he still be breathing?

All I could think about was that the moment I got home, I would begin moxibustion.

When I arrived home, I lit moxa and applied warm moxibustion devices on several acupuncture points.

About an hour later, he suddenly called out,

“Honey, it's too hot!”

Hearing that actually made me feel relieved. His body was responding again.

Soon after, he said he needed to go to the restroom, and then he told me he was hungry. He ended up eating a full meal that evening. Seeing his appetite return finally put my mind at ease.

From that day on, I arranged for someone to help take the children to school. Every morning around six o'clock, while he was still resting, I performed moxibustion treatment for about an hour. I continued this routine throughout his entire chemotherapy period.

Fortunately, he eventually made it through the most difficult stage of treatment. Remarkably, he did not even lose his hair during the months of chemotherapy.

Later, his oncologist told us:

“Among all my patients, your husband has had one of the best recoveries.”

Eventually, I returned to school to complete my internship. In 2025, I graduated with a Master's degree in Traditional Chinese Medicine. After months of intense preparation, I successfully passed the California licensing examination and became a licensed acupuncturist.

When I first decided to study Chinese medicine, my goal was very simple.

I only wanted to learn enough to take better care of my family. Because cancer runs in my family, I hoped that one day I could help reduce the suffering of my loved ones, especially my aging mother.

At that time, I never imagined that I would open my own clinic.

But as the years of study and clinical training accumulated, I began receiving encouraging feedback from patients at my school's clinic. Gradually, I could see the hope in their eyes when they spoke about their health, and I began to understand how meaningful compassionate care was to them.

I remember one elderly patient who had lung cancer. Every time he came to the clinic, he preferred to receive treatment from me. When he heard that my husband had become ill and that I needed to pause my internship to take care of him, he seemed reluctant to say goodbye and asked if we could take a photo together.

He said to me, “When you come back after taking care of your husband, I don't know if I will still be here.”

At that moment, I felt something deeply. I realized that to some of my patients, my care had already become something meaningful in their lives.

Gradually, I realized that more and more people around me were seeking help.

Perhaps this is the destiny that brought me together with Traditional Chinese Medicine.

And so, Beauty & Slim Acupuncture was born.

To me, Traditional Chinese Medicine is not only a medical system — it is a wisdom that helps protect life and restore balance.

If the services at my clinic can help more people rediscover health and hope, then perhaps the words my father spoke so many years ago —

“Children, please try to find a way.”

— have finally found their answer through my life.

 

我和中医的缘分

高宝雯

很多人问我,为什么会走上中医这条路。

回头看,我常常觉得,这并不是一个精心计划的人生选择,而更像是一段被命运一步一步牵引的旅程。

二十多年前,我的父亲因为肝癌离世。在生命的最后阶段,他曾对我们兄弟姐妹说过一句让我终生难忘的话:

“孩子们,快想想办法。”

那一刻,我们却什么也做不了。面对至亲的痛苦,却无能为力,这种感觉深深地留在我的心里。

在父亲抗癌的过程中,我曾陪他一起到番禺拜师学习气功。那几个月里,我们几乎每天都和许多病友聚在一起,从早到晚专心练功。我也跟着学了一些用气功调理身体、帮助治病的小方法,希望通过练气帮助父亲恢复身体,减轻一些痛苦。

我们甚至一起辟谷四天,只是希望能够找到一线生机。

虽然最终没有留住父亲,但那段经历在我心里埋下了一颗种子:

如果有一天,我能够学会真正帮助人的方法,该多好。

后来,我再次见证了中医的力量。

二十年前,我的母亲因为严重的腰椎间盘突出,几乎无法行走。西医建议她必须做手术,但母亲不愿意。于是我陪她到深圳寻找一位针灸名医。

我们在诊所附近的一家宾馆住下,一个月的时间里,每天都去针灸治疗。

一个月后,母亲恢复了正常行走。

那是我第一次亲眼见证针灸的疗效,那种震撼让我久久难以忘记。

此后的很多年里,只要亲戚朋友有腰痛或身体不适,我常常陪他们去针灸治疗。慢慢地,我开始发现,针灸配穴并不是随意的,而是有规律、有逻辑、有体系的。

那时,我第一次萌生了一个想法:

如果我自己学会了这门技术,或许就能更好地照顾家人。

后来的一次人生挫折,让我真正走近中医。

2012年,我怀孕九周时发现胎停,不得不经历一次小产。小产之后,我的身体变得非常虚弱。那时,我开始阅读中医书籍,学习如何用中医的方法调理身体。

几年后,当我准备再次怀孕时,我已经属于高龄产妇。为了让身体更健康,我坚持艾灸三个月,每周一到周五艾灸,周末休息。

后来,我顺利生下了一个非常健康的儿子。

那一次经历让我深刻体会到,中医不仅可以治疗疾病,更可以调养生命。

然而,真正改变我人生方向的一件事情发生在2016年。

一位姐姐因为严重的腰椎间盘突出,多次打封闭针仍然无效,疼痛到几乎无法行动。她最终被送进急诊室,即使使用吗啡也无法止痛。

医生告诉她,已经没有更好的办法,要么手术,要么回家休息。

那天晚上,是我陪她离开医院。

她连上车这样简单的动作,都用了二十多分钟。回到家后,短短几步路对她来说都异常漫长。她既无法蹲下上厕所,也无法坐下或躺在床上,每一个动作都让她痛苦不堪。

我只能给她煮了鸡蛋补充一些能量。她躺在床上一点都不能动,我只能一小口一小口地喂她吃。

那一刻,我对她说:

“既然现在已经没有任何办法,那就活马当死马医,让我用中医的方法试试吧。”

虽然那时我只是自学中医,还没有执照,但她愿意相信我。

我点燃艾柱,为她进行艾灸治疗。慢慢地,我听到她的呼吸变得均匀,她竟然睡着了。

第二天一早,我为她针灸,然后继续为她艾灸。

到了当天晚上,她已经可以勉强坐在餐桌旁,和我们一起吃饭了。

就这样坚持治疗了两个星期,她的身体逐渐恢复。两周后,她的丈夫来接她回家。不久之后,她便重新回到了工作岗位。

她的同事都很惊讶,想知道是什么方法帮助了她。听说是中医治疗后,也有人开始想来找我调理身体。

那一次经历,在我心里种下了一颗更加坚定的种子。

我意识到,如果我能够真正系统地学习中医,也许就能帮助更多像她一样曾经无助的人。

于是,我做了一个并不轻松的决定:

重新回到学校,系统学习中医。

读书的过程并不容易。整个学习过程一共需要完成 65门课程、190多个学分,同时还必须完成 1000小时以上的临床实践,以及 350位以上病人的临床治疗记录

就在实习期间,我们家又迎来了一个巨大的考验。

我的丈夫被诊断为鼻咽癌,介于三期与四期之间。

那段时间,我不得不中断实习,回家支撑整个家庭。在他接受化疗的日子里,我每天清晨都会为他艾灸,希望帮助他的身体补充阳气,增强与疾病对抗的能力。

我永远不会忘记他第一次化疗回家的那一天。

他低估了化疗的反应,觉得医院离家很近,自己回家就可以。等我回到家时,看到他整个人蜷缩在床上,袜子和裤带都还没有来得及脱,被子盖着头,一只手软软地垂在床边。

那样的姿势,和他平时睡觉大字躺开的样子完全不同。

那一刻,我需要先送孩子去上吉他课。坐在那里等孩子时,我心里一直在担心:

等我回家掀开被子的时候,他会不会已经没有呼吸了。

回到家后,我点燃艾柱,用温灸罐在不同穴位上帮他做艾灸。

大约一个小时后,他突然大声说:

“宝,太烫了!”

听到这句话,我反而松了一口气。

他的身体开始有反应了。

不久之后,他说要去洗手间,然后又喊肚子饿,吃下了一顿大餐。看到他的胃口恢复,我才终于放下心来。

从那天开始,我每天清晨六点多都会为他艾灸一个小时,一直坚持到化疗结束。

幸运的是,他最终挺过了那段最艰难的治疗阶段。

甚至在几个月的化疗过程中,他没有掉头发。

他的肿瘤科医生后来告诉我们:

“在我所有的病人中,你丈夫恢复得是最好的之一。”

后来,我重新回到学校完成实习,并在 2025年获得中医硕士学位。经过几个月几乎不眠不休的准备,我终于在同年通过考试,获得了 加州针灸师执照

当初决定读书的时候,我的想法其实很简单。

只是希望多学一点,能够照顾家人。

因为我们家有癌症的家族史,我也希望将来能够为年迈的母亲减轻一些病痛。

那时候,我从未想过自己会开一家诊所。

但随着几年学习和临床经验的积累,在学校诊所中,我不断收到病人的反馈与肯定。渐渐地,从病人的眼中,我看到了他们对健康的期盼,也慢慢体会到,这样的照顾对他们来说是多么重要。

我记得有一位患肺癌的老伯伯,每次来诊所都喜欢找我治疗。当时听说我先生生病,需要中断实习回家照顾,他显得非常不舍,还特地请我和他合影。

他对我说:

“等你照顾好先生再回来实习的时候,不知道我还在不在。”

听到这句话,我心里忽然一震。

那一刻我才真正意识到,原来我对一些病人来说,已经变得这么重要。

慢慢地,我发现身边需要帮助的人越来越多。

也许,这正是我与中医的缘分。

于是,Beauty & Slim Acupuncture 诊所诞生了。

对我来说,中医不仅是一门医学,更是一种守护生命、恢复平衡的智慧。

如果我的诊所能够帮助更多人重新找到健康与希望,那么,当年父亲说的那句话——

“孩子们,快想想办法。”

或许,我终于找到了属于自己的答案。

Book an Appointment