From an interview with DR Richard J. Hoder

November 2004

I have personally experienced some things that are absolutely amazing. Recently, my wife hurt her back while picking up our hefty grand daughter. X-rays indicated she had popped two discs. She took Medril Packs on several different occasions and had temporary relief. An Osteopathic Doctor manipulated her back on five occasions without much relief.

When I met my wife in Shanghai she could barely walk. I took her to Beijing to see a Traditional Chinese Medical Doctor—one that I will be quoting later. He used Acupuncture each day for five days. By the fifth day, she was pain free and the pain has never returned.

I related this story to a friend, Dr. Claire Horton. She and her husband wanted to come to China and asked if there could be any benefit for the pain she has experienced in her clubbed foot for the last ten years. I said to keep an open mind and it might be worth a try.

Claire saw a different doctor than my wife, but at the same Clinical hospital. The doctor wanted to improve the circulation to the foot and hopefully provide some relief. The Doctor manipulated the first day and the foot felt better. On the second day, Acupuncture was used and the foot felt slightly better, but then the pain returned. The third day acupuncture was used alone, then herbal medicine was prescribed. After about four days of treatment, her pain was almost all gone. After six days, the pain was totally gone and has not returned. It is now over two months since she finished her treatments and she is still pain free.

Here is the explanation given through an interpreter:

The location is Yan Huang Traditional Chinese Medical Hospital. This is more like a Clinic, since there are no beds or overnight stays. This Clinic was originally set up to take care of Politburo members and high government officials. It became private about four or five years ago.

In China, the highest ranking a doctor can attain is a National Ranking. In all of China, there are only about 525 doctors with this ranking, and 57 of these Nationally Ranked Doctors are on staff at Yan Huang. The doctor I interviewed is Dr. Miao Xin, a specialist in Acupuncture. She has been in practice for over twenty years.

On the bottom of the foot and elsewhere on the body are "Yong-Guan" or Acupuncture points. These points can be stimulated by needles or pressure. Part of Traditional Chinese Medicine, or TCM, is manipulation or massage. The Chinese massage uses greater pressure than other forms of massage, sometimes creating discomfort.

The intent is to create enough pressure to stimulate these points. Any discomfort is usually only temporary. All the organs have reflection areas on the bottom of the foot. These are areas that when stimulated improve the function of the organ. These are the areas that have pressure, as in Acupressure, or needles, as in Acupuncture, applied in order to improve organ function. When the organ function is improved, we feel better. For example, if you improve or give benefit to the Kidney and it is strong, then you feel better.

In the Big Toe there is a reflection area for the Brain. When this area is stimulated, it creates a feeling of well being. If other reflection areas are also stimulated, improving the function of other organs, then the feeling is enhanced. Here in China they have Sandals with small knobs in the sole. The purpose is to stimulate the reflection areas.

We at International Slate designed our Tumbled Mosaic Flooring with small pieces of slate that are tumbled in sand, creating a slight dome shape to the surface. These small pieces are assembled to make a twelve inch square mat that when walked on, stimulates the reflection points on the feet in the same way the Chinese sandals do. The best Tumbled Mosaic Flooring slates to stimulate the acupressure points, or reflection areas on the bottom of the feet are the mats with individual pieces of 3/4" X 3/4", 3/4" X 1 1/2" X 3/8", or 1" X 1" X 3/8".

When installing, the grout should also be slightly recessed so the dome shape can create the pressure needed.

Richard J. Hoder

President of International Slate Inc.