OGDEN -- Noah Kramer felt very relaxed as he headed off to lunch Tuesday afternoon. The Polk Elementary sixth-grader had just experienced acupuncture for the first time and not only reaped the benefits of the relaxation technique, but successfully completed a school assignment.
Sixth graders at the school have been learning all about ancient Chinese culture this month and started Chinese festivities Tuesday. Kramer was assigned to do a report on Chinese inventions and after talking it over with his dad and grandma, he thought acupuncture might be something new and interesting to learn about.
Kramer's dad, Jeff Kramer, looked for some information on the Internet and found Cheng Tsang Lu, known as "Master Lu," who has been practicing acupuncture and tai chi in Ogden for over 30 years. The two started talking and decided it would be fun to do a demonstration for the entire sixth grade.
"Noah agreed to be his specimen," Jeff said pointing to his son. Jeff now thinks it might not be such a bad idea for him to try, as well as other friends.
Noah's grandma didn't think he would actually do it and bet him a lunch on it, which she made good on after Noah completed the acupuncture. Noah said he had already noticed that he felt more relaxed, but was looking forward to see if the procedure would help him master his sporting skills a little more, something Master Lu said many use acupuncture for.
Noah was surprised it didn't hurt.
"It kind of felt like you had toothpicks poking you in the side of the head," he said with a laugh. He admitted he was a bit nervous at the beginning, but as he sat with the needles in his head it was less nerve-wracking. "Once he took them out and I saw how small they were, I was glad I did it," Noah said.
"I think it's pretty cool," said sixth grader Bo Zamora. He came up after the presentation to ask a few questions to Master Lu and to check out the needles. "I think I would recommend this to my mom because she has stress," Zamora said.
Master Lu was thrilled to have the chance to educate youth in the area about the benefits of acupuncture and tai chi, something the 70-year-old practices every day.
Students ooed and aahed as he went down in the splits and told showed them different techniques for more healthy living. He had the 60-plus students get out of their chairs and try a little tai chi. Students laughed, but were in awe of its immediate affect of making them feel better.
"It was a great experience to learn all that stuff," said sixth grader Kimberly Kunzler. She liked hearing some of Master Lu's advice about cold remedies, like putting an orange in the oven, peeling it and then eating it to get rid of a cold. She wasn't so sure about the acupuncture though.
"I think it was cool and maybe I would do it, but I don't know," she said with a smile.
"Most people don't exercise in the U.S. Your body is like a house. Clean your house," Master Lu told the students. He likes the idea of educating people young about how to care for their bodies.
"In China the father would teach the children. Here we do not have that," Master Lu said.
Master Lu starts acupuncture and tai chi on children as young as 5 years old. He is proud of the fact that he has an 89-year-old tai chi student as well.
Sixth grade teacher Claire Miller has been holding a Chinese festival for years with her sixth-grade classes in various schools in the area. Chinese New Year signs now adorn the ceilings of all three sixth-grade classrooms and dragon puppets hung on the walls. This week students will set up booths in the classrooms to show many different reports on Chinese culture and will make their presentations to second graders on Friday. They will also dress in Chinese attire.
"I've done this for years and never had any acupuncture. It is a fabulous, fabulous thing for them to learn," Miller said.
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