"My daily regimen has been integrated into my life. I eat five-grain porridge in the morning, green tea in summer, and black tea in winter. Depending on the weather and mood changes, I will brew different teas for myself, such as dried tangerine peel and rose. "Tim Vukan, a German teacher of traditional Chinese medicine, said.
In recent years, more and more people around the world have come to understand Chinese medicine. Some choose Chinese medicine as "alternative medicine", and others like Tim learn Chinese medicine, and some even pursue further studies to become Chinese medicine practitioners.
Since the outbreak of COVID-19, the scarcity of western medicines, the "endorsement" of the WHO, and the sequelae of the long-term novel coronavirus have all created great opportunities for the development of traditional Chinese medicine.
"Hong Kong 01" talked with German TCM teacher Tim Vukan and Australian TCM physician Giles Sadler respectively, to understand the two foreigners' journey of TCM and their views on the development of TCM in the world.
This is one of the thematic series on "Chinese Medicine in the World"
Born in Hamburg, Germany, born in the 1980s, Tim Vukan has been interested in Bruce Lee and Chinese Kung Fu since he was a child. He began to learn Wing Chun in Germany at the age of 18. After that, he came to Hong Kong several times to learn martial arts from local Wing Chun masters. During my kung fu studies, I was also interested in acupuncture and massage, because after each training session, brothers and sisters would massage each other to learn how to maintain good health, not only for fighting, but also for health and strength.” These chants Master Chun not only taught him Wing Chun, but also massage, meditation, Tai Chi, etc. He believes that through the combination of movement and stillness, he can keep his body and mind in a pleasant state.
In 2004, 24-year-old Tim practiced martial arts by himself from the Shaolin Temple in Zhengzhou, Henan, China. He soon realized that the training there was very difficult. He practiced for 7 hours a day, and the road ahead was to continue to practice martial arts and become a martial artist. Participate in the competition, only to find that this is not what he wants to do.
So he began to travel all over the country, including Nanjing, Wuhan, Guangzhou, Hangzhou, Kunming, etc. He was most interested in Hangzhou and Kunming, and was especially fascinated by the latter's national culture and medical system.
Tim Vukan has been interested in Bruce Lee and Chinese Kung Fu since childhood, and has come to Hong Kong several times to learn Wing Chun.
(provided by respondents)
When he shared the idea of starting to study Chinese medicine, he said:
Once in Yangshuo, Guangxi, I often saw people selling Chinese herbal medicines on the side of the road. I became very curious about these and often asked people for information on the uses of these Chinese herbs.
I began to have a strong interest in Chinese medicine and wanted to systematically learn Chinese medicine.
The following year, Tim successfully obtained the admission qualification of Zhejiang University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, and officially started his long journey of learning Chinese medicine.
He first studied Mandarin at the school for one year, followed by five years of undergraduate and three years of postgraduate Chinese medicine.
In 2015, after graduating successfully, he worked in a local Chinese medicine clinic and also served as a foreign teacher at his alma mater.
He said: "This is really what I want to study because it's another way of maintaining health, taking care of your body and mind, and there are many ways you can apply it to yourself, such as diet, herbal medicine, acupuncture, massage therapy, etc."
The German also created a Chinese medicine website as early as 2008, offering teaching courses in English, German and Chinese, hoping to promote Chinese medicine culture to the world.
He hopes to give everyone an introductory understanding of Chinese medicine, so daily lectures will always emphasize the connection with life, so as to avoid making people think that Chinese medicine is a lie, thereby increasing the public's understanding of Chinese medicine.
Among them, the students of English courses come from all over the world, such as the United States, Sweden, France, Singapore, the Philippines, Indonesia and so on.
He said frankly: "I love Chinese medicine and hope that more and more people can correctly understand Chinese medicine and feel the charm of Chinese medicine. This is my lifelong ambition."
Before the epidemic, Tim had been teaching at Zhejiang University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, mainly teaching undergraduate medical English, such as English medical terminology, and how to apply it clinically. He also taught different types of Chinese medicine subjects such as acupuncture and moxibustion.
He believes that as more and more foreigners move to China and Asian countries, the demand for medical care will be greater in the future, so he hopes to stay in China to support mainland students in Chinese medicine and English.
Now, after 17 years of cultivating traditional Chinese medicine, he deeply feels that his life is inseparable from traditional Chinese medicine. At the same time, he regards Hangzhou as his second hometown. He hopes that the mainland authorities will ease entry restrictions as soon as possible, so that he can have a chance to return later this year. to live and work in China.
Tim Vukan is currently focusing on teaching, hoping that more people can correctly understand Chinese medicine and feel the charm of Chinese medicine.
(provided by respondents)
Australian who became TCM due to sports injury
Another foreigner, TCM Giles Sadler, graduated with honors from the Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology (RMIT), Australia, with a Bachelor of Science in Human Biology and Applied TCM.
Before graduating, he did an intensive internship in a large Chinese medicine hospital and is currently registered with AHPRA as an acupuncturist, Chinese herbalist and herbalist, and is a member of the AACMA, the professional association of Chinese medicine practitioners.
After graduation, he opened his own Chinese medicine clinic in Perth, Australia, providing professional acupuncture, Chinese herbal medicine, moxibustion, cupping and massage and other treatments, as well as free treatment for vulnerable groups.
Giles' own background in sports and conditioning gives him expertise in treating sports injuries and musculoskeletal disorders, as well as women's health as well as digestive and respiratory disorders.
He emphasized that Chinese medicine adopts a smooth and harmonious approach to daily life.
The clinic's name is Moxa Punk, a combination of traditional Chinese medicine (moxibustion) and punk culture.
Giles points out that there are also acupuncture groups in the American community who use acupunk, where "acu-" stands for acupuncture, in an effort to provide affordable treatment in a country where many people cannot afford traditional medicines, which he agrees with noble cause.
Giles Sadler runs his own TCM clinic in Perth, offering acupuncture, Chinese herbal medicine, moxibustion and more.
(provided by respondents)
Since a young age, Giles has enjoyed mental and physical exercise, and his exposure to Taoist philosophy made him interested in Chinese medicine theory.
The hard physical training and contact sports (such as football, basketball, American football, rugby) made him understand the efficacy of acupuncture and thus became interested in its application.
He believes that it is his own experiences that make him naturally step into the field of traditional Chinese medicine, which is due to his personal and pragmatic attitude.
He added to reporters that the road to becoming a Chinese medicine practitioner has something to do with his physical training.
As he got older, his physical training became easier and easier, and he also began to practice Aiki Jiujitsu for more than 20 years.
He said frankly: "The hard training in the past has caused a lot of damage to my body, so I really want to know how to make my body support it."
The picture shows the growth forecast of the mainland Chinese medicine market to 2023, which shows that the outside world is optimistic about the development of the industry under the epidemic.
(Statista)
"Blooming everywhere" into a trillion-dollar global industry
Although the above-mentioned two foreigners have their own backgrounds in the path of Chinese medicine, the growing interest in Chinese medicine around the world is not an exception.
Since the new crown epidemic, traditional Chinese medicine has become an industry with more and more business opportunities.
In view of the impact of the epidemic on the global economy and the scarcity and expensiveness of traditional western medicines, patients in many countries, especially those in relatively poor countries, have turned to traditional herbal medicines such as traditional Chinese medicine, which are cheaper, to treat diabetes, cancer and Covid-19. and other diseases.
In March this year, the WHO report also "endorsed" traditional Chinese medicine, arguing that traditional Chinese medicine is beneficial for the treatment of mild cases of the new crown, which can reduce the rate of turning into severe cases, shorten the virus clearance time, and improve the clinical prognosis (Prognosis) of related patients.
According to figures from the Ministry of Commerce of Mainland China last year, TCM medical institutions are located in more than 160 countries or regions around the world, including Japan, Thailand, Indonesia, France, Russia, the United States, Cuba, etc. Some hospitals in these countries are selectively equipped with acupuncture, moxibustion and massage. , Chinese medicine department or pain clinic.
For example, there is one Chinese medicine or acupuncture clinic for every 15,000 people in Germany; there are more than 8,000 acupuncture clinics in the United States, and the Cleveland Clinic, one of the top three hospitals in the United States, also has a Chinese medicine clinic.
Today, Chinese medicine has also achieved good development in Cuba, Indonesia and other places.
Professor Zhao Jing from the Institute of Clinical Basic Medicine of Chinese Academy of Chinese Medical Sciences said:
As a country with the largest number of overseas Chinese, Indonesia has a good foundation for the development of traditional Chinese medicine.
Over the past few decades, the Indonesian government has stepped up its support for traditional medicine as the incidence of chronic diseases has increased.
Traditional Chinese medicine is now a trillion-dollar industry.
(Getty)
This traditional medicine with thousands of years of history has also developed into a global industry worth 130 billion US dollars (about 1.02 trillion Hong Kong dollars).
In recent years, there are also agricultural scholars in Tasmania, Australia, who have carried out ten-year research work to understand the possibility of local cultivation of medicinal crops such as ginseng, bellflower and perilla, and want to take a share of this emerging industry. .
This somewhat reflects the promising development prospects of the industry.
In addition, the WHO has successively issued and passed global strategies and resolution documents on traditional medicine in recent years, marking a new stage of development for the Chinese medicine industry.
In recent years, with the construction of the Belt and Road Initiative, the State Administration of Traditional Chinese Medicine has supported domestic TCM institutions to build 30 high-quality TCM overseas centers in relevant countries, and 56 TCM international cooperation bases in China. There is a lot of potential for development.
Under the epidemic, I have indeed seen many COVID-19 patients recover quickly and even become healthier after receiving TCM treatment. I really think TCM still has a lot of room to contribute.
German TCM teacher Tim Vukan
Is the epidemic really a good opportunity for the development of traditional Chinese medicine?
Facing the opportunity of the new crown epidemic, Tim believes that more and more people around the world are willing to accept Chinese medicine.
He pointed out that no matter where they are, people have to face the epidemic prevention and lockdown, being forced to stay at home, unable to go to work, social networking and other issues, which can easily lead to depression, anxiety, panic attacks, stress and other mental disorders. obstacle.
There are also patients with new crown infection who have to face treatment or long-term new crown sequelae such as fatigue, phlegm, and dyspnea, and feel that their quality of life has become different.
Faced with these situations, since Western medicine may not always be able to provide prescriptions and treatments, he said: "People are starting to look for other things, especially those that they can do on their own, that they can do at home."
Can traditional Chinese medicine go further out with the help of the epidemic?
(Getty)
He emphasized that Western medicine is a very good medical system, but sometimes it is not enough.
Tim pointed out that TCM not only treats specific diseases, but also has the important function of "preventive treatment" (ie, preventive treatment of Western medicine). Taking related follow-up treatment, he said: "Traditional Chinese medicine can not only explain why certain symptoms that Western medicine can't handle, but also provide personalized treatment. That's why I think people are accepting and trying TCM."
Under the new crown epidemic, Tim also believes that people around the world generally feel the impact of the epidemic, anxiety, anger, depression, illness, helplessness, etc., so more people will start to seek health.
The epidemic just showed the world that there are other treatment options besides Western medicine, or the option of combining with traditional Chinese medicine.
He emphasized: "There are already demands in the medical market, although I would not say that TCM developed only because of the epidemic, but this is indeed an opportunity. After all, if people hadn't experienced various health problems during the epidemic, they would not have sought other medical services for no reason. solution.”
Tim summed up his TCM experience: "During the epidemic, I have indeed seen many COVID-19 patients recover quickly and even become healthier after receiving TCM treatment. I really think TCM still has a lot of room to contribute. "
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