Learning Traditional Chinese Medicine
I lost my sister to Lupus in 2002 after her 20-year long battle with Lupus. Besides prayer, we relied heavily on western medicine. Growing up in an English-speaking Peranakan family, it was the only kind of medical treatment that our family knew.
I was first introduced to Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) watching Korean dramas during the pandemic. Royal physicians diagnosing a patient by looking at the tongue, brewing herbs they foraged from the forest, and poking acupuncture needles to revive a dying person. In the movies, the sinseh (physician) could tell if a woman was pregnant just by feeling the pulse on her wrist – no MRIs or ultrasound. 🤔
TCM was something that belonged to another time, another place, another culture. It was something from out of the movies. I never thought twice about TCM as I suspended my skepticism and let the enjoyment of the movies carry me into a make-believe world.
In February 2025, a friend invited me to attend a 4-day TCM training in Malaysia. I said YES! I had zero interest in TCM but the thought of a taking break from caregiving and spending time with her was a good enough reason to go. No harm checking it out, I thought.
It was three days of mental gymnastics trying to follow the training. The handouts, slides, lectures, and demos were all in Chinese. There was a translator of course but this English-speaking little Nonya was huffing and puffing to catch up. Besides struggling with language, the whole idea of TCM was totally foreign to me. I was awakened from my world of mythology and movies into a world where people actually believed and were dedicated to practicing a different way of treating diseases. 😱
On the 4th and last day of our training, we worked with leaders of a local community to treat the sick. Our 老師 (Lǎoshī, teacher) would diagnose the patient and we, the students, would follow through to administer the treatment.
Of all the many sick people who came that day, I was randomly assigned to do moxibustion (heat therapy) for the person with the most pain. She came hobbling and moaning in pain. I could feel panic rising from within me. She laid down on the makeshift bed. I lightly touched her back as I asked in my broken Mandarin, 哪一边疼 (Where does it hurt?) She squealed in pain!
One of the 老師s came to my rescue. I just did what she told me to do. As I treated the 70+year old, she started telling how grateful she was for the treatment. Western doctors had told her that she needed surgery. She said she couldn’t afford it. After we were done, she went back to the senior 老師. He checked her again then administered two or three needles on her.
Almost immediately, she started squatting and standing. Her back and knees loosened. She walked rapidly up and down the passage way exclaiming “感谢主! 感谢主!” (Thank God. Thank God!) It was like seeing Acts 3:7-9 happening before my eyes.
And he took him by the right hand and raised him up, and immediately his feet and ankles were made strong. And leaping up, he stood and began to walk, and entered the temple with them, walking and leaping and praising God. And all the people saw him walking and praising God…
Jesus went about preaching the good news of the Kingdom of God. Healing was part of his ministry. His disciple Peter preached the good news of the kingdom. He healed that lame man at the temple. In our ministry to the sick that day, we saw five people come to Christ.
That day in February 2025 turned this uninitiated into a ready TCM explorer, learner, and apprentice wannabe.
… I have become all things to all people so that by all possible means I might save some. – 1 Corinthians 9:22, ESV