Wheelchairs Left Behind, Smiles Regained, Two patients achieve recovery with Chinese acupuncture.
Recently, two patients in Solomon Islands have experienced remarkable recoveries following acupuncture treatment provided by the China medical team. One can now walk without a wheelchair, while another has regained her ability to smile. Since arriving in March 2026, the team’s acupuncture service has supported more than 2,600 local patients.
The first patient, a woman in her 30s, struggled with recurring swelling and severe pain affecting both knees over three months. She made her living doing heavy manual physical work. At first, rest and over‑the‑counter pain medication could offer temporary relief, yet her condition kept deteriorating. When she first presented at the Acupuncture Clinic at the Comprehensive Medical Center （CMC） in National Referral Hospital （NRH）, her knees were markedly swollen. Joint bending was severely limited, and she could not bear weight on her legs at all. Family members had to push her into the consultation room in a wheelchair.
Figure: At the first visit: the patient cannot bear weight on her legs and uses a wheelchair.
Following comprehensive clinical evaluation, Chinese acupuncturist Dr. Hou Xunrui diagnosed her with knee synovitis with joint effusion. To ease pressure building inside the joints, he first drained accumulated fluid from her knees. Treatment combined standard acupuncture and warm‑needle moxibustion alongside pain‑relieving medication. As swelling and pain eased, the doctor guided her through gradual exercises to rebuild knee flexibility and restore weight‑bearing function in her lower limbs.
Healing took time. The patient progressed slowly: unable to stand at first, then taking short steps supported by her family, until she could walk independently. Trusting the clinical plan, she completed two full courses of therapy. When she returned for follow‑up, she walked into the clinic unassisted — no wheelchair required. A follow‑up text check‑in from Dr. Hou captured her progress. “I am not using wheelchair now, I feel better than before,” the patient wrote.
Figure:The doctor uses manual acupuncture, warm‑needle moxibustion plus pain‑relieving and symptomatic treatment.
The second patient, another woman in her 30s, arrived at the Acupuncture Clinic under very different circumstances. One month prior to her consultation, she had developed right‑sided peripheral facial paralysis. The condition erased wrinkles on the right side of her forehead, left her unable to fully close her right eye, and pulled her mouth off-center toward her left. Basic daily actions including eating, speaking and making facial expressions became difficult. She had sought other medical support with little improvement. By the time she met Dr. Hou, the optimal timeframe for early‑stage steroid intervention for facial palsy had already passed.
Figure: Dr. Hou Xunrui flexibly used manual acupuncture, electro acupuncture, acupoint injection, ginger separated moxibustion and kinesiology taping.
Dr. Hou created an individualized treatment roadmap focused on gradual facial‑nerve rehabilitation. Drawing on multiple traditional medicine techniques, he administered regular acupuncture, electro‑acupuncture, acupoint injection, ginger‑separated moxibustion and kinesiology taping, paired with nerve‑supporting medication. The therapy plan was adjusted at each visit based on changes in her facial muscle performance.
After two months of consistent care, most of her facial mobility and symmetry returned. She could raise her eyebrows, fully shut her eyes and smile normally again. She thanked the clinical team and shared that movement was coming back to her facial muscles.
“I am very happy with Dr. Hou’s treatment and care for my paralysis. His team are very helpful.” She shared that for long time she had relied only on painkillers, which never addressed the root of her suffering. “I came to try acupuncture after hearing about it from a friend. The results exceeded my expectations. I hold the China Medical Team in high regard, and I will tell other community members they can turn to this service when they are unwell.”
“For these two women, recovery represented far more than clinical improvement: it meant reclaiming ordinary daily life that illness had taken away.” The team leader of the China Medical Team Dr. Chu Liangzhao noted.
Word‑of‑mouth among recovered people continues to build local awareness of traditional Chinese medicine as a practical treatment option within local health landscape. Patient numbers for acupuncture have been steadily growing, with more than 20 patients attending the clinic each day. These two independent recovery journeys stand as tangible real‑life examples of the broad‑ranging work completed by the 5th China Medical Team through its more than 2,600 acupuncture consultations for local people.
ENDS//