I am Koay Ee Sian, a Chinese Medicine alumna of IMU who also has a background of a medical doctor (MD). After practicing conventional medicine for some time, I realised that there is a gap in the modern healthcare system that needs to be bridged. The following are some scenarios that triggered this thought:
a)
Patient A presented with discomfort but after thorough examination and diagnostic imaging, no diagnosis could be given as all results came back normal. However, the patient is indeed suffering and not making up symptoms.
b)
Patient B came with chronic diabetes, has been on a few types of medication plus insulin injection and has received warning if his sugar level is still not controlled, what is waiting for him eventually are amputation and dialysis.
c)
Patient C has chronic skin itchiness which flares up every month. She needs to apply medication to control the itchiness which always recurred after she stopped medication. However, she is worried of the side effect of medication if applied long term.
There are so many more examples I am sure even you have heard it from people around you. Is there a better way to handle these health conditions?
Why Chinese Medicine?
I chose to dwell into Chinese Medicine (CM) as it has been practised for more than thousands of years and has provided relief and healing to countless individuals over time. Most importantly, CM takes a holistic approach to health, focusing on the whole person rather than just the symptoms or specific disease. It emphasises the balance between various bodily systems and aims to address the root causes of health problems. This comprehensive perspective can be complementary to conventional medicine, which often focuses on specific symptoms or diseases.
My Experience Studying Chinese Medicine at IMU
IMU is the perfect place to kickstart my CM journey as the lecturers are dedicated and passionate in teaching and propagating Chinese Medicine. Some of the lecturers are IMU alumni hence they understand the students’ needs. All of them strive to improve teaching and learning experience in IMU so that the student can become a competent practitioner in the future.
We learned both Chinese medicine and elements of Western medicine and all modules were conducted in English. The subjects were taught by experts from each field. For instance, medical specialists and doctors were invited to teach western medicine related topic while Chinese Medicine specialists were arranged to teach subspecialty in Chinese Medicine. This prepares the future practitioners to be able to collaborate with other healthcare practitioners effectively and not restricted within our own field.
What Am I Doing Now?
I am currently practicing in a Traditional CM healthcare centre where we focus on bringing back the balance in the human body and supporting the body’s natural healing process. We take into account the unique body constitution, lifestyle and environment. Some of the treatments may take longer time but you can be assured you are on the correct path to recovery.
At IMU, we understand the strength of both conventional medicine and TCM and if we can collaborate and each play our roles, I believe that healing journey of people around us would be more pleasant and effective.
You may give TCM a try if you are compassionate in healing people as a whole.
