Martina Capousek

Why did you choose to become an acupuncturist? What or who inspired you?

During my physiotherapy studies in Prague, I did an internship in the Internal Medicine department of a local hospital. Our task was to help patients rehabilitate after abdominal surgery. I remember one day vividly. I took a walk with a patient who had just had a stoma applied. He was a gaunt man in a grey bathrobe, his unhealthy complexion accentuated. After escorting him to his room, I sat in the hallway by an open window. It was a bright spring morning. My classmates asked if I was coming outside for a coffee break. I said I would join them but first opened the patient's file to record his pulse rate and the number of steps taken. The man's vulnerability touched me. Curiously, I flipped through the file. The man was an engineer and a father of two. He had been treated for vague stomach issues since he was thirty, had an ulcer at thirty-five, and a stomach bleeding at forty-two. In his late forties, he was diagnosed with stomach cancer, and last week, in his fifties, he had to have part of his colon removed. How sad, I thought. His symptoms are being successfully treated, but he gets sicker every decade. There he lay, paler than his bathrobe, with a vacant look in his eyes. As if he wasn't there at all. Then I wondered: Why doesn't combating illness necessarily lead to recovery and health? Aren't there other methods besides our medicine to stay healthy? The entire coffee break had passed me by...

Martina Capousek

NVA member since August 1997

Interview: September 2014

What is your most beautiful experience with a patient?

Receiving birth announcements from patients whose fertility I have supported is among the wonderful experiences. Not only has the treatment been successful, but I have also been able to assist with something miraculous. Additionally, I find it very beautiful when patients document their recovery with photos for me. I do this especially for skin conditions and Bell's palsy (facial paralysis).

What still amazes you in your profession?

I am actually amazed mainly by the fact that I have been enjoying practicing this healing method for fifteen years. I remain inspired and I continue to develop myself. I am a teacher of Acupuncture and Chinese Herbs and I often take courses, such as the Shen Acupuncture course with Yair Maimon. Here I learn to achieve more with fewer needles.

Is there something in your practice that embodies the essence of Traditional Chinese Medicine for you?

During my internship in Beijing, I bought a few paintings. One of the motifs is red plum blossoms on rice paper. I was told that it symbolizes feminine power because this plum blooms and bears fruit in winter. But well, that's not really an answer to the question... Something in my practice? Hm... let me think, the needles of course!

Martina Capousek: www.bloesemacupunctuur.nl