April 14, 2005

Traditional Chinese medicine is a non-invasive healing process based on balancing the bodily systems with natural herbal formulas and meridian energy therapies. It has few side effects, writes Faiza Ilyas

Herbs have been used for treating various ailments since antiquity. According to estimates of the World Health Organization (WHO), around 80 per cent people use herbal medicine for some aspect of primary health care. Many drugs commonly used today are of herbal origin as well.

Over the years the importance of herbal medicine has increased as more and more people have become aware of the serious side effects of some conventional medicines. This has led to extensive research on plant materials for their potential medicinal value, and has created interest in traditional Chinese medicine (TCM), which has a history of over 5,000 years.

Unlike Western medicine, which leans toward surgical removal of body parts and the prescription of drugs, TCM is a non-invasive healing process based on balancing the bodily systems with ‘natural’ herbal formulas and meridian energy therapies. When the bodily systems are in balance, they facilitate the body’s ability to heal itself. Thus TCM focusses on prevention rather than the cure of disease.

Feeling the need to create awareness about the Chinese herbal medicines in treating common problems afflicting women, a programme was held recently by a NGO working for social welfare. The organizers had invited a local representative of a Chinese herbal medicine manufacturing and distributing company, a cosmetic surgeon and a gynaecologist.

Addressing the audience, Dr Shahab Mehdi, a cosmetic surgeon, said that alternative medicine was becoming popular around the world and people were showing interest in knowing about the various treatments, which claimed to have minimum side effects and had the tendency of improving overall health.

“Many of my patients are taking alternative medicines and I believe that there is no harm in working together for the general well being of the patient whose interest should always come first. We should always try to find the safest form of treatment,” Dr Mehdi said.

Dr Nighat, a gynaecologist, spoke about the causes, symptoms, effects as well as psychological aspects of menopause. “In our society, generally, a woman has a very troubled life. She has very little say in her own life and is over burdened by many responsibilities. Menopause is not such a big deal, but there are other factors which affect her health drastically and make this transitional period difficult,” she observed. Samina Kamal, the representative for the company conducted the programme explaining the uses of various medicines.

The chief guest, Sardar Yaseen Malik, lamented the lack of awareness on herbs among the country’s populace and informed the audience that other countries were progressing in the field. In India, he said, all major pharmaceutical companies had a separate section dealing with this subject.

“In our part of the world, hakims could have played a vital role in making this field popular. But, unfortunately, they kept their knowledge to themselves and ultimately this myopic approach blocked the way for research and improvement. One major reason why herbal medicines are not being promoted is that there is no system to patent them. They have been there for centuries and anybody can participate in the business, but they should have a scientific back-up,” Malik observed.

In the end, the audience was informed that Chinese herbal medicines were approved by the American Federal Drugs Association. The basic modality was the promotion of ‘whole-body wellness’ through balancing the systems. Many different herbs and plants were tested and used for different ailments. Eventually, over time, these observations were recorded and experimented, giving way to a wealth of knowledge and experience.

“A large number of products range from herbal balanced dietary supplements, natural biological calcium, medicines to control obesity, hypertension, cholesterol level, strengthening the immune system to anti-aging and beauty products,” said Malik.

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