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| By Chandra Devi Renganayar KUALA LUMPUR: Our forefathers' interest in turning to nature to cure ailments and stay healthy is making a comeback in a big way. Home remedies that once originated from the kitchens of our ancestors are now gaining attention as people look for cures with no side effects, said president of Malaysian Society for Complementary Medicine (MSCM) Dr Lee Chee Pheng. He said the interest in home remedies had grown to a point where 70 per cent of Malaysians use some form of traditional and complementary medicine (TCM) to enhance health or to treat illnesses. This, Lee said, was a finding by a survey by the Health Ministry in 2004. "Over the years, the side effects of conventional drugs have become a major concern and it is driving many people to use home remedies, which use natural ingredients, such as herbs, spices and fruits. "This is basically motivating the reinvention of the practices of our forefathers," said Lee. He said the demand for alternative medicines had given rise to the various forms of traditional and complementary medicines such as naturopathy, siddha, phytobiophysics, acupuncture, ayurveda and chiropractic treatment. MSCM has 29 chapters registered with 500 members offering expertise in various modalities. While conventional, or allopathic medicine only treated the disease, Lee said TCM took a holistic approach in treating the body. "Conventional medicine is second to none when it comes to surgery, emergency and trauma treatment, however, there is no doubt that complementary medicine produces comparable results for just about everything else." He said although home remedies' roots date back to more than 5,000 years, it had lost ground to the more recent conventional medicine because of the lack of support in scientific research, documentation and the backing of the industry. Lee added that an "innovative mentality" was still needed in the sector. "Modern day medicine has made incredible advances in treatment of many diseases and people were tuned to it because of reliable research evidence. There is continuous research and education, which has influenced our mindset." To make TCM more appealing and widely accepted, he said it must be taken to another level of scientific sophistication. "Reliable research and the scientific approach of validating and quantification are essential to the growth of the TCM sector." The society, he added, was constantly encouraging all practitioners to present their work in a scientific and a professional manner through research. "In line with the interests of the public, TCM should become a regulated profession and developed within a safe and controlled environment." Lee said the government had also recognised the importance of traditional medicine and was providing support via various means. The biggest recognition thus far was the integration of TCM into the national healthcare system and the formulation of TCM Act. "In 2006, the Health Ministry introduced an integrated hospital concept, which saw to the development of special units providing selected TCM modalities in government hospitals. "As of today, eight public hospitals in Penang, Putrajaya, Johor, Sabah, Sarawak, Negri Sembilan, Terengganu and Kedah have opened TCM wings providing selected complementary modalities, such as traditional Malay massage, acupuncture and herbal treatment for cancer patients." Lee also said the TCM Act, which had been tabled in Parliament, but yet to be enforced, would provide guidelines to better regulate TCM practices. "Once the TCM Act is enforced, all practitioners will have to register with the Health Ministry before they can offer their services. This will stop abuse and weed out bad practitioners. "As of now, although it is required for practitioners to register with the ministry, it is not by law." | |||||||||
