Modern medicine (Western medicine) and traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) have been viewed as two very distinct and divergent fields of medicine. As such they differ greatly in their ways of diagnosing, treating, and preventing disease. In summary, Western medicine can be said to come from the evidence of laboratory-based science while TCM can be considered more of a healing art based on the theory of Yin and Yang and the five elements in the human body.
Because of the unique benefits that both types of medicine have on the body, many have been trying to find ways to integrate both medicines to cure illnesses.
Indeed, it is possible to combine both TCM and western medicine to attain maximum treatment benefits. According to Cao and Brown (2020), the best approach is to use western medicine to alleviate the current symptoms whilst using TCM to completely clear the root cause of the illness. This method uses the principle of “Jun-Chen-Zuo-Shi” which uses western medicine as a key element that directly fights pathological factors due to a disease, while TCM serves as an enhancer that increases the function of the western medicine consumed to address the root cause of the illness.
In addition, western medicine is a single target medicine, while TCM is a personalised and precision medicine, hence, they should be combined. However, it is important to note that you should take TCM at least 2 hours apart from western medicine and vice versa. This is to ensure that the digestive system has enough time for the medicine to be absorbed before the next wave of medication. As each individual is different, we advise that it would be most ideal to consult both your TCM physician and your GP for their opinions.
You may feel that it is so troublesome to have to visit a doctor for western medicine and TCM separately. However, luckily for you, Eu Yan Sang has just launched its second integrative wellness clinic at i12 Katong this year, backed by popular demand. Leading TCM practice in Asia for over 140 years, Eu Yan Sang’s first integrative clinic, One Wellness Medical, employs a holistic approach to medical diagnosis through a collaboration between Western doctors and TCM physicians.
This is only made possible with knowledge exchange between its team of certified Western practitioners and TCM experts in the clinic, who take on a coordinated approach to curate patient treatments. Leveraging the immediate effectiveness of Western medicine, and age-old treatment methods of TCM, patients can reap the benefits of both short-term and long-term medical treatment.
To make things even more accessible, Eu Yan Sang has launched its Integrative Health Mobile Application on 1 October 2022 which will bring exclusive mobile app deals for users and digitise the patient’s journey at its clinics. This new additional feature adds a seamless touch to the patient’s journey to receiving medical treatment and reduces unnecessary pain points for those who are already ill.
Visit this link to find out where their clinics are located.
References
Cao, B., & Brown, C. (2020). Understanding Chinese medicine and western medicine to reach the maximum treatment benefit. Journal of Translational Science, 6(2). https://doi.org/10.15761/jts.1000334
Images: One Wellness Medical and Envato
