Our Honorary President & Founding Member - Dr Swee Yong Peng
Dr Swee is qualified in both western medicine and Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM). He practices Integrative Medicine at his clinic. As the principles and treatments behind the two healing systems are quite dramatically opposed, medical protocol in Singapore requires that Dr Swee operates two separate clinics, with two separate entrances/exits, under one roof.
Dr Swee explains that western medicine treats the disease (not the person) and standard treatments are drugs, diagnostic procedures with some using equipment and surgical operations. TCM on the other hand, regards the patient as a whole being. TCM also uses herbs, not drugs and is non invasive.
“The key to using TCM successfully is restoring balance and health to dis-eased persons”, explains Dr Swee. Knowing how and when to integrate both systems is both a skill and an art. When Dr Swee sees a patient from Kg Senang (consultation is free), he puts on his ‘Sinseh’ cap. Patients said that his manner was very gentle, very caring, and he put them all at ease. They normally left with a light heart and a prescription for Chinese herbs.
This very experienced physician sees the good and the limitations in both healing systems. He explained that he always tells his patients to do “everything to get cured”. “Everything” often means integrating both western and TCM therapies. But Dr Swee also cautions against using both without proper understanding of their usage and effects.
It is wrong to say that Chinese herbs have no side effects. Some herbs can cause muscle spasms (cramps) and respiratory problems, if incorrectly used. For example, if one uses cooling herbs on an already weakened system, it can make the person even worse”.
“Some Chinese herbs also have an anti-clogging effect and, if taken together with a western drug like Warfarin, which also prevents blood clotting, the person may start to bleed profusely. So, while it is possible and sometimes advantageous to combine both eastern and western therapies and medication, the doctor must know how to prescribe and guide”, said Dr Swee.
“TCM”, he said, “is all about ‘Balance - Yin & Yang’”. Yin can be likened to an over-alkaline body and Yang, an acidic body. An acidic body is a cancer-prone body, so one must always try to have a more alkaline body. This, ideally, means eating a vegetarian diet of fresh organic fruits and vegetables and whole grains.
HEALING TRANSCENDS ALL BOUNDARIES
Dr Swee Yong Peng leads Kg Senang FREE TCM and western medical clinic consultation. His many years in the medical profession as a doctor have taught him that medicine is always used in the healing of a patient. We should not be against a certain type of treatment, even if it might look odd and sound ridiculous at first glance. Some day, the ‘old’ treatment may ultimately be found effective.
His philosophy in life as a healer is to bear no distinction between western and eastern treatments; so long as the two approaches can complement each other in the healing process of a patient, it is good.