We talk to Michael C Chan about Chinese Medicine.

Is it just about the needles?

Please note: sound file was currupted until around 3:47 secs!

Transcription

Michael Chan: 5 minutes before work or do you get up like myself 2 hours before work to have your breakfast, fully awake and have the shower.

Valerie Prentice: So, you like to take a look at the personality of the person.

Michael Chan: That is quite important.

Valerie Prentice: So, the different type of personality are they more prone to different type of body ailments?

Michael Chan: Yeah! It can say that. Also, it depends on what is the job. Is it all indoors or is it all outdoor. It is just the elements of how it composes makeup of a person that is quite important. You can¢â‚¬â„¢t just look at a person and say he has got that type of illness and sort of things. You can¢â‚¬â„¢t say that. Therefore, the outcome, the treatment is quite different. Even though, a pair of identical twins, if we use acupuncture, there are couple of points are different. If we use herbs, there are one or two herbs, needs to be changed. So, according to the bible, the god said, he made each one of us individually and it is like hand to a glove. It fits-in very well.

Valerie Prentice: So, each treatment that you prescribed for is very specific to each person. Going to need the personality their friends, the type of the work and also I get the reason why they come into you in the first place, but also you diagnosis too. Do you not do like a massive consultation sheets? Your diagnosis is very different to what people feel uncomfortable with the western medicine.

Michael Chan: Yeah! Well, because back in 6000 years ago, in China, we got no x-rays. Laboratory wasn¢â‚¬â„¢t invented then and blood test wasn¢â‚¬â„¢t even heard of. So, what we did was using a person¢â‚¬â„¢s pulse, the radial pulse on the wrist, on both arms, the tongue¢â‚¬¦

Valerie Prentice: So, the radial pulse. What was the radial pulse?

Michael Chan: This is near the wrist. And then that will represent the person, miniature of a person.

Valerie Prentice: Oh like, just like pulse. Just with the single pulses they knew¢â‚¬¦

Michael Chan: There are quite a lot of different pulses. We can group it into 49 different types.

Valerie Prentice: You can feel 49 different types in this little area here.

Michael Chan: And if it is strictly speaking, he is a 122, but different types.

Valerie Prentice: 122 in that little area? So, how long it takes to you feel these 122 pulses in these little area here?

Michael Chan: May be a couple of minutes each side.

Valerie Prentice: But how long did it take you to learn to do like¢â‚¬¦

Michael Chan: To learn? Well, will be 58 in September.

Valerie Prentice: Ah! And you look wonderful.

Michael Chan: And I am still learning.

Valerie Prentice: You are still learning hey. That¢â‚¬â„¢s good. Yeah!

Michael Chan: So, I would say, it may take at least about 7 to 10 years to grasp. To be able to grasp the way of how we do it. And also, we look at tongue. The tongue is also a different area of the digestive system.

Valerie Prentice: So, there is in a tongue, how do you know there is a salted part, there is sweet part? Is that the same sort of thing when you looking at the tongue, do you see ¢â‚¬¦

Michael Chan: More or less. They got a heart area. The kidneys area that sort of thing.

Valerie Prentice: So, is it mainly represents the internal organs at a time?

Michael Chan: Ummm!

Valerie Prentice: Oh, okay.

Michael Chan: That¢â‚¬â„¢s why we pick believers of what you eat. What goes in is health or illness.

Valerie Prentice: Okay then. Right.

Michael Chan: And the other one, we look at east or west called the aura, the face, the color of the face, the color of the skin, the eyes, the nose and the lips.

Valerie Prentice: Your look at that. You basically say that do you like facial diagnosis then? The different like, eyebrows and ¢â‚¬¦

Michael Chan: So, you can see how limited our diagnostic machine is. So, that¢â‚¬â„¢s why, quite a lot of times I sent patients back to the GP for blood test. Like I know there are something not quite right with the liver, but what is it, I don¢â‚¬â„¢t know. So, I would ask the patient to go back to the GP have liver function test, test for psoriasis or other things.

Valerie Prentice: Oh, so work in hand and hand with the GP.

Michael Chan: Oh yeah! Definitely, definitely.

Valerie Prentice: Ah! That¢â‚¬â„¢s good pair.

Michael Chan: I work mainly in the GP surgery.

Valerie Prentice: Ah I get it. Right, right. But before you took on this family path, what where you doing before that?

Michael Chan: Oh, at the age of 17, I had row my uncle. At that time, I already spent about 6, 7 years with him.

Valerie Prentice: Alright! So, you started with him when you were like 11?

Michael Chan: Yeah 10, 11.

Valerie Prentice: Was it a calling inside you to work with him or your family said, ¢â‚¬Å“No. You are the one who is going to do it?¢â‚¬

Michael Chan: No. When I was little, I always wanted to be him. And then I started to learn from him. And at the age of 17, I thought that I learned it all. And I said to him can I, can you put my name next to yours on the side?

Valerie Prentice: Wait, it was in mainland China.

Michael Chan: No in Hong Kong. And he didn¢â‚¬â„¢t talk to me for a month. So, I knew that he was angry. And then by chance, the Royal Navy in Hong Kong wanted people to be medics and I said right in that case, I will go western medicine then, it will be easier for me. In seven years, I still can¢â‚¬â„¢t even put my name next to his. So, I went into the Royal Navy as a medic for eight years, but at that time I still worked 9 to 5 in the Royal Navy HMS Tamar and then on a night I was helping him as well.

Valerie Prentice: Oh really, so it¢â‚¬â„¢s still a guess.

Micheal Chan: Yea running polls.

Valerie Prentice: So, you didn¢â‚¬â„¢t complete [08:20] up towards traditional try this medicine at 17.

Micheal Chan: No.

Valerie Prentice: No. Not completely.

Micheal Chan: Yeah no. So, and then just by chance after that, that one of his helper was [08:40] and then I filled in the position, worked full-time for him for few years.

Valerie Prentice: So, it was for your uncle. Oh! So his help¢â‚¬¦

Micheal Chan: Yeah

Valerie Prentice: So, did you leave the navy then?

Micheal Chan: Oh yeah.

Valerie Prentice: Yeah. So you did the navy for eight years.

Micheal Chan: Yeah.

Valerie Prentice: So was your medical qualifications recognized in..

Micheal Chan: No.

Valerie Prentice: No.

Micheal Chan: Yeah now it is, but not in those days.

Valerie Prentice: When you were young.

Micheal Chan: Yeah.

Valerie Prentice: [09:10]. So how long did you stay in Hong Kong for

Micheal Chan: I came to this country in 1978 and at first because nobody heard about Chinese medicine and when I told one of my workmate that I can cure them with a needle of headache, and he was not very keen at that time. So, I went to a psychiatric nursing.

Valerie Prentice: Oh really! Did you do any traditional Chinese medicine there?

Micheal Chan: Well not officially.

Valerie Prentice: Not officially.

Micheal Chan: I was helping the colleagues¢â‚¬¦.other people my friends and also the family using the medicine¢â‚¬¦Chinese medicine.

Valerie Prentice: So overtime to you it became, that you were able to do more and more like the full-time and occupation.

Micheal Chan: Yeah. In the end 1995, I have got enough patience and I came out of [10:35] as a psychiatric nurse and so I started [10:40] in 1995.

Valerie Prentice: What does [10:43]?

Micheal Chan: [10:45] means, chin is the central, balanced. Chee is the energy. Tong is a place. So, basically is a place for balancing your energy.

Valerie Prentice: Oh okay. I guess if our energy is balanced, that is when we have health.

Micheal Chan: You come to me.

Valerie Prentice: You come to me. So, to have the balance we come to you. So you make us in balance.

Micheal Chan: Yeah.

Valerie Prentice: In correct balance.

Micheal Chan: Yeah.

Valerie Chan: Oh okay then good. So in your time, so what people would think when you talk to them about traditional Chinese medicine and people go, oh I don¢â‚¬â„¢t like needles or they get really-really scared. Like how, do you use the big needles or did you use popper needles.

Micheal Chan: Well it depends what you call big and what you call small. So, corncob is quite big yet compared to the size of the earth. It is very small. So, I always say the people why don¢â‚¬â„¢t you try one.

Valerie Prentice: Try one of them.

Micheal Chan: And you think that is okay then you continues and of course the average size of an accupoint is something I though five times bigger than a needle.

Valerie Prentice: Okay.

Micheal Chan: So, bigger than the needles that I use.

Valerie Prentice: Yes.

Micheal Chan: So, the bigger the needle, the more potent is the treatment.

Valerie Prentice: So you need wider the needle.

Micheal Chan: Yeah wider.

Valerie Prentice: Yeah and the point, so [12:34] how many years, 40, 45 years of your life, isn¢â‚¬â„¢t it. 45 years you likely being doing this.

Micheal Chan: I am no good at mass so

Valerie Prentice: Oh that¢â‚¬â„¢s right 57 years of your life. So, the medium point is where you put the needle isn¢â‚¬â„¢t it. That¢â‚¬â„¢s why¢â‚¬¦because they have actual map on the body that the Chinese have actually worked out over 6000 years.

Micheal Chan: Yeah.

Valerie Prentice: of where the energy flows. It is like each-each path that represents a difference to organ in the body or

Micheal Chan: Yeah each organ got their own meridian.

Valerie Prentice: And the meridian is like a path, pathways.

Micheal Chan: Yeah like a pathway. If you lie they are like rivers and the energy being the water flowing through the rivers and at some point they stay as a lake and the biggest one will be oceans and the little ones will be ponds. So, basically you look into the path and trying to get the ponds and the oceans and the lakes, that sort of places.

Valerie Prentice: So, you want them just to be like a river or. Good to have lakes, ponds and oceans or¢â‚¬¦.

Micheal Chan: Yeah, you see it blocked then you got problems.

Valerie Prentice: So if you got like a stagnant pond.

Micheal Chan: Acupuncture is basically trying to get the water flowing and get the energy continuously flowing in and out of the organ. You feel the flow of the energy is blocked then you got problems.

Valerie Prentice: Okay so you determine where you put the points [07:01] through the tongue diagnosis, through the tongue diagnosis, through the facial diagnosis, through the pulse diagnosis.

Micheal Chan: Yeah they are basically formulae like headaches. You can have these 3 of all points

Valerie Chan: Can we say this point, you just rub this point.

Micheal Chan: If you got runny nose, you got 3 or 4 points for that, but when you look at somebody who has got headache, why is he got headache? Has he been eating the wrong thing? Has he been sleeping not enough or over and then from that 4 points you add more needs, so that is why you got a more or less like a blue print of the treatment, but on top of that you look after all the other organs as well. If you like a person¢â‚¬â„¢s health, it is like dominos if you like. So, one of the dominos is fallen down, then you can see it with your eyes, see for example ear aches and how the ears are governed by the kidneys.

Valerie Prentice: Okay then, is that a meridian post?

Micheal Chan: Yeah, so basically, when you hear about ear problems, you look after the kidneys and then the kidneys is governed by the heart, so you look after at least 2 organs there before you have thinking of looking after the ears.

Valerie Prentice: So, people come to you because they have got ear ache problem and you are looking after their heart and is it when you like the physical heart or is it like if they are having problems in relationship or if they….so the whole gamete of life.

Micheal Chan: Yeah, so that is why when you come to see a TCM doctor.

Valerie Prentice: Which is Traditional Chinese Medicine.

Micheal Chan: You got loads of needles and compare to the western acupuncture, you will only get 2 or 3 needles.

Valerie Prentice: So, really the Traditional Chinese Medicine that cover lot more basis because they go really…they end to go to the, so you do couple for the kidneys, like the relation to the ear ache with the kidneys and then for the heart and then you will have a chat to them about what is happening in their life.

Micheal Chan: We are looking after the full circle of the dominos because if you just look after the ears, the symptoms may become like tinnitus, it is a very good example.

Valerie Prentice: Have you helped people with tinnitus?

Micheal Chan: Yes.

Valerie Prentice: Oh really!

Micheal Chan: Quite successfully.

Valerie Prentice: Really, because it is shocking because it is difficult because I have a friend of mine.

Micheal Chan: Because you will look after the kidneys and one patient came to me and she has been drinking lemon juice, pure lemon juice, something like half lemon each morning.

Valerie Prentice: Isn¢â‚¬â„¢t it good to keep you clean?

Micheal Chan: It is in a way, but if it is for 15 to 20 years, you will take away all the energy of the kidney and I didn¢â‚¬â„¢t know that because she originally she came to see me as tinnitus, you know, complain of tinnitus and then we talked to her about the daily living and then it came out and then with the treatment of herbs and then also she stopped doing that, drinking the pure lemon juice and she was cured, you know.

Valerie Prentice: Oh really! So, is it more likely people when they come and see you, more likely to get the herbs in the acupuncture or is it depends on the treatment?

Micheal Chan: It depends on how deep is the illness and how bad is the other organ. See for example, sometimes they come with stomach ulcer and most of the time the spleen, the liver, the gallbladder is not very well and so we have to look after the other 3 as well, you know, so it depends how bad the illness is.

Valerie Prentice: So, I guess it is always a good option for people like my friend with tinnitus, you know, she went to the doctors and they said she got tinnitus in it, there is nothing they can do about it, so she just left on the shelf, so I guess it is like an another avenue to look at to see if that can help. Like it is everything in life, to look at what has increased your spectrum or what actually can help you.

Micheal Chan: And on the other side of the coin, somebody came to me about tinnitus and we looked at everything, that it, there is nothing wrong with the kidneys and then I send her back to the GP and then they found out it is not tinnitus at all.

Valerie Prentice: Okay, so you also help qualify the diagnosis too.

Micheal Chan: Yes.

Valerie Prentice: Do you walk hand in hand with the ..

Micheal Chan: Oh yeah, very closely.

Valerie Prentice: So, it is very good. Thank you very much.

Micheal Chan: Thank you.

Valerie Prentice: Yeah, so it has been very interesting. So, everyone we have been talking to Micheal Chan, a Traditional Chinese Medicine, this man has been doing it for most of his life, so it is very much in his blood and in his life. So, if you have anything out and if you know anybody that has been having something issue in their life that they don¢â‚¬â„¢t really know what it is, talk to like Micheal Chan and give it a guarantee what happens. So, I am Valerie Prentice and we will see you next time.