Integrative Medicine for Holistic Healthcare

The misguided school of thought that ‘Traditional medicine goes against Modern medicine’ is a myth. How many of us are still plagued by aches and discomfort, caused by various bad habits in our lifestyles? A bad sitting posture, lack of exercise, a deficiency in our diet, are just a few examples of how the little choices we make in our daily life can cause discomfort and other health issues that modern medicine might not be able to offer an instant solution to. The truth of the matter is while modern medicine remains as the most immediate and most reliable solution to treating illnesses, it isn’t the ‘be all end all’ for personal health.

 

Similar to how different countries learned from one another to improve their health systems during the COVID-19 pandemic, integrative medicine combines the science and study behind both schools of modern and traditional medicine, in order to provide the best holistic treatment that aims to improve one’s health in general, not just to cure symptoms or provide temporary relief.

The main issue with traditional and complementary medicine is that there is a knowledge and communication gap for healthcare professionals in western and traditional medicine that prevents practitioners of traditional medicine from providing proper counsel to patients about these treatments. A practitioner of integrative medicine overcomes this problem with a proper education in both schools of medicine. An experienced integrative medicine practitioner is able to provide a proper diagnosis of a patient’s condition, prescribe the necessary medication to combat symptoms, and provide any suitable therapy necessary for the patient to undergo a wholesome and complete bodily treatment.

 

One of Malaysia’s leading practitioners of integrative medicine, Dr. Kong Why Hong, is a strong advocate for the inclusion of integrative medicine in our local healthcare system. “It is essentially the best of both medical worlds in one package. It requires a full understanding of the body according to a modern syllabus, and the wisdom and knowledge of traditional therapy in order to determine the best combination to treat a patient’s condition.” With more than 20 years of experience in both modern medicine and traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM), He founded his company, Asian Integrated Medical, also known as AIM Healthcare, with two currently open branches - one in Cheras Perdana, and another in KPJ Tawakkal Health Centre. They offer TCM treatment and services, backed with the full knowledge of modern medicine behind each diagnosis and treatment of their patients. The centers also double up as a showroom for home care and medical equipment for AIM Healthcare’s sister company - iElder.asia, a medical equipment supply company focused on geriatrics and home care that aims to improve the quality of life for aged citizens, by ensuring that they have access to the facilities and equipment they need to live independently and age gracefully in their own homes.

This leads us to our next question: “Is integrated medicine expensive?” Affordability is pretty subjective, especially when it comes to healthcare. The popular belief is that any investment into healthcare is expensive and difficult to maintain, especially if we consider supplements, therapy sessions, the cost of medication, consultation fees, and etcetera. Several integrative medicine treatments do require patients to stick to a treatment program that requires repeated visits, but the type of treatment varies from patient to patient. Of course, the best way to save money on healthcare and medical costs is to avoid getting sick at all. But when we consider the options presented before us, (and not just from a financial point of view), staying in good health not only saves us money in the long run (from lifelong medication and having to purchase medical equipment), but also gives us the extra time and freedom to pursue the things that we would not be able to do if we were sick, unhealthy, or carrying a health complication that affects our ability to perform basic tasks. From this perspective, the cost of maintaining a healthy life is very, very affordable, and should be prioritized over dealing with the consequences once disaster strikes. After all, as the popular saying goes: “Health is Wealth”. We can always gather and accumulate more wealth, but once our health goes, it’ll never quite be the same ever again.