Health and wellbeing is most important in life, both physically and psychologically.
When we are unwell, we seek medical assistance.
Unfortunately, this is difficult for many Chinese patients who have difficulty communicating in English. They are unable to translate their symptoms or medical terms for diseases and illnesses; thus, native doctors are unable to offer them the best treatment at times. Same goes with cultural differences, heath problems are often tackled both by Western and Chinese medicine in China; in which importance of both types of medicines are applied in harmony, perhaps using Western medicine to cure the disease and Chinese medicine to prevent or provide a better recovery.For these reason, health Centers for Chinese people were established to overcome these problem in Manchester. Chinese people therefore have two choices of medical care: Western medicine with the usual NHS via GP’s appointments and their own Chinese medicine through private practitioners and medical herb shops. Patients can still use both if preferred with guidance from the Chinese Health Information Centre (CHIC) from doctors who understand Chinese people and their culture.
Tradition Chinese Medicine (TCM) theories align with Buddhist/Taoist teaching that daily living should be kept in balance with the human body much like the Yin-Yang with the five elements in cycles that one body part cannot work without the help of others.
The body system is viewed as a whole vessel, with many channels for which life force ‘qi’ (blood) flows through functional models of what we otherwise know as organs. Treating the body as a functional system means when medical problem occurs (e.g. a disruption in the flow qi); treatment focuses on the cause to encourage qi to flow again and heal itself whilst the body rebalances with dietary rehabilitation and gentle exercise like tai chi.
Besides asking general questions about how patients feel and their family histories, diagnoses of conditions are established by feeling for the radial artery pulse, along with observation of the tongue, different parts of the torso for tenderness, difference in body part temperature and body odors can provide information about the patient.
Traditional Chinese – Medicine treatment branch into these major types: -
- Acupuncture – A technique of inserting and manipulating fine needles into specific acupuncture points on the body, this is often used to relieve pain along with the use of Moxibustion to warm and encourage blood circulation.
- Herbal Medication – Medications made by complex combination of Chinese herbs that cures the problems and balance the body, often brewed from its crude form selected to tailor each patient depending on their heath problems into a medical soup.
- Dietary Food Therapy – Rebalancing the body from excess or deficiencies with food to replenish needed nutrients.
- Die-Da – Treatments of various methods such as herbs for trauma, bone fractures, sprains and bruises.
- Cupping – Glass cups massaging technique used on the body based on a vacuum effect made by warming air inside the cup with matches to make the cup expand and cooled. With massaging oils, it is slide around the body. The slight vacuum gives a reverse pressure massage.
- Tui-Na – Hands on body massage using acupressure of thumb presses, rubbing, percussion and stretches. Its purpose is to rebalance the body and open the body’s defensive qi to encourage it is movements in the muscles.
Chinese Health Information Centre
Established more than 20 years ago, the Chinese Health Information Centre (CHIC) based in Manchester was formed to reduce the language and cultural barrier of health within the Chinese and English community. Further aims were to promote and educate others about diseases and how they can be prevented; doing so CHIC is able to provide the Chinese community with a more personal approach of heath service by means of volunteered Chinese GPs who see patients three times a week and being the only ethnic group who provide their own interpreting support.Additionally, CHIC also provides telephone enquiry and drop-in service for people, heath information and terminology leaflets, heath talk sessions, monthly diabetic screening, exercise activities, parenting, drug awareness and first aid classes. CHIC is another way of drawing the Chinese community together with almost 6,000 patients registered and rising each year. These activities help the community to build self-confidence as well as giving opportunity to make new friends.
Both Traditional Chinese and Western medicine are designed to improve heath. Using either kind is patient’s personal decision. However, any misinterpretation can be problematic and a danger to health. That is why CHIC works hard to reduce these misunderstanding with their services for Chinese people to give them a better heath care resulting in a more together community.
