A holistic approach to good health is well within reach
The cold season triggers many ailments, and I am often assailed by bouts of colds and coughs. Very often, my Chinese colleagues urge me to see a doctor of traditional Chinese medicine and take herbal medicines as preventives and cures. But somehow, something or another seems to be holding me back from tapping that route.
Though I have been in China for over a decade, my trysts with TCM have been sparse, barring the few general health herbal medicines prescribed by regular doctors. That, however, has not dulled my interest in or enthusiasm for TCM, or my belief in its amazing restorative properties that most aficionados swear by.
And it indeed should be. After all, it is built on a foundation of more than 2,000 years of practice and includes various forms of herbal medicine, acupuncture, massage, cupping, exercises and psychological therapy.
Rhetoric aside, it is also an amazing industry that has been notching up impressive growth rates since it entered the realms of organized business some years ago.
According to government estimates, the total value of the TCM market may reach 5 trillion yuan ($729 billion) by 2030, with year-onyear growth rates of over 10 percent.
President Xi Jinping has indicated that the central government has an international initiative to promote TCM globally. And those efforts have started bearing fruit, considering the number of TCM clinics mushrooming in cities such as New York, London, Brussels, Singapore, Kuala Lumpur, Nairobi and Kolkata.
There is immense potential for TCM to become an integral part of mainstream health services in countries like the United States, especially in areas where Western medicine has limitations, according to industry experts. That there are already TCM units in several leading hospitals in the West is an indication of the efficacy of the practice.
My earliest experience of TCM dates back to my childhood in the southern Indian state of Kerala, and a cousin who had chronic asthma. She was in utter agony most of the time, wheezing and trying innumerable methods of treatment, all to no avail. As a last resort, she underwent an acupuncture session from a doctor who had studied TCM in China. Not only did she recover from her ailment, but a good 45 years later she has never had a relapse. I have also seen my aged grandmother get relief from her arthritic problems with the help of acupuncture.
More evidence that TCM does really work wonders came recently after a chance meeting with Hollywood star Karl Yune, who plays the role of a protagonist in long-running television series Arrow and is the co-founder of Starmaker Labs, a premium wellness brand.
Yune comes from three generations of practitioners of both Eastern and Western medicine. For the past 30 years, Yune has combined his deep understanding of the science of holistic and functional medicine with cutting-edge nutrition and “truth of life” principles to heal, balance and create optimal health, as well as achieve winning results.
“Our mission is to have a strong and positive impact on health in this world; health being the most valuable asset a human being can possess,” he said.
“As Western medicine focuses on the treatment of disease, Eastern medicine specializes in the enhancement of health. I am particularly proud of President Xi’s initiative to promote TCM throughout the world. I applaud Chinese leaders for putting their forethought and energy towards facilitating the integration of traditional and Western medicines with modern technology that will affect generations to come,” he said.
Yune said his belief is based mostly on his own experience when Chinese medicines saved his life as a child.
“Throughout my entire life, I have seen the power and evidence of Eastern medicine first hand. Indeed, the time for a renaissance in human healthcare has come — and the time is now. The world is ready to embrace the fundamental understanding of TCM products to human health,” he said.