East Asian Medicine - My Style of Practice
"There exist no miraculous methods in the world, only plain ones, and the perfection of the plain is miraculous."
In East Asian medicine a physician's style of clinical practice is like a personal signature. It reflects their learning and clinical experience and the many influences that have shaped it. The following points sum up my own clinical style and outline what to expect if you come for treatment:
- Minimal Acupuncture: In acupuncture practice I generally use a very small number of needles. You will usually not experience any pain as the needles are inserted.
- Small Dosages: In herbal medicine I generally use small dosages and a small number of herbs per formula. Amongst other benefits, this keeps down costs, which depend on the amount of herbs prescribed.
- Low Frequency of Visits: My goal is to help every patient as quickly as possible. Everyone is different, of course, and successful treatment may mean one session for one person, and months of even years of treatment for someone else. However, even where long-term treatment is necessary, the use of mild acting formulas allows these to be used safely over long periods of times.
- Emphasis on Self-Care: For me the goal of medicine is to help patients to become independent of medical care and to take primary responsibility for their own well-being. An important element of treatment thus consists of helping patients to gain self-confidence in monitoring their bodies, in learning what they themselves can do to maintain health, and being able to decide when outside help is necessary.
- Integrated Medicine: Although East Asian medicine is powerful it has its limitations. Not only do I integrate Western medical knowledge into my own practice, I also may refer patients to other forms of treatment whenever I consider this to be necessary.