help, Chinese medicine looks at the
body as a whole – it is more holistic.”
According to Gianna, who was a
practising pharmacist in New Zealand
and the UK before studying many
years in both the UK and China to
become a TCM practitioner in Hong
Kong, TCM provides individual
treatment, whereas Western medicine
uses the same treatment for most
patients. For Western medicine,
“
if you have diarrhoea, you will
most likely be prescribed a certain
medicine. But TCM practitioners
would find out about other co-existing
problems and prescribe a herbal
formula for the individual,” she says.
“
From what I heard from parents,
Western medicine, such as cough
syrup and antibiotics, tends to make
the kids more lethargic. Chinese
medicine, on the other hand, has
almost no side effects and doesn’t
affect a child’s appetite,” lecturer
Leung notes. But Tan Yip, a Chinese
medicine practitioner at Eu Yan Sang
Integrative Medical Centre, stresses,
“
Even though Chinese medicine is
fundamentally natural, you have to
take it appropriately and accordingly
to see the results. Otherwise, not
only would it be ineffective, it could
have side effects.” Although highly
uncommon, Leung says if a child is
prescribed some Chinese medicine
that might not best suit him/her, the
child might feel bloated and vomit.
A personal approach
Contrary to some parents’ perception
that TCM doesn’t require personal
consultation – because anyone
can buy over-the-counter Chinese
medicines without a prescription –
TCM practitioners maintain that
consultation is necessary. But there
is no lack of proprietary Chinese
medicine on the market. The most
common and popular one among
parents is Bo Ying Compound. The
powdery compound is a flagship
product of Eu Yan Sang, a leading
TCM company across Asia. According
to the company’s website, the ancient
formula is effective in treating colds,
coughs, phlegm, vomiting of milk,
diarrhoea and other ailments.
Olivia vouches for it. She uses Bo
Ying Compound in a similar way to
how other parents use vitamin C: to
boost her child’s immune system when
she spots a minor cough or a runny
nose. “It works like magic – most of
the time,” says the mum.
Besides Bo Ying Compound, Xiao
Er Zhi Bao Wan, which literally means
“
children’s precious pills”, by Beijing-
based TCM company Tongrentang,
serves very similar purposes. Clarice,
mother of one-year-old Hailey, says her
family has been taking this medicine
since she was a child herself.
April 2013
55