6 posts tagged “traditional medicine”
“In Putrajaya Hospital, you need to make an appointment three months in advance for such a service. In Kepala Batas, more than 4,000 patients had been treated since January,” said Health Minister Datuk Liow Tiong Lai. Traditional complementary medicine (TCM) will be introduced in three more government hospitals in Terengganu, Sabah and Sarawak next year following the good reception to such treatment at three hospitals that had offered it first.
The full article here
As I have mentioned, this is not about medicine nor well-being of patients. This is about business. The Health Minister implies that TCM must also be good until there is need to expand it. (You can't expect the Health Ministry to expand a service which is not good for the well being of patients right?) And it also implies that the longer you need to wait, the more terrific the treatment must be.
So why the fuss if patients have to wait for a 3 month appointment to see me? They can take the TCM route first and then wait for my 3 month appointment too...and don't complain if your tumour has grown to a size of football...3 months for my service too...
I have my reservations on how the Ministry plans to regulate the extremely diverse TCM with their rather "unscientific" practices when they cannot even issue the full registration/ annual practising certificates(APC) for bona fide doctors on time every year. There are even bona fide doctors practising without valid APCs for years in public hospitals.
I'm positive if the all patients ditched proven modern treatment and goes to the TCM route, the Health Ministry will close all current hospitals and convert them into TCM hospitals. It's just business, business and business...supply and demand. Nobody mentioned anything about whether the treatment works or not.
I came across this product which is advertised in a coffee shop. It's actually a water filtration system. I'm not here to dispute the efficacy of any water filtration system. However I'm concerned that so many products out there are blatantly adding on a prefix like Health water, Health food, Health supplement, Health this and that...
What's the difference between plain old water and "Health Water"? Both are made of a molecule of 2 hydrogen atoms plus an oxygen atom.
I think it's misleading as the public may perceive "Health products" as medically superior which is basically bullshit !
A rather high ranking Official from the TCM Division in the Ministry of Health gave an insight of the progress of implementing the "integrated" hospital concept today.
Among others was the introduction of TCM in Hospital Kepala Batas, Putrajaya and Sultan Ismail.
The main driving reason is economic gains! The ministry is planning to market it as part of the "health tourism" and I suspect also to create more job opportunities. The market is large and demand is high.
Which brings to me another part of his speech. They are going to introduce various degree and diploma courses is traditional & complementary medicine in the private and public local institutions of higher learning !! We truly will have a world class university then.
There will be Degrees in Acupuncture, herbal medicine etc etc ...even Diploma in Malay Massage and Diploma in Aromatherapy. A whole list of degrees and diplomas... So don't be alarmed if you see a graduate in the future with B.Sc (Traditional Med, 1st class honours) or Dip ( Malay Massage ). Then truly everyone in M'sia will have a degree! Wow....a truly educated country.
He also mentioned that there are many so called double blind placebo controlled studies with regards to TCM mainly from China to justify this integration. I would certainly be interested it if he can forward it to the FDA for scrutiny. Even if it is true, with so many people's interest at stake, how can we be sure the so called studies are carried out properly? ( ie fake studies or fake results as a result of corruption ). Why don't they ask other countries to verify their studies?
If the public wants to go for these so called "traditional treatments" by all means, it's their choice, but to put TCM into the mainstream public hospitals using PUBLIC FUNDS is endorsing their equality to modern treatments which is far from the truth as evidence is lacking for TCM. This is close to deception to say the least.
The official also said that that only "herbs" that were produced as end products eg capsules etc were allowed to be imported by these practitioners. We all know how quality control is being done in China. ( recently the top brass in the food industry in China was sentenced to death for various offences ). We even have problems verifying and controlling the content of generic medications, what more traditional herbs ??!!!!
We're not even reaching the issue of regulating and certifying the TCM practitioners yet.
My conclusion is that this is purely a business venture and is not out to improve the health services of the country. Unfortunately public funds are being used to finance this business venture ( in hospitals and public institute of higher learning ) under the guise of improving healthcare.
So now we'll have massage parlours in hospitals hahahaha....what next?
The Malaysian Medical Resources website today highlighted a quack therapy called Colour Vibration Therapy. I didn't know this existed, with 35 branches nationwide. Check out here.
It claims to CURE and aid the treatment of the following:
# Allergy
# Ebola virus
# Influenza
# Tuberculosis
# Asthma
# Eczema
# Lymphadenitis
# Typhoid
# Bronchitis
# Fibroma
# Lupus
# Ulcer
# Botulism
# Flu
# Malaria
# Whooping Cough
# Bowel Cancer
# Gastric
# Migraine
# Cholera
# Goitre
# Pneumonia
# Colonitis
# Gout
# Prostate
# Colitis
# Hay fever
# Sinus
# Dengue
# Hepatitis
# Skin disorder
# Dysentery
# Herpes
# Tonsillitis
# Eye Infection
# HIV
# Tetanus
This founder should win more than the Nobel prize, the man that saved mankind... And he has a "Prof Emeritus Dr. Sir" title...fuuuuh. Unless I'm outdated, knighthood can only be bestowed by the Queen of England. But Malaysia boleh!
After reading the "revolutionary treatment", I felt compelled to search for more "groundbreaking treatments" available in Malaysia...
Check out here and here and here and here. Just examples of the numerous "earth shattering" treatments I found. Yup, right at our backyard. The Ministry of Health also has a traditional & complementary division. Are they interested in incorporating these revolutionary/bogus treatments? Hahahaha
In my most humble opinion all these are fraud and quackery.
Maybe I should start charging more, since some people seem to be able to pay for quackery...after all nobody appreciates a RM5 consultation. And paying less taxes, I don't want my hard earned money be spent to build some earth shattering treatment facility.
Checkout more bogus treatment in malaysian medical resources
In today's New Straits Times, it lists out the few of the many many many fake products. Come on people! Do you really think "medicines" like Pil Tupai Jantan Asli or Crush Stone Super Capsule ( mentioned in the article ) has any "traditional" component in it? I mean you don't need the Ministry of Health telling you this!!!
These medications in all likelihood has Viagra or some steriods adulterated in it. In fact in one of the talks I attended, a local reseacher actually came out with a list of 'traditional medicines' that were tested. And came out tops in the list of component in these 'traditional medicines' is dexamethasone, a most potent steroid! Yet the market is flooded with these products guised under traditional/food supplement/herbal supplement and whatever fancy name they can come out with. I suppose the demand is great- as if there is no demand, there will be no supply.
For public interest, as a screening tool,
Any medicine with the word super, fantastic, magic, sure cure, energy, power, cure all etc should be immediately viewed with suspect and they belong to the trash can.
Any product which claims to cure also usually belongs to the trash can. ( No bona fide product will claim to cure - terms like symptomatic relief, risk reduction, chance of remission would be used instead )
Any product which claims to treat more than ONE ailment at one go is also prime suspect ( eg use to treat fatigue, headache, backache, heart problems, sexual dysfunction etc etc)
Any salesperson's claim which say " My father/ grandfather/ cousin/ auntie/ friend/ friend's friend has taken it for generations and they lived till the ripe old age" is most likely bulls***
If all else fails, just remenber this. Any product that makes you part with a significant amount of money especially on a regular basis should alert you.
Sigh... this only shows that a "traditional medicine" salesman's pitch works a hundred times better than a doctor's advice. We can talk till we get sore throat but still the salesman wins!
From New Straits Times, it seems that traditional and complementary medicine (TCM)is kicking off in Hospital Kepala Batas followed by Putrajaya Hospital and Sultan Ismail Hospital soon. With herbal preparation, acupuncture and traditional massage offered.
Perhaps the reason, as clearly stated in the report, is Malaysians are expected to spend RM1 billion on TCM in 2020.
I would be very interested to follow the progress of the "integrated" hospitals and how it turns out.
Serving in a public hospital I have no qualms about the perceived "competition". Heck, even if nobody sees me, I still get my salary. Ethics aside, it is much simpler for the doctor to say "Hmm, masih sakit badan ka? Mau cuba urut di sebelah ? Ada tradisional, Thai, Balinese etc" or "Itu kanser sudah melarat teruk, mau cuba herba-herba di sebelah?"
Hahaha, "kau tim, sap sap sui"- settled, no need to sweat, problem off my hands. After all this is sanctioned by the Ministry of Health !
However, I think it is unethical to offer therapy of dubious unproven value even in desperate patients. Desperation is not a justification for clearly futile therapy. Why can't people just get this concept? Furthermore patients are ill and in a vulnerable state. Of course which terminal patient will refuse immediate "hope" of the dubious therapy rather than the process of participating into proper clinical trials on new promising therapy or even proper palliative medicine. After all nothing to lose right? Well, nothing to lose except your bank account and a very poor family/next of kin. After all, what can the next of kin say? To advise against TCM will seem selfish during this grave time. Anyway the choice is up to them....I won't recommend it and I also don't stand to gain nor lose if they chooses TCM.( Actually I get less work if they go for TCM hahaha). But don't expect me to sweat if you come in comatose later on.
One can argue, if there is nothing else to offer we can always offer hope. If hope is free....I agree.
Some questions remained to be answered :
Who regulates TCM practitioners? What qualifies them to be one? Can I say " Datuk ajar bapa saya, bapa ajar saya dan sekarang saya sudah mengamal 20 tahun" Does he qualify to be a TCM practitioner? Will they need to get a "diploma" in massage for example? Who regulates the quality and authenticity of the "massage" courses offered? We are even having problems regulating the various universities that offers medicine courses for god's sake!!!!!!
Who shall be accountable to delayed treatment or complications of TCM? Will doctors have to pick up the pieces?
For example if a renal failure patient refuses haemodialysis and goes for TCM, his slot is given to the next patient in queue. When the earlier patient gets worse and wants dialysis now, can he get back his slot ( and cut queue ) and deny the later patient? Is this fair? Can he sue the TCM practitioner for "offering" him TCM and thus denying him a slot now? And...can a person sue a masseur/hospital if he accidentally say fractures a bone? (say in a pt with myeloma)- can this be called negligence?
How to regulate the herbs? Can each and every herb be accounted in terms of active ingredients (nobody knows it for sure in any case), potency, quantity and quality? Btw how to regulate? Can it be safely assumed that for similar herb, A is planted in Cameron highlands in hydroponic conditions vs B planted in Johor on peat soil and cow dung have similar properties? After all who is to know? They are the same plant! And if a bigger leaf is prescribed to a person and a smaller but thicker leaf to another person, are they equal? Or can one prescribe a proximal root and a distal root to different persons? Are they the same? How to determine proximal and distal btw? It would be extremely hard if not impossible to find 2 plants of exactly equal proportions.
I don't think "western" medicine and TCM can ever coexist in the same setup. They don't even speak the same "technical" language what more concepts and treatment. One speaks of "heatiness" and "balancing the chi in the body", the other may interpret it as hot flushes and maybe ataxia. I don't know. If any collaboration do exist it is clearly not for the advancement of mankind. Maybe $$. Only one is evidence based and has gone through rigorous randomized clinical trials.
There are bound to be instances where the doctor and TCM practitioner contradicts each other. I won't compromise my judgement and treatment just to "fit in" the TCM practitioner's remedy. Patients will have to choose. ( for those who has plenty of $$ and say "I'll try both together" )
From my experience, most if not all the cancer patients who "wants to try " traditional treatment first, inevitably comes back either worst off or terminal. The ones that don't, I assume have passed away.
If this is the way tax payers money is used...
