In the city of Xi'AN in China, I once visited a market given over entirely to non-western remedies. In the hopelessly polluted city, the people teemed around the stalls where they were offered remedies and cures that could be found only in China. And they believed that they worked. Through an interpreter, I talked to elderly women and men buying the most weird concoctions, many made up of animal parts.
There's now a Clinic of Chinese Medicine in Clonakilty, Co Cork. Over three years ago, Dr Stephen Gascoigne moved from London to Clonakilty. A qualified doctor, he had studied Chinese herbal medicine in China as well as yoga and qi kung, the Chinese system of exercises, relaxation and meditation. He is now seeing up to 60 patients a week at the clinic.
He explains that the Chinese take a view of the whole person when giving treatment. Loss of vitality can lead to many disorders. The Chinese system is aimed at ensuring a return to health using acupuncture and herbal medicines and, thereafter, a continuing healthy lifestyle.
Dr Gascoigne is also author of two books on alternative medicine, The Chinese Way of Health and The Manual of Conventional Medicine for Alternative Practitioners.