Ben Cao GanG Mu - NUSS

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inside sTory 0 Practitioner is Key Undeniably, the practitioner plays a pivotal role in ensuring that the ailment is diagnosed correctly and that the treatment endorsed is appropriate. At this juncture, although TCM training courses are aplenty in China, few of them are accredited. To complicate matters, the training duration of the practitioners vary from months to years. The Risk of Allergy As TCM usually involves the consumption of herbal medicine, that are made up of a concoction of different elements within the herb, it is hard for patients to ascertain the exact harm that might result. In some mild instances, the patient would experience allergy; in some severe cases, this could mean poisoning. This necessitates consultation with a trained person prior to dispensing medication. Lack of Standardisation Chinese herbal medication are often not standardised from one pill to the next, or from one brand to the next, and can be reformulated, remixed, or altered by any company. Essentially, this means the same dosage for one brand may be heavier compared to the other. Consequently, it makes the effectiveness of Chinese medication unpredictable. Regulating TCM Due to nagging safety issues and incidents of herb abuse, governments and health organisations are recognising the need to regulate the industry. The Traditional Chinese Medicine Practitioners Act passed on 14 November 2000 provides such a form of regulation for the industry. The Act stated that practitioners of TCM must register with the TCM Practitioners Board, and with effect from 2004, registered practitioners must also possess valid practising certificates. (For a listing of registered TCM practitioners, visit www.tcmpb.gov.sg) Along with recognition and the installation of proper accreditation guidelines, the stature accorded to TCM industry and the practitioners are now elevated. Having a governing body and an accredited degree programme ensure that the practitioners will have a uniform standard of practice. Implicitly, this provides a platform for faster growth and maturity of the industry. That said, while regulations and accreditation provide the launchpad, it is really the research discoveries and equipping practitioners with the appropriate knowledge that will propel the industry forward. Currently, TCM training is provided at three different colleges in Singapore, the Singapore College of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Institute of Chinese Medical Studies and the Nanyang Technological University (NTU). Although the degree offered in NTU is not a specialised one, but a double degree in Bachelor of Science (Hons) in Biomedical Sciences and Medicine (Chinese Medicine), it is momentous to have a government affiliated university, offer a TCM-related course. This signifies the acceptance of TCM. With Singapore poised to be a biomedical hub and medical tourism hotspot, the prospects of moving the industry one step closer to being a reliable source of treatment worldwide is slowly but surely manifesting. Shifting Perceptions This one small step is part of a paradigm shift of perceptions in the medical industry. The Westernised world used to be bounded by the limitations of technological advancements and the speed of laboratory discoveries – a signature of Western medicine. With the growing acceptance of TCM as a legitimate treatment method, a rich plethora of possibilities have been unearthed. In its infancy, Singapore’s medical industry is looking at TCM as complementary treatment. Judging from Hong Kong and Taiwan’s medical industry, which are ahead of Singapore in its adoption of TCM treatments, TCM is set to be fully integrated with Western Medicine in the very near future. Certainly, the future seems to be bright for TCM practitioners as it evolves to encompass a more research-grounded industry. Perhaps soon, a new reference will be coined in place of ‘Traditional Chinese Medicine’ to better represent it.
UPClose: dR koH HWee lIng in relaTion To The TheMe For This issUe oF The GradUaTe, AUdReY cHong GeTs a PeeK inTo The world oF herBal MediCine By CaTChinG UP wiTh dr Koh hwee linG, assoCiaTe ProFessor FroM The naTional UniVersiTy oF sinGaPore, deParTMenT oF PharMaCy. Dr Koh harvesting Panax notoginseng roots on her field trip in Yunnan (China) TCM – A Natural Inclination For a veteran who has been researching on herbs for more than 12 years, passion is certainly still running high. Dr Koh shared, “It was a natural decision for me to want to find out more about herbs especially since I grew up taking them.” A Bigger Mission What started off as a means to quell her curiosity on the subject matter has now taken on a different spin as she has a bigger mission. That is, to address the controversies surrounding the subject matter – efficacy, quality and safety issues. According to her, these three issues will always be close to the hearts of many healthcare professionals and patients alike when they are considering to adopt TCM as complementary treatment. Realising a Holistic Treatment Model Asked what she sees TCM’s role in the future, Dr Koh explains that in Singapore, Western Medicine is still the primary form of healthcare despite the popularity of TCM. However, she predicts that integrative treatment methods “I would always encourage my students by telling them that research work cannot stop because we must continue to find a better cure and to improve the quality and safety of complementary medicine in order to harness the potential benefits.” – a patient would be diagnosed and prescribed with both Western and TCM medication by qualified practitioners – would gradually gain popularity in the future. To educate students (our future healthcare professionals and consumers) in TCM and herbal medicine, Dr Koh runs a course on Complementary and Alternative Medicine for about 400 students. A little medicinal plant garden has also been set up on campus for teaching and research purposes. She has also published a book entitled “A Guide to Medicinal Plants: an illustrated, scientific and medicinal approach”. An Uphill Task The journey ahead is long and winding. Beset by the inadequate research this area has, as well as the previous occasional bad press that was generated, there is certainly much work that needs to be done. To complicate matters, funding issues are perennial. Fortunately, Dr Koh’s determination remains unwavered through it all. She truly exemplifies the altruistic spirit of a healthcare professional that we should all look up to. upClose
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Ben Cao GanG Mu - NUSS

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