First Aid / CPR is Hard Core.
By Emma Suttie, D.Ac, AP
This is a post that I wrote years ago after I took my first CPR/First Aid course. I thought as it fits in with the theme this month (and it makes me laugh), that it might be an entertaining read. I hope you like it. :)
Let me just say that I have a renewed respect for all those people who arrive on scene at an accident, meeting people often on the worst day of their lives, and knowing in an instant exactly what to do to keep them from dying. I say renewed respect because it was there in the first place, but I really didn’t realize the degree to which these people have to know their s@#!.
I spent 20 hours this weekend doing a medical professionals version of the Canadian Red Cross First Aid/CPR course. And, my god, what a humbling experience. I am always struck with awe to realize that there is infinitely more that I don’t know. And even more that I don’t know I don’t know. You know what I mean? I couldn’t believe all the things that we covered. I thought, that after working in clinics for more than 4 years, and seeing a lot of things happen to the human body that I at least had a rudimentary knowledge of what was possible. It turns out that this is not so.
Our teacher, who was awesome, listed his credentials for a full 5 minutes. I missed most of them, but he is both a paramedic and a fire fighter and has been working for a very long time. He regaled us with stories from his years in the field and they were horrifying. I think the high point was as I was sitting there eating my sandwich he asked “in what situation you would NOT administer CPR?” Everyone thought for a minute and someone finally said, “well, if they’re dead?” “Absolutely not!!” he said with vigor. “That is when you absolutely must perform CPR! The only person who can pronounce a person dead is a physician, so by god, you better continue to administer CPR until a paramedic or other qualified professional gets there to take over.” This was met with blank stares and everyone looking around the room at each other. I knew what we were all thinking; well, if you continue to give CPR to a dead person, what else is there? After a long silence he knew we had nothing else to give him. He very matter of factly said: “decapitation, if someone has been cut in half (separated top and bottom – a transverse cut), or if they have been eviscerated (all a person’s essential organs are outside the body). We were stunned. I think I can safely say that no one in the room had given much thought to the fact that these things actually happened in the real world, much less that we might actually have to deal with them someday. He then added that the reason that there was no need to perform CPR in these cases was that there was no way to resuscitate a person in this condition. Like it was the most obvious thing in the world. He then enthusiastically launched into the story of “his first decapitation”. This apparently happened at Warden subway station in a suicide attempt (I believe the attempt was successful, ewww). It was at this point that I had to finally put down my sandwich for a minute. Hard core.
We did a lot of CPR this weekend. We thankfully didn’t have to do it on each other, we had the pleasure of intimately knowing several dummies, both adult, and child. There were some infant dummies as well, and I remember thinking to myself: at what point should I start to feel like lines are being crossed? We got very intimate with those dummies, oh my. But, the good news is, that as long as your head is still firmly attached, your bottom is still connected to your top and your important organs are still inside you, I may be able to breathe life back into your body and persuade your heart to start beating. We even learned how to use a defibrillator which is a very good thing to know. We learned what to do for an infant if you find one that isn’t breathing or unconscious (although the thought of this is still terrifying). We learned what to do if someone drowns, is electrocuted, has first, second or third degree burns (what they have to do to you if you have 3rd degree burns to remove dead tissue almost made me puke), how to deal with someone who has been impaled by an object – this was followed by many bizarre stories of things our instructor had seen impaled in people over the years – how to cope with shock, anaphylaxis which included how to use an epi pen (I had never actually seen one before), how to deal with broken bones, arterial bleeding (you can bleed out in less than 2 minutes, so knowing what to do it super important), how to recognize if someone is having a heart attack, what to do if a diabetic goes into a diabetic coma, what to do if someone is having a seizure, I could sit here and list things for an hour.
I think one of the things that most impressed my nerd self, was learning how to tell, when there is blood coming out of the nose or ears, if it is coming from the brain. Our guy showed us a little technique so you can tell which is great as bleeding in the brain is mucho serioso.
All in all, I am so glad I took it. I was a little sad beforehand as I knew I was giving up a precious summer weekend, but it was so worth it. Our teacher was amazing, and absolutely smashed us full of information. My brain was absolute poo by the end of both days. After a whopper exam at the end we got our little card and were sent into the world after having seen a glimpse of all the crazy and terrible things that can happen to human beings. One thing I am sure of, if something terrible ever befalls me, I hope and pray that Dave is the one who shows up. Then I will know that everything will be ok.
To all those who do this kind of work everyday, my humblest respect.
I Know Kung Fu.
By Emma Suttie, D.Ac
Ever since I can remember I have loved kung fu. It is hard to pinpoint where the love came from, but there are a couple of possibilities. I am a child of hippies, and grew up in a house filled with music, ethnic food and martial arts. My parents are martial artists - Aikidoists - and they tried, in vain, to get me into Aikido.
I remember going to class with them and watching the graceful interactions. Students running at each other and, being gracefully flung about and landing, silently rolling out to standing awaiting their next chance to politely attack. It was beautiful to watch, and it looked effortless. The thing that especially impressed me was that strength and size didn't seem to matter. This became even more impressive when I saw my mother, who is five foot four, throw my father who is more than six foot three over her head like he was made of cotton balls. This filled me with delight, and, I suspect, deeply frustrated my father.
Aikido is a Japanese martial art developed by Morihei Ueshiba. It is translated as "the way of unifying with life energy" or "the way of the harmonious spirit". One of the interesting things about Aikido is that it is purely defensive. There is no way to "attack" someone using Aikido in its true form. It is purely used and was developed as a way to defend oneself, but also to do so while protecting your attacker from harm. What a lovely philosophy. Because there is no way to attack someone using Aikido, what began to happen around our house was that my father, desperate to show me his new moves and joint locks (which hurt like hell) would ask me, in desperation, to grab his wrist. Only then could he throw me around and bend my joints into pretzels. If I was feeling generous I would oblige, but if I was feeling sassy I would refuse and taunt him. Grab my wrist became the most uttered phrase in our house for years.
The other wonderful thing about Aikido is that you are using your attackers energy and inertia to either direct them out of the way, or, throw them into the next room depending on how much of their energy you want to use. For this reason, the Aikidoist is using very little of their own energy. It is also incredibly graceful, and does not have any of the hard edged movements of many of the Korean and Chinese martial arts. It is one of the most beautiful martial arts to watch. Here is a video so you can see what I mean.
I have an enormous respect for all the martial arts, and Aikido in particular is so elegant, refined, efficient and beautiful, but it wasn't the one that resonated with me. What I wanted to learn was kung fu. Perhaps it was all those years of kung fu movies, but I decided that this was what I was going to learn. It was my dream to be a doctor of Chinese medicine and a master of kung fu - 2 very complimentary pursuits, I thought.
For years I had been obsessed with kung fu movies and every Friday had gone to Kung Fu Friday's at the Royal cinema where a group of enthusiasts would sit and bask in each others euphoria at watching these ancient movies with elaborate fight scenes and terrible dubbing. The nerd level was through the roof, but it was the best hour and a half of my week. Once I finished college, I was excited to seek out a kung fu school and start my training. I went all over, looking for the right school that was teaching a style that felt right for me. It was a long search, but I knew the right place as soon as I walked in the door. It was a very traditional Chinese kung fu school in Chinatown. On the outside it looked like a small storefront painted red and black with the windows covered. The writing was in Chinese but in English it said Kung Fu. I walked in and it was dark and smelled of sweat. There was a Chinese guy sitting at an old counter reading a Chinese newspaper. He looked up at me surprised.
*Perhaps now is the time to explain something. I, at least on the outside, am not Chinese, but am a tall blonde girl. I do not blend in most places, least of all a kung fu school in the heart of Chinatown. If I thought I had been an outsider before, I was about to receive a rude awakening...
The man looked up and thought I was lost. I said no, I was there to inquire about kung fu. His surprised look remained as he slowly explained what styles the school taught, when their classes were and how much a year membership cost. I nodded and asked if I could return to watch a class. He said sure, the surprised look never leaving his face. I had a good feeling I had found the place. This was the real thing. Old school. I returned to watch a class and fell in love. I bought my uniform and showed up for my first class and managed to hold my own. It was tense, as I was one of a few girls and the only white girl. I could see the smirks on the faces of some of the guys. I found out later that the guys had a running bet on my first day to see how long I would last. Most said I wouldn't last longer than one class. A few said I might make it a week. I stayed 8 years. They all lost that bet.
The school taught two styles - Choi Lee Fut - created by Chan Heung, a disciple of the famed Shaolin Temple, and Do Pi - a Southern style . There are many styles of kung fu, and I think finding the one you like is just like anything else, you have to find the one that resonates with you. These styles really spoke to me because they had large sweeping movements which suited by tall body and long limbs. I later tried Wing Chun - a style that focuses on close range combat. I found it cramped and awkward, like watching a spider monkey fight another spider monkey nose to nose. You have to find the style that is right for you. Classes were 2 nights a week and one Sunday afternoon and were about 4 hours each. They consisted of stances, punches, kicks, stretching, callisthenics and finally, forms - a series of movements that you move through beginning to end. They were the most hard core workouts I had ever had and I had been an athlete all my life. I pushed through. Thankfully, in this case, my stubborn nature probably exceeded my physical abilities, at least at first. No one spoke to me for about 6 months. I think they were all waiting for me to drop out and were confused as to why that hadn't yet happened.
After the six month mark I got the occasional smile. I couldn't believe it. Finally, they were accepting me as part of the group. I knew it wasn't going to be easy, but I was determined to follow my dream of learning kung fu, and I loved it. I am happy to say that after the guys decided I wasn't leaving they accepted my presence and we all became friends. We went to class together and the ritual became to go out to eat Vietnamese afterwards. It became like a family and we had dinners for Chinese New Years and participated in parades through Chinatown in our uniforms, holding banners and doing Lion Dance. It seemed every time a new restaurant opened, our kung fu school would be called upon to do a Lion Dance (a good luck omen for any new business) and I felt like I was always at the school for class or some function. Hanging out with my classmates socially became a window into this culture which had always fascinated me and I felt so comfortable in. We would have big dinners together and spent way too many evenings doing karaoke. I don't think I will ever be able to listen to Hotel California without fondly remembering my tone deaf classmates.
Studying kung fu was an amazing experience. It was not just learning a martial art, but becoming part of a living breathing organism. The school was an integral part of the Chinese community and it was fascinating and wonderful to feel like a part of something that perhaps few people had been able to experience before. I learned so many things. I learned that a martial art is not about just training your body, but training your mind, understanding the mind of your opponent and honing internal skills like Qi Gong to develop your internal power. I was privileged to become immersed in a culture that I have so much respect for, and I think it made me a better person and a better acupuncturist. I learned discipline, and that usually things that are worth learning, take a lifetime to master. I also learned that I love Vietnamese food. I later dabbled in a few more martial arts - Wing Chun, Jeet Kun Do, Muay Thai, Escrima, Kali and Savate (French kick boxing), and although I loved them for what they had to offer, my heart will always belong to kung fu. <3
Here are some clips you can watch which demonstrate the awesomeness of kung fu. Many of my favourite movies are too old to find now (I have them all on VHS!!) but these are some of the masters. Enjoy.
Shaolin Kung Fu
Here is a National Geographic Episode on Shaolin Kung Fu which gives some history and shows some of the monks incredible skills.
Bruce Lee - The Chinese Connection
Bruce is, and will always be, my hero. <3
Ip Man - Donny Yuen - Kung Fu Fight Scene
Jet Li - Fist of Legend
Jackie Chan - Drunken Style Kung Fu - Drunken Master
Master Killer / The 36 Chambers of Shaolin - Trailer
My favourite kung fu movie of all time. :)
A clip from Master Killer detailing Kung Fu training at Shaolin.
Kung Fu Style: Choy Li Fut
Choy Li Fut (Cantonese), 蔡李佛, or Cai Li Fo (Mandarin) Kung Fu is a traditional martial arts system based on Shaolin martial arts from the Shaolin Temple.
It combines the agile footwork of Northern Chinese Martial Arts with the intricate Hand Techniques of the Southern Kung Fu styles, making Choy Li Fut one of the most complete and effective styles for health and self-defense.
Choy Li Fut , 蔡李佛, emphasizes relaxed, internal power rather than stiff, muscular force. This is not only more effective in combat, giving the smaller person an advantage, but is also better for the practitioner’s health as it develops the entire body.
Choy Li Fut forms are circular, powerful, and as beautiful to watch as they are effective in combat. They often contain over 150 individual movements, each having a practical application in self-defense. Done at full speed, forms provide an excellent cardiovascular workout.
Unlike many other martial arts, Choy Li Fut contains a wide variety of techniques, including long and short range punches, devastating kicks, deadly sweeps and takedowns, lethal pressure point attacks, joint locks, and grappling, making it one of the most well rounded and versatile fighting systems. Each set covers many aspects and concepts of the martial arts and even provides dynamic 2 and even 3 person combat sets, giving the student the ability to develop a real time sense of the techniques in combat application.
Choy Li Fut also has forms teaching the use of a large arsenal of traditional kung fu weapons, 53 to be exact, divided into long, short, twin, and flexible categories with the Nine Dragon Trident as the symbol of the Choy Li Fut system. There are even 2 and 3 person weapon combat sets to develop the full range and abilities of the practitioners with their weapons. Finally, it includes internal training such as meditation and breathing exercises unifying the body and mind with traditional Chinese Martial Arts.
Choy Li Fut has proven itself effective through it’s conception during revolutionary times to the modern days of combat sports, and is still one of the worlds most popular Chinese Kung Fu systems. Famed for it’s effectiveness in the Chinese underground full contact martial arts tournaments, it’s traditional values and self-discipline and self-protection attitude provides Choy Li Fut as the perfect martial arts base for anyone looking to better themselves.