Below is a little movie clip of me using the 7-star hammer on my ankle to draw blood…read on. Two days ago I went out riding alone on my Connemara mare, Dellah. It was a spectacular spring day. She’s got some “issues” out on the trail that I’ve been slowly attempting to help her with by building her confidence. She gets flustered easily by things like flowing water, white maple syrup buckets, bicycles, and all manner of imaginary threats. She was going great until we came to the Roaring Brook River. She’s crossed it many times before and would have had no trouble if another horse had been in front of her. We began to cross and, as she moved quickly to the other side, she got flustered, moving quickly to the left and then quickly to the right . I felt my ankle twist in the stirrup and found myself on the ground on the other side of the river. Bummer!
It was my right ankle so I could easily remount and I decided I wanted to finish my ride. It was also better for her for me to not make a big deal out of the accident.
Later my ankle swelled up and walking became really difficult. I took an epson salt bath and slept well. The next day I decided to use some of my knowledge for myself.
I brought out my 7-star hammer and cups and Amber Massage Salve and got to work.
I hammered my swollen ankle hard enough to draw blood and slathered some salve on it. (Click for little movie of the hammering to bring out the blood IMG_0701)
Then I placed a firm cup on the area.
I moved the cup around. More blood was drawn this way.
The result of this treatment was that my ankle was about %50 better by that evening and about %75 better by this morning! I did the treatment again this morning. The photos here are from the 2nd treatment today. It is a rather intense treatment but so worth it! I’m going riding again today!
Here is Dellah rolling after this infamous ride while Sierra and Pumpkin look on.
I’m a big fan of cold, raw cabbage wrapped around the joint, and Sp 2, myself. 24 hours after a nasty sprain there was no inflammation, no swelling, just like new with slightly stretched tendons, which resolved in a couple of days.
I also used it when I scalded my hand. The pain was permanently gone in 15 minutes.
My theory is, for Heat/acute symptoms, the cold cabbage feels good (helps spasms, for instance), but it doesn’t behave like ice, which will contract and constrict, and drive the pathogen inward, rather than resolve it. There’s something about the chemistry of the cabbage that draws the inflammation out.
I tell all my patients about it. They use it on their horses, on their arthritic joints (including rheumatoid arthritis), sprains, strains. One patient used it on her son’s shattered tibia to reduce the swelling enough for surgery. It worked very well. It can also be used on open wounds, tho I’ve never tried that.
Cabbage, the best home remedy ever. Google it and see. There’s loads of information out there. I keep a head of plain, cheap green cabbage in my home first aid kit.
Cool stuff, release that congested evil! Bleeding so often gives dramatic results like this..
Maybe even adding the lu 10 area point on the opposite palm, threaded along the metacarpal? Either way though.. Got to carry these tools with me too!
sharon,
this is a wonderful piece. i love that you took the photos and expressed every step you took in your treatment. what you did is exactly how my teacher Miriam Lee worked, and it always seemed like a miracle. i love the strength that you show in this piece: intellectual, physical, and courage, or as we say nowadays, mind, body, and spirit. Miriam Lee would have also done five tigers after the 7 star, bleeding and cupping. do you know these master tung points for sprained ankle? they are so powerful and magical, that they are the reason my son went to TCM school and became an acupuncturist.
raven
This is why we TCM practitioners have a silver lining to every injury and illness. We can experience our wonderful medicine ourselves to reaffirm its awesomeness.
I love this Post regarding the use of the 7 Star to heal sprained ankle along with cupping. I cannot thank Karen R. Adams enough for sharing this article.