The combination of Eastern and Western medicine brings high efficiency in treatment.

Doctor Nguyen Thi Kim Dung checks patient T.D.S.'s mobility before he is discharged from the hospital. Photo: H. Dung

This is considered a trend and effective treatment method that needs to be promoted more in the future.

Paralysis of both legs resolved after more than 6 months of treatment

In September 2024, Mr. T.D.S. (71 years old, residing in Tan Phong ward, Bien Hoa city) suddenly suffered from weakness in both legs, and incontinence of bowel and bladder movements. His condition became increasingly severe, making him unable to walk and could only sit in a wheelchair. Mr. S. was taken by his family to a hospital in Ho Chi Minh City for examination and MRI. As a result, the doctor discovered that he had a spinal cord tumor, a very dangerous disease. The large tumor put pressure on the spinal cord, causing Mr. S. to be paralyzed in both legs; if not treated promptly, it could lead to many serious complications.

The patient was then transferred to Cho Ray Hospital (Ho Chi Minh City) for surgery. Doctors made an incision about 20cm long on the patient's lower back and removed the tumor. Five days later, due to Cho Ray Hospital being overloaded, Mr. S. was transferred to Dong Nai General Hospital for care.

In October 2024, Mr. S. was admitted to Dong Nai Traditional Medicine Hospital for inpatient treatment, still in a wheelchair. During the first 2 months, the patient underwent procedures and lived in bed.

In the letter President Ho Chi Minh sent to the Conference of Medical Staff on February 27, 1957, there was a passage: “Medicine must also be based on the principles of national and mass science. Our ancestors had many valuable experiences in treating diseases with traditional Vietnamese medicine and traditional Chinese medicine. To expand the scope of medicine, you should also focus on researching and combining “eastern” and “western” medicine.

“The doctors, nurses, and technicians who took care of me were very dedicated, regularly visiting and encouraging me. I was prescribed many types of medicine, both Eastern and Western, and I was given rehabilitation exercises for my limbs and cycling to improve muscle strength and joint flexibility. After 3 months of persistent practice, I felt like I could stand up. My bowel movements and urination were about 80% restored,” Mr. S. shared.

Also treated effectively with a combination of Eastern and Western medicine is female patient N. (60 years old, residing in Tan Hiep ward, Bien Hoa city). Ms. N. suffered from gastroesophageal reflux and sinusitis, often belching, heartburn, vomiting, sneezing, coughing a lot every time she lay down, watery eyes, and runny nose.

After about 6 months of Western medicine treatment, Ms. N. went to Dong Nai Traditional Medicine Hospital for examination. Here, the doctor determined that the patient had unstable sinusitis, so he performed a thread implantation method to increase blood circulation in the patient's sinus area. At the same time, he took Western medicine to treat gastroesophageal reflux disease. Up to now, after 2 courses of thread implantation (about 20 days), the patient's condition has significantly improved, no more belching, regurgitation, only very little runny nose.

Promote treatment effectiveness

Specialist Doctor I Nguyen Thi Kim Dung, Head of the Acupuncture and Health Care Department, Dong Nai Traditional Medicine Hospital, said that for each different disease, the combination of Eastern and Western medicine will be considered to achieve the best treatment results.

For example, with a stroke patient, after being treated with Western medicine and modern medical methods, the patient will be performed electroacupuncture techniques by doctors and technicians to stimulate paralyzed neuromuscular nerves, stimulate the brain to recover, and perform rehabilitation exercises to help the patient recover motor function faster... At the same time, the patient will be given medications to control underlying diseases such as high blood pressure, high cholesterol, and prevent stroke recurrence.

“After a stroke, patients may have sleep disorders, feel hot, restless, uncomfortable, have poor appetite, and urinate at night. At this time, we will have traditional medicine to help patients sleep well, have good appetite, and limit urinating at night,” said Dr. Kim Dung.

According to Dr. Kim Dung, for musculoskeletal problems, up to 80% of patients before coming to Dong Nai Traditional Medicine Hospital had used Western medicine but did not achieve the desired results. The main reason is that the patient has the wrong posture at work, the job requires continuous muscle activity... At this time, the oriental medicine doctor will perform methods such as: herbal medicine, hydroacupuncture, acupressure massage, electroacupuncture, moxibustion combined with rehabilitation such as: ultrasound therapy, magnetic therapy, shortwave therapy, shockwave depending on the pain condition, pain level, and nature of the patient's work.

The goal is to help patients increase blood flow to nourish the muscles in the body, remove waste products from the process of using muscle energy, helping the muscles to be fully nourished and stronger. Combining the doctor's treatment method with the patient's rest, 100% of patients will recover.

Hanh Dung

Source: https://baodongnai.com.vn/xa-hoi/202504/dong-tay-y-ket-hop-mang-lai-hieu-qua-cao-trong-dieu-tri-af077f4/