"Ni na li bu shu fu?" More and more often, I can be heard muttering phrases like this to myself -- while cooking, walking to the shops, while on  the Tube. "Where does it hurt?," is what I'm trying to remember to say in Mandarin. It's been a lovely couple of weeks since Year 3 exams finished and I've done sweet FA, but now I have to face up to the reality that I have only three weeks to go before I leave for China. First Affiliated Hospital of Heilongjiang University of Chinese Medicine, here I come.

From the very start of my acupuncture programme at the London South Bank University, my cohort and I have been preparing for our hospital placement in Harbin, Heilongjiang. (Don't know where that is? Think northwest China, think very near the border with Russia.) And now that time has very nearly come. I will be spending a few months in the hospital to learn from the great doctors there, to see how Chinese medicine is practised in, well, in China. We have great teachers at South Bank, both Chinese and British, who practise a variety of styles. But in our teaching clinic in south London, I treat one patient per hour, Western style -- it's great training, but you don't see the whole range of  conditions even after 200 of the required clinic hours. In China, doctors treat 60 patients a day -- with the help of junior doctors and lowly foreign student assistants, of course!

My other favourite phrase is "Rang wo kan kan ni de she". "Please show me your tongue." In Chinese medicine, examination of the tongue is one of the principal diagnostic methods. The tongue colour, shape and coating all say something about the patient's condition and state of the organs. It's fascinating stuff and takes a lifetime to master. (Speaking of a lifetime's learning, don't even get me started on taking the pulses!)

So back to revising medical Mandarin. The preparations continue. I have to get my visa, sort out travel insurance, think of what to pack, and more importantly, prepare a checklist for the hubby so he is prepared for all manner of child-related emergencies that might come up!

Now how do I say, "My Mandarin is terrible, please can you repeat that slowly?"

Back in April, I was told by my boss that I would need to work full-time or not at all. Considering that I am in full-time studies, working five days a week was never going to happen. So I tried not to worry (because worry affects the Spleen and injures the Heart, but that's for another blog entry) and thought I would leave for my hospital placement in Harbin in August and look for a new job in the new year. Big gulp!

But the gods are smiling, because a month ago my bosses said there's a position open for me if I were interested. Something completely different -- carrying out research analysis for my colleagues around the world. I would be based from home, working three days a week, with a four-month sabbatical so I can go to China. Yes please, I said, thank you very much. It sounds perfect!

The new role, I am happy to say, is working out well. My commute consists of a dozen steps from the kitchen to the spare room, I have no transport expenses, and coffee and tea are free. The only downside is I am by myself the entire day and completely tied to the computer. But even when I am talking to colleagues and clients, it's via Skype and I am still typing away on the keyboard. It didn't take long for my back to become unhappy.

Holy camole, I spend half my time in clinic sorting out patients' bad backs, shoulders and necks -- musculoskeletal pain is an acupuncturist's bread and butter -- and here I am, in danger of doing my back in because I am immobile for eight hours a day.
 
From a traditional Chinese medicine perspective, back pain is Qi and Blood Stagnation of the Bladder channel (if it runs down the back) or Gallbladder channel (if the pain extends down the side of the leg), or whatever channel or pathway is affected. Everything feels stuck , and needles placed in the right points help the body unblock those places of stagnation.

Fortunately no one can see me so when I take my hourly breaks, I can be found on the floor doing stretches. If you are desk-bound, set your alarm to go off every hour and go for a nice stretch, make a cup of tea, water the plants. Whatever you do, get up and do something different. Otherwise years of being hunched in front of a computer will send you to an acupuncturist because plenty of research shows that acupuncture is effective for chronic back pain.