Sufferers of chronic illnesses western doctors cannot cure may consider consulting a Chinese herbalist and acupuncturist. Dr Shing Tak Yue’s clinic is next to the Jockey Club on Fuk Man St, Sai Kung. He’s every inch the professional, white coat, mask, caring eyes. Every time you visit he insists on checking your pulse, both wrists.
Shingles hit me six years ago damaging my nerves and leaving me in pain ever since, if anything stimulates the nerves: ice cream — five minutes of pleasure and hours of pain — cheese, curry, cake. If it tastes good I can’t eat it.
Over the years I’ve seen countless western doctors. They throw their hands up in the air, figuratively, clueless as to how to cure postherpetic neuralgia. I have used hundreds of Fortocool pain patches and so much ibuprofen and paracetamol my liver and kidneys are probably damaged. Finally I tried Chinese herbal medicine and acupuncture at the urging of my wife and the family veterinarian.
Dr Shing prescribed herbal medicine twice a day. It’s brown and looks horrible, but is palatable diluted with water. It’s lu wei di huang wan (which nourishes the kidneys and liver, clears inflammation and restores metabolic balance) a mix of shu di huang (Rehmannia root which strengthens the body and tones the blood), shan zhu yu, shan yao, ze xie, mu dan pi and fu ling. It seems to be slowly repairing the nerves. On a second visit I asked Dr Shing for acupuncture. The slim needles didn’t hurt and my sore nerves were soothed and much better for a day and a half. Acupuncture promotes nerve repair by releasing nerve growth factors, boosting blood circulation to deliver nutrients and reduces inflammation around the nerves.
Shingles (herpes zoster) is a painful viral infection that causes a blistering rash
Shingles is a terrible disease, presenting as a rash of excruciatingly painful blisters. Some unlucky sufferers have the rash on the face and in the eye. Shingles has been known to drive people to suicide. The disease struck me one morning on the right chest and around the back. I took myself straight to hospital where the doctor prescribed Acyclovir, an anti-viral pill that crusts over the blisters, shortens the illness and reduces nerve pain. If you are suddenly hit with shingles, get treatment quickly because that will limit the nerve damage. The vaccine to prevent shingles is Shingrix. If you’re wise you will get the jab quickly. Shingles is triggered by stress, in my case this hit during the first days of Covid-19 when I woke up every morning frightened that Covid would kill our restaurant business.
Dr Shing is a specialist in acupuncture and internal medicine with an MD in Chinese medicine from GZUCM and BCM & BSc (Hons) in BioSc from the HK Baptist University. The latter’s credibility jumps when you see it manages the new Chinese Medicine Hospital at Pak Shing Kok Rd, Tseung Kwan O. It’s a nine-storey hospital with 400 beds specialising in integrated Chinese-Western medicine services.
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