going the TCM way

Last Saturday, I went to Singapore Chung Hwa Medical Institution at Toa Payoh to consult a TCM physician, on the recommendation of a friend who is an acupuncture practitioner at the same clinic.

Dr Cheng, a dental surgeon who is now practising TCM, studied my medical reports & helped me to understand my health condition the TCM way. The TCM approach to analysing health issues is completely different from the western approach, so it was a delightful discovery for me. It now makes more sense to me why my body behaves as it does, issues which I have raised with my western-trained doctors but had received no satisfactory answers. At last I understand why I get so easily tired & cold nowadays. I knew all this while something is wrong with my body but I didn’t know what or why. Now I can only hope & pray that TCM is the way to help restore back the health I had lost.

I am not saying that TCM approach is better than the other. I believe that both western & eastern medicine complement each other. I have been doing some research over the internet to learn more about this "east meets west" complementary approach to treating illnesses. Looking at some of the changes taking place in the medical field, I am confident & look forward to the day when western-trained doctors & TCM physicians can work hand-in-hand to offer complementary treatments to cancer patients. Some changes are already taking place in Singapore with some hospitals such as SGH, CGH & Raffles Hospital setting up TCM clinics to complement conventional treatments.

"Western medicine treats the disease (not the person) and standard treatments are drugs, diagnostic procedures, some using equipment, and operations. TCM, on the other hand, treats the person as it regards the patient as a whole being. TCM also uses herbs not drugs and is non- invasive." (Dr Swee YP, the 1st doctor to practise both western & eastern medicine in Singapore).

Dr Swee added, "TCM is all about 'Balance - Yin & Yang'". Yin can be likened to an over alkaline body and Yang, an acidic body. An acidic body is a cancer prone body, so one must always try to have a more alkaline body. This, ideally, means eating a vegetarian diet of fresh organic fruits and vegetables and whole grains."

And what was Dr Cheng's diagnosis of my health? I am deficient in Yin-Yang; I am also deficient in "Qi" (energy), another measure of a body's health. The conclusion is there is a lot to be done to gradually restore my health & build up my body's immunity. Dr Cheng said it’s going to be a long process to restore & replenish what I’ve lost as my body is now very weak, deficient in all the essentials my body needs.

What I dread most is brewing & drinking the bitter-sweet herbs. I am one who dislikes taking medicine, be it drugs or herbs. I tried TCM treatment in 2007 but I stopped after just 4 months because I was very "sick" of the herbs. The smell & taste of herbs made me vomit. Since then, I had hesitated going back to TCM because the thought of taking herbs again frightened me.

Please pray that this time, I can "tahan" the herbs without vomitting. I have to brew the herbs once a day & drink it twice a day (one after breakfast, one after dinner).

thanks for remembering me in your thoughts & prayers,
tsk tsk