- WINSTON SILL/FREELANCE PHOTOGRAPHER
Tracey-Ann Brown (right) chats with Glen and Marva Christian at the launch of her practice in Oriental medicine at the Terra Noval Hotel in St. Andrew last Wednesday.
Daviot Kelly, Staff Reporter
IF ALL the tablets are not working, then maybe you need something from the east.
And we mean all the way east - the Orient in fact.
Tracey-Ann Brown, Jamaican to the bone, chose to study Oriental medicine in California and New York after leaving the University of the West Indies, and is back in the island to share her expertise with the land of her birth. She launched her practice at the Terra Nova Hotel last Wednesday.
Guests were first greeted to the room by the smooth tones of Nicholas Laraque on flute and a decor depicting the Orient theme. Oriental medicine involves the use of acupuncture (if you don't like needles, you might have a problem) and the use of various herbs, some of which were on display.
Of course, nothing sells like success so a few testimonies would be nice.
Gloria Palomino related how her battle with pains (which made her right arm practically useless) was cured with the aid of acupuncture therapy she received.
Dr. Sonia Davidson, a respected physician in her own right, lauded Brown for her revolutionary step. Before introducing the lady of the evening, she wished aloud that conventional doctors would join up with their alternative medicine practitioners to ensure health for all.
But before much longer it was Brown who stepped forward. "No, I'm not Chinese," she joked. She spoke briefly about some of the techniques she would be using.
She raised eyebrows with her detailed description of various medians (pathways) within the body, and how by stimulating one area, let's say one point on the arm, you can fix something that ails you somewhere else. Almost science fiction stuff, except it's over 3,000 years old.
With the help of a willing participant, she demonstrated the cupping technique, which involves using a glass and small pump. By creating suction, the skin is raised and when the glass is moved along the skin it essentially massages the pained area.
Of course, there were questions from curious individuals (prospective clients, perhaps?) which Brown was only too eager to address.
