Above are pictues of me with Drs.Tony Lu and Kelly Xia who work in our Guangzhou clinic and with Dr.Li Da, Chief of Oncology at Guangdong Provincial TCM hospital.
I recently traveled to Guangzhou and spent time at our clinic there and visited two hospitals. We are considering taking over a floor in one of the hospitals to use for cooperation on inpatients and deliveries. The 2nd was the Guangdong Provincial Hospital which is a 1500 bed hospital and the busiest in Guangzhou, a city of 7 million previously known as Canton. This hospital is a TCM hospital primarily but also combines that with Western medicine. I didn't bring my camera so will describe it a bit. It is very modern with a large reception area. On the wall are perhaps 100 pictures of physicians with information about them. Patients are standing in front of the pictures reading and after deciding who they want to see they take a number for that doctor. If they are early enough they will get to see that doctor sometime during the day. There are different fee schedules based on the seniority of the doctor.
The second floor houses the pharmacies, both TCM and Western. The TCM part is much larger. A day of medicine is made up of perhaps 20 sealed bags in a paper bag. When you get home you mix them together in water, boil it and drink it morning and evening. You get about 10 such bags and then have to return to see the doctor in about 10 days. I am told that you spend about 5 minutes with the doctor and by feeling your pulse, looking at your tongue, and briefly speaking with you they can individualize your therapy.
I visited the oncology ward and met the Chief of the Hematologic malignancies. They had 51 patients on the ward all with familiar diagnoses listed on a board with a few English letters such as MM for multiple myeloma or NHL for Non-Hodgkins Lymphoma. When discussing what treatments they use, the physicians often answered, "according to economics". They were very knowledgeable and had ready access to National Cancer Center guidelines. Luckily they were eager to have a picture with me and took the above picture and emailed it to me. They give chemo first followed by TCM. Patients who would get their treatment as an out-patient in my practice may spend 1-2 weeks in the hospital. It was clear that not many patients could afford the newest most expensive medications even when life-saving such as in chronic myelogenous leukemia.
I also got a tour of the Traditional Therapeutic Center where they use multiple methods of treatment including "moxi-bustion" which is cigar-like bundles of an herb that are burning and are applied close to the abdomen or other areas. They emit a very strong smell that is very similar to marijuana. I also was shown a live example of bee sting therapy used to bolster the immune system for frequent colds or fatigue. The doctor took a pair of tweezers, reached into a little box and quickly removed a live bee and applied it to the right thigh where it stung the patient in the acupuncture "stomach point." I was asked if I would like a treatment but luckily for me my colleague stepped in and explained that I was about to get on a plane.
I missed the "cupping" that was over for the day but got to see the "fumigation" apparatus,, "feet balneotherapy" and pictures of "ear points", "wax therapy", along with pictures of "bleeding therapy",and "Plum pit needle therapy."
I have seen a young woman on treatment for breast cancer who did feel that TCM(herbal meds) made a huge improvement in her post-menopausal symptoms brought on by Western hormonal treatment.
It was a fascinating day. Any aches or pains that might lend itself to TCM?
Philip
No comments:
Post a Comment