Open mind to alternative medicine

Philippine Daily Inquirer

Richard Yu’s brilliant letter today about the use of herbal medicines by generations of users in the Philippines strikes a chord with me. He mentions TCM —traditional Chinese medicine—which was a godsend to me. I stumbled upon a Western doctor in South Australia who learned acupuncture in Hong Kong and used it to treat cigarette addiction. It worked like a charm for me—three needles in my ear and some smoke in my face and—presto!—it worked. Don’t ask me how, but if something has been working for millions of people for thousands of years, why would Western medicine continue to begrudge it? Maybe because Western medicine can’t make a profit out of it? Or is just jealous?

My wife has malunggay trees growing in the garden: wonderful stuff, even drunk as tea. And what about virgin coconut oil (VCO)? I had a raspy throat a couple of months ago and had a few thimblefuls of VCO, and the raspiness disappeared.

Not all Western medicine is profit driven, you just have to look at how much more effective the Mayo Clinic model is. As well, not all herbal medicines are effective, some are just useless placebos, but there are enough proven herbal alternatives that do work—and continue to work—despite the non-acceptance by traditional Western medicine, which keeps chanting the mantra of “no proven therapeutic value.”

We owe it to ourselves to keep an open mind and look at herbal medicines as a healthy alternative. Do I miss not smoking since Feb. 20, 1986?

—WALTER P. KOMARNICKI,
Block 10 Lot 19,
Scions Kauswagan,
Cagayan de Oro City 9000