KoreaToday Oriental medical doctors reach out to foreign patients

By Bae Ji-sook

Staff reporter

These days, Oriental medicine is being hailed in Korea for a very new reason― the so-called medical tourism combining medical treatment and tourism is expected to lay golden eggs to natural resources-deprived country and Eastern medicine is at the forefront.

"Let's be honest. You will not make a real deal out of Western medical techniques apart from little skincare or cosmetic surgeries here. The real strength is in Korean Oriental medicine, something very original and fresh. Have you visited such clinics in Myeongdong― foreigner-frequented shopping district of central Seoul―? They are filled with Japanese tourists," said Kim Jung-gon, head of the Association of Korean Oriental Medicine.

Kim stressed in his interview with The Korea Times that Korea Oriental medicine could be a big breakthrough for the domestic medical industry to move on to an international scale.

"In my own clinic I greet tens of foreigners a month seeking for treatments without having to cut the flesh or remove organs. After receiving various treatments such as acupuncture, Chuna massages and others alongside the drugs, majority of patients express satisfaction," he said.

The basic theory of the Eastern medicine is well known already― all organs, nerves and body parts linked together and sickness appears when the balance among them breaks. He said with systematic approach to the theory, nearly all internal disease could be fixed and moreover, could strengthen the health status.

"Some simple injury such as sprained ankles could be easily fixed by acupuncture. It appeals to people outside Korea," Kim said.

The association has been supporting its members willing to thrust the American and the Canadian market by giving out free advice and others.

"We teach them local legal systems, what not to do or recommended to do. We inform them of how to obtain medical certificates and others.

"The traditional― some Westerners refer it as alternative― medical market is estimated at around $200 billion. Currently, the market leader is China taking up about 20 percent and Korea is far behind with 1.4 percent. But with more people stretching out overseas and domestic market expanding, I assume we could increase our portion to 10 percent within a decade," he said.

Kim is requesting the government to benchmark the Chinese administration's approach in globalization of the Oriental medicine, cracking into the Western market.

"The first step was driven by the government. The authorities have exported various drugs covering from indigestion to high fever and others. Then physicians performing acupuncture and other things stretched out. They have solidified Chinese medicine among all other Eastern therapies such as Ayur-veda of India," Kim said with a sigh of envy.

"Finally, they have set out to export their infrastructure. A Chinese medicine department is set up in London. This means professors and students will intensify the 'study,' there. There will also be a hospital for them, which means Chinese pharmaceuticals and other medical goods will also have a platform to embark on," he added.

He has been requesting the Ministry of Health and Welfare to follow the steps of the Chinese counterpart. The authorities have recently started promoting it at overseas exhibitions and others, but not many insiders are satisfied.

One thing that has halted the Oriental medical doctors' moves here was its constant conflict with Western medical doctors.

The two sides have been clashing over numerous issues such as use of needles in treatment― while Eastern medicine call it acupuncture stimulating the spots where the flow of Chi is irregular or blocked, Western counterpart call it interventional muscle and soft tissue stimulation therapy (IMS) that stimulates muscles―; use of X-rays, MRI or sonograms in diagnosis, and many others.

Without hesitation, Kim was IMS is derived from Oriental medicine and that Eastern medical doctors have rights to use state-of-the-art diagnosis devices. He criticized the Korean Western medical circles' exclusivity.

"We could share things but the way Western medical doctors claim their exclusivity is awkward. I mean, they don't really understand our mechanism anyway, don't they?" Kim said.

"It is true that Oriental medical field is behind the Western medicine in cutting off flesh to remove tumor or sewing artilleries and organs. Apart from that, I can say we can produce equal effects in different ways. Each side needs an open-mindedness to share information and support, encourage and push each other," he said.

It is easy to believe the numbers and figures but believing in something invisible, immeasurable thing, is often considered "unscientific," "Urban myth" or "superstitious."

The theory applies to believing in the effects of Oriental medicines. While Western medicine has gained public credit by physically removing tumors, exposing the sick area to radioactivity and others, its Eastern counterpart has maintained rather silent and invisible by focusing on "stabilizing" the balance of the body energy and strengthening the overall health.

In the world where "evidence-based medicine," Western medicine, rules as orthodox and others are considered "alternative," Korean Oriental medicine had little spot even in Korea.

Kim said he is sick of the request for the exact number, data and others to "materialistically prove the effect of Eastern medicine."

"When you are talking about evidence, I say there are two things― scientific evidence and historic evidence. The oriental medicine itself is based on a very abstract concept― chi, flow, spirit and others. How can you scale them and evaluate their improvement?" he said.

"But still, it has worked thousands of years in East Asia. History itself proved the effect. I think it is more important than few written figures sometimes, especially when I come across newly-discovered of decades-old western pharmaceutical goods. I get more convinced that time is the best judge," he said.

Kim talked about such issues at the World Health Organization western Pacific Region's meeting of local traditional health experts earlier this month.

"We are seeking to standardize terms and several treatment processes to get international acknowledgement. But what is more important is the world to understand the true mechanism of Eastern medical techniques. What you see isn't all you get," he said.

So, what makes Korean Oriental medicine different from that of Chinese? Kim says it is seen in Dongeuibogam, Korea's traditional book on oriental medicine written in 1613 by court physician Heo Jun. "It was during King Sejong (1418-1450) that Koreans sought to use indigenous ingredients for drug. Before, we just followed the Chinese regimes. Dongeuibogam is the encyclopedia of indigenous plants, grains, fruits and others that could be used for different drugs, that fits to Korean people brought up in Korean soil. The book has given the Korean medicine identity and pride," Kim said. According to the book, drugs that share the name and effect with Chinese ones, are made with different herbs. Therefore, it is considered more effective and affordable. Author Heo introduced all remedies circulating in the field and wrote it. Then he made some comparisons to talk about the most "effective one." "A couple of decades ago, some British researchers were dispatched to China in search of the essence of Oriental medicine. However, at the end of the day, they brought back Dongeuibogam with them calling it the epitome of thousands years of Eastern medical secret," Kim said. The book was added to the U.N. Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO)'s Memory of the World Register list last year, proliferating the "Heo Jun boom."