Modern ailments, traditional cure

PRICEY Chinese herbs made them seem like “high-class medicine” but traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) is still widely accepted by Malaysians, said Southern University College (Southern UC) TCM Centre.

“Although herbs are getting more and more expensive, the number of patients visiting our TCM centre did not dwindle. In fact, it has risen steadily since we started operating seven years ago. We get about 30 to 40 patients each day,” said its deputy principal Lau Hung.

“There is also a small number of Malay and Indian patients. This shows that more people, especially the non-Chinese, are gaining confidence in this field of medicine.”

Southern UC has more than 10 physicians, a physiotherapy centre and a Chinese herb garden.

It is the only university college that offers TCM studies with a TCM clinic on its campus.

Lau observed that non-Chinese patients would normally seek treatment for problems related to phlegm, cough and persistent headaches.

She believed that this was linked to their diet, which is typically spicier and “heaty” in nature.

The centre, she said, would also see patients suffering from cancer, stroke, and even children with autism and Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD).

Compared to 20 years ago where patients commonly suffered from aches due to labourintensive jobs, Lau said common ailments especially among women nowadays was irregular menstruation due to their lifestyle.

“People have the habit of sleeping late these days with so many distractions around them such as the smartphone. Insufficient sleep affects the hormones, which leads to menstruation issues and problems conceiving,” she said.

According to Malaysia Federation of Chinese Medicine Dealers and Practitioners Association adviser Kerk Ee Chen, the modern lifestyle and unhealthy eating habits are the root cause of most ailments.

“We live in the digital era where technology is so advanced, yet we have more and more people suffering from health problems, no thanks to the frequent consumption of artificial food,” he said.

Kerk, a physician with more than 40 years of experience, said most people were “detached from their natural living habits, which means sleeping and taking meals at fixed times, having a balanced diet and exercising regularly”.

He listed cancer, high blood pressure, kid- ney problems and diabetes as illnesses found among patients who seek TCM treatment.

Ailments commonly found among men was prostate cancer, he said.

As for women, breast cancer and uterus problems were common, which Kerk believed were lifestyle-related.

“The lack of exercise and long hours sitting in air-conditioned offices caused people to fall sick more often as the body could not excrete toxins properly through sweating,” he added.

As for younger children, Kerk said that their common problems are accumulated phlegm, sinus problems as well as sensitive eyes and nose, “which were practically unheard of when I was growing up in the 1960s”.

Kerk also lamented that he was seeing an increasing number of young patients and that their problems were getting more chronic, citing a teenage patient who had to take insulin shots for diabetes.

Johor Modern Chinese Medicine Association chairman Lee Shau Kee said patients suffering from spinal problems were getting younger and it was common among school children.

Besides “modern illnesses” such as joint pains due to incorrect sitting posture and unhealthy smartphone usage, he said primary school pupils who carry heavy schoolbags experience similar problems, too.

“About seven or eight out of 10 children actually suffer from spinal problems because of long hours of staring at their smartphones and lugging their heavy schoolbag around,” he said.

Federation of Chinese Physicians and Acupuncturists Association of Malaysia claimed that medical halls have recorded a 30% drop in business due to patients delaying their visits till their ailments are unbearable.

Its president Prof Dr Ng Poh Kok said patients used to head to Chinese medical halls to have their pulse examined when they have minor problems such as throat discomfort or when they get the sniffles.

“Because of economic pressure, we noticed that many patients will only seek treatment when the symptoms have developed into a full-blown cough or when they can no longer stand the pain.

“This definitely affects the business and we have medical halls complaining of at least 30% drop in business,” he said.

According to him, patients with common ailments would usually be charged about RM50 to RM100 for each consultation, depending on the type of herbs that are prescribed to them later.

Dr Ng also explained that TCM traditionally emphasised on preventive treatments and general health maintenance.