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Tall and tan and young and lovely,
the girl from Ipanema goes walking,
and when she passes,
each one she passes goes, “Ahh!”
(Jobim & de Moraes, 1962)
Beach bumming is for the young and lovely, not for the old and wobbly! Needle sessions are for the rich and carefree, not for ordinary folk!
Well, old and wobbly me spent May and June bumming on the beach, not in a bikini, ha-ha-ha!, but in a borrowed pair of shorts. And I took part in needle sessions after loafing around the beach.
What brought on this crazy episode in my life?
My brother Juanito, or Toto, is the most dependable among my three brothers. He’s meticulous and honest with money. He’s quick with errands. His family home is always open for unannounced visits, overnight stays, or shared meals cooked with love and served with plenty of laughter.
He’s the thoughtful one who remembers birthdays and Christmases with actual gifts, not just Facebook or mobile phone messages. He’s the caring one who visits sick family members, goes to wakes, and attends funerals.
Because he’s been always there for me, I’ve harbored the illusion that he’s invincible. So when I heard the news that he had a mild stroke last May, I was shocked. I took the first morning bus from Manila to Balayan, Batangas where he was being confined in a hospital.
When I pushed the hospital room open, I saw that my brother was on oxygen and he had an IV drip inserted into his left hand. Inserted into the IV drip was a brain medication, a nurse explained.
He put up a cheerful and brave front when he saw me, but his wife told me in private how nerve-wracking the last 24 hours had been.
What caused the stroke? What were his symptoms? He’s a non-smoker and a non-drinker.
My brother’s symptoms the week before his stroke were headache and back pains which he dismissed as effects of the searing summer heat. When the results of the lab tests came in, we realized that his stroke was caused by high blood pressure, high cholesterol, and high blood sugar level – a lethal combination.
Determined to fully recover, my brother has been cooperating with therapists and family members. That’s how we came up with the therapy package: Beach Bumming, Needle Sessions, and More.
A typical therapy day starts with a doctor-prescribed pill before breakfast. Then another pill after breakfast, and so on throughout the day. That’s the medical route. Pretty easy, boring, and expensive. The alternative paths and by-ways are more interesting.
Breakfast is boosted with cucumber juice which is an alternative therapy against diabetes. We throw the dirty dishes into the sink, then we walk or take a tricycle ride to the beach about a kilometer away.
We go barefoot and start our healing walk where the waves break along the shore. Mostly gentle, the sound of the waves breaking on the shore is soothing.
Then we walk on dry sand to improve balance and stimulate the sense of touch. Also, the solar heat in the sand regulates the body temperature and improves circulation. The early morning sun and the extra effort needed to walk on dry sand guarantee profuse sweating – a very good way to melt cholesterol and expel toxins from the body.
Next, we do some Tai Chi exercises, some basic Reiki hand positions, and some physical therapy routines on the sand.
Lastly, my brother takes a sand bath. He buries himself in the hot sand for about 20 minutes. Sand bathing is a medical treatment based on Traditional Chinese Medicine.
At 7:45 a.m., we start walking back to the roadside tricycle terminal. We get back home at a little past eight. We spend about an hour and a half on the beach and pay next to nothing. If we were staying in a seaside spa, we’d pay $150 per hour!
My brother’s meals consist of brown rice, fish, and vegetable. This is the unappetizing part of his therapy but he does not complain. He drinks malunggay tea and snacks on one slice of wheat bread.
We go for the needle sessions after lunch. Those are acupuncture treatments administered by Dr. Isagani I. Bolompo, Mayor of Lian, Batangas. Dr. Bolompo is a medical doctor who’s been complementing his medical practice with acupuncture since 1979.
At 3:00 p.m., assistants usher us into the mayor’s air-conditioned office. If one is a first-timer, Dr. Bolompo asks for the patient’s medical history or complaint. He tells my brother that it’s wise of him to seek acupuncture treatments soon after his stroke.
Sometimes, there are as many as 13-15 patients during one session. Effortlessly, the good mayor sticks in needles into the patients’ acupuncture points. After sticking in the needles, the mayor carries on with other office matters. He doesn’t mind that we eavesdrop on him and his guests.
After one hour, an assistant removes the needles and throws them into a garbage pail. The patients file out of Dr. Bolompo’s office with grateful thank you’s because the treatments are completely free!
On alternate days, my brother’s therapy package includes sessions with a reflexologist and a physical therapist.
Has it been effective? Five weeks after his stroke, my brother paid his neurologist a follow-up visit. Both patient and doctor were quite happy. My brother’s blood sugar level, which was double the upper limit, has gone down to normal.
His blood pressure is steady, he can speak clearly, and he can move about on his own with ease. His doctor reduced his medicines from 6 to 4 kinds and told him that he could eat anything in moderation. He’s about 85% healed.
I am back in Manila buoyed up by the magnificence of the images of the serene sea — its gentle waves breaking softly on the shore and creating a sweet lullaby — the endless horizon, the blue sky, and the white cotton candy clouds. God is good!