Weird science

Next to the paramedics with the bright orange pants in Italy, the "Canadian Pneumonia" in southern Argentina, and infected bug bite in Ecuador, what happened today may be one of the most bizarre medical experiments I have had conducted on me.

I went to get allergy testing done - simple enough, in theory - and while he started with the typical poking little holes in your arm technique, he continued on with the "kinesiology" approach, where I held a vial of the offending substance in arm hand directly over my belly button, and held out my right arm. If he was able to push my arm down, I was allergic to the substance, and if he wasn't able to push my arm down, I wasn't allergic to it. I know what you're thinking, because I thought the same thing: you're full of shit, buddy! But (BIG but, as Little Wolf would say), he wouldn't tell me what the vials were until after, and after doing a few where my arm stayed up, he gave me one and my arm went down automatically, and that was for Brazil nuts. Likewise, shrimp and crab were ok, but lobster wasn't, which I could have told you given my reaction from lobster in Boston. According to the good doctor, I am allergic to a few types of nuts, lobster, dust and mold, brewer's yeast (I knew there was a reason I didn't like beer!), and milk - although that may be more of an intolerance than allergy.

But that wasn't the weirdest part. After the needles and the "kinesiology" approach, he told me he would treat me for dust and mold, which was my most severe reaction next to nuts and lobster. He could do it for nuts and seafood too, but it wouldn't likely last long and I should just avoid eating them whenever possible. So, thinking that I'm going to get an injection in the ass, I gear up mentally for the needle, when he tells me to take off my shoes and socks and lie down on the table. He then gives me a small jar of dust (from a vacuum cleaner) that he puts between my belt and belly button, and proceeds to hit me for about ten minutes - tapping, or maybe more like rapping - my various pressure points with his hands - nose, cheeks, collarbone, ribs, ankles, toes and soles of my feet. This, he announced, would lessen, if not eliminate entirely, my allergy to dust and mold. After doing this he did the arm test again and this time he could not push my arm down, and my nose was surprisingly unstuffy.

I suppose one way of looking at this experience is that I only paid $25 to be poked, tested and hit, so if he is full of shit, I can just go to another doctor to get a second opinion. But who knows - maybe he is right. He said that approach has worked for people with the most severe peanut allergies, so maybe there is hope for me. The weird thing is that he was an oldish (late 60s at least) doctor who does not look like an alternative medicine kind of guy, and plus he practices in a conventional medical clinic and not some earthy crunchy homeopathic wellness centre.

I honestly don't think my day can get any weirder, but in this city, you never know. It snowed this morning, but the way - just for an hour, but it was still snow. It may be typical to this particular city, but to me, snow in October is weird.