Chapter 392 Let go of the guilt
Mia’s POV
“How old are you?” Alexander asked suddenly.
“Very old. Ninety-two years.”
“That’s older than Mama’s grandma was when she died.”
“Yes. I am old as mountains, as they say. Though mountains are actually much older than me.”
“Why aren’t you dead yet?”
“Alexander!” I said, mortified.
But Dr. Norbu laughed. “It is a good question! Honest. Children should ask honest questions. Adults forget how.” He looked at Alexander seriously. “I am not dead yet because I am not finished learning. The universe is very patient with students who still have homework to do.”
“What homework?”
“Oh, many things. How to make perfect momos. How to pronounce English words without sounding like a yak is stuck in my throat. How to help people who are very sick and very scared.”
Ethan’s analytical mind clearly working. “You said Western medicine tries to stop the immune system. But stopping it completely would be bad too, right? Because then Kyle would get sick from regular germs.”
“Excellent thinking! Yes, exactly. The problem is balance. Too much immune system, it attacks the body. Too little immune system, other things attack the body. We need-how do you say-the Goldilocks amount. Not too hot, not too cold. Just right.”
“How do you make it just right?”
Dr. Norbu pulled out his notebook again, flipped through pages covered in a mixture of English, Tibetan script, and what looked like chemical formulas. “We use many things together. Not one magic bullet-Americans love the magic bullet, one pill that fixes everything-but many small arrows, all aimed at different targets.”
He cleared his throat and began listing, counting on his fingers. “First, we continue some of the Western medicines but at lower doses. The body has already learned to recognize them, so we keep them but reduce them. Like turning down the volume instead of switching off the music completely.” “Second, we add herbs. Not the herbs from the store in plastic bottles, but real herbs, prepared correctly. Third, we change the environment. The gut. If the gut is angry, the immune system is angry. Fourth-and this is important-we work with the nervous system. Stress chemicals, cortisol
and adrenaline, they make inflammation worse. We practice meditation, where you watch your thoughts like they are clouds passing in the sky.”
Madison raised her hand like she was in school. “Can clouds make you better?”
“Smart question. No, clouds cannot make you better. But learning to watch your thoughts instead of believing every thought you think-this can change how your brain talks to your body. And the brain and the immune system, they have a telephone connection. They are always talking to each other. If the brain is always yelling ‘DANGER! DANGER!’ then the immune system thinks it needs to fight all the time.”
“What about the inflammation that’s already present? The damage that’s already done?”Ethan asked.
“I cannot promise your daddy will live. I can only promise I will try my best to give his body the conditions it needs to heal itself, if healing is possible.”
The room fell silent again.
Ethan tugged on Dr. Norbu’s sleeve. “Do you think Kyle will get better?”


Verify captcha to read the content
Comments
The readers' comments on the novel: The Unwanted Wife and Her Secret Twins (Mia and Kyle)