Last time I talked about going to the doctor when you are 病気(びょうき / sick), so today I will talk about what the doctor will prescribe.

Some typical over the counter 漢方（かんぽう / traditional medicine).

Once you’ve seen the 先生 (せんせい / doctor), he will likely prescribe you some 薬 (くすり / medicine). All 病院 (びょういん / hospitals) and クリニック (clinics) have their own 薬屋 (くすりや / pharmacy, literally translated as “medicine shop”), or are next door to one. It’s common to get several different 薬（くすり） from one visit. I’ve gotten as much as 5-6 different 薬（くすり） for bad colds. One for coughing, one for congestion, one for pain, etc… and often one more to settle your お腹（おなか/stomach), because you’ve taken so many *other* pills!

There are two types of medicine prescribed in Japan. Modern 薬（くすり） (usually pills), and 漢方（かんぽう） “Chinese medicine” (usually powder). They are technically different, but are treated as being the same. If a doctor prescribes it, then it must be the correct choice, right?

漢方（かんぽう） is based on traditional Asian herbal remedies and it comes in powdered form in little packets. They universally taste terrible, so you don’t want to dilute it in water. Most people take a mouthful of water, tip their head back and dump the entire contents of the pouch in their mouth, then try to swallow all the water and medicine in one gulp before the “flavour” hits. I haven’t found 漢方（かんぽう） to work very well for me, but many people say it works for them. Often you get a mix of both modern and traditional 薬（くすり）, so hopefully something in the combination will help!

Some typical prescribed 漢方（かんぽう / traditional medicine).

先生（せんせい） almost never prescribe more than one week’s worth of 薬（くすり）. If you are still sick after  一週間（いっしゅうかん / one week), they expect you to go back. Thankfully, basic medical care is cheap and mostly covered by one of the two national health insurance schemes. I usually pay less than ￥2000 for a medical visit and 薬（くすり） together, so I’m never worried about お金(おかね / money) when I’m 病気（びょうき）.

If you are 病気（びょううき）, I hope you get better soon!

お大事に! (おだいじに / Take Care)