The Chinese way to balance

FOR DR LUIS Filipe, traditional Chinese medicine, ancient – and yet timeless, is one of the best paths to all-round health.
The award-winning 57-year-old Portuguese has been practising traditional Chinese medicine since 1991, in his homeland and in the US and Brazil, while also lecturing at medical schools around the globe. Now he’s bringing his practice to Thailand, which he’s visited every year since 1979. He plans to open two clinics in Bangkok in December.

HOW DID YOU FIRST BECOME INTERESTED IN TRADITIONAL CHINESE MEDICINE?
When I was young I always wondered why doctors only cured the symptoms of a disease and not the cause. And you can see that people take lots of medicine but still show other symptoms, like tiredness, headaches and so on. These are actually the side effects of the medicine they’re taking. Plus, the ailments they try to cure often come back even worse.
This is not curing, and to make matters worse, the patients develop chronic diseases. If a disease doesn’t go away within three months, it’s chronic. Fifteen or 20 years ago only old people had chronic diseases, but now younger people have them too. They’re prescribed medicine that the doctors say they’ll need to take for the rest of their lives!
So I began exploring traditional Chinese medicine, and I went to universities in Japan and Beijing.

CAN IT CURE EVERYTHING?
If the ailment isn’t related to old age or the natural deterioration of the body, then yes, it can be cured very easily. You just have to maintain a balance in life.
You can cure hypertension and diabetes, for example, by adjusting your lifestyle to restore the balance. Western doctors only ask about your symptoms. They rarely ask about what you eat every day.

WHAT’S THE PRINCIPLE CONCEPT OF CHINESE FOLK MEDICINE?
In traditional Chinese medicine – we call it TCM – we believe people get sick for one of three reasons.
The first is emotional – an ailment brought on especially by a very sudden, strong change of emotions, either positive or negative. You’ve probably heard those news stories about people who die soon after winning a big lottery. Research has shown that cancers develop faster following traumatic experiences, such as bankruptcy, divorce or a death in the family.
The second cause of disease is the weather. Asthma flourishes in hot and humid weather, but if you live in a colder, drier climate, your condition is very likely to be dormant.
And the third factor, of course, is your diet. “You are what you eat.” A proper, balanced diet calms the worst criminals in prison and helps kids behave and concentrate in school.
It’s just easy at that. No pills!

HOW WIDELY ACCEPTED IS TCM?
Western medicine now looks for approaches in TCM. TCM is all about balancing your health with nature. Nature goes through changes so we have to change, too – like a man shifting to and fro on a surfboard. We should adjust to the movement of the universe.
Acupuncture is 70 per cent of the treatment, and we also incorporate herbal medicine, diet planning, meditation and other natural elements, depending on the patient’s health and lifestyle, to restore their healthiness. It’s a holistic approach.

IS IT POSSIBLE TO BLEND WESTERN AND TRADITIONAL CHINESE TREATMENT?
It’s the perfect integration. It’s been proved to be the most effective, with fewest side effects. Especially for cancer treatment: if you harmonise these two properly, the patient feels much better.
Many medical students now, especially in China, are obliged to study TCM alongside Western medicine. The world is so globalised now. Doctors should talk openly and extensively about the options available for the benefit of their patients.

CAN TCM CURE CANCER?
If the cancer is just beginning, you can improve your condition just with TCM alone. But, if the tumour is already large and spreading, you also need support from a Western medical doctor.
Meanwhile TCM is very good for patients in chemotherapy because it eases the side effects and boosts the immune system faster.
My clinic in Rochester, New York, has high standards when it comes to cancer and oncologic diseases.

HOW SAFE IS HERBAL TREATMENT?
As of this month, all herbal medicine [sold and used in the US] has to be approved and controlled by the FDA [US Food and Drug Administration]. Previously you might have herbal medicines with chemical substances and so on added, but from now on it has to be made up of purely organic plants.
The world is changing. For me, I sometimes create my own herbal mixes for patients with severe conditions, but most of the time I prescribe factory-made ones. As I mentioned, TVM isn’t all about herbal treatment, There are other elements I consider case by case.

TELL US ABOUT YOUR PLANNED BANGKOK CLINICS.
There will be two – one for receiving patients and administering acupuncture, the other a spa. I don’t mean a “retreat” spa, but a school where people can learn to balance their lives, how to do organic farming and how to eat right.
Everyone will be welcome at my clinic, not just the sick. If you want to be healthier and fortify your immune system, welcome.

IT IS GOING TO BE PRICEY?
It’s going to be affordable. It will cost the same as when you go to a general hospital or clinic.