With the recent arrival of the British Chinese herbal medicine chain Dr China to our shores, is Chinese medicine entering the medical mainstream, asks Fiona Tyrrell
The traditional Chinese medicine sector has experienced substantial growth in Ireland over the last 10 years and it is now worth an estimated €45 to €50 million a year.
A clear indication of how strong the sector is, is the arrival of UK Chinese herbal medicine multiple, Dr China, into the Irish market, which opened eight Chinese medicine stores in Ireland in the last 10 months.
The chain, which has 70 stores in the UK, offers acupuncture, massage, cupping and other traditional Chinese treatments from therapy rooms in-store.
The first store opened in Santry Omnipark in Dublin; since then, branches have opened in Cork, Limerick, Newbridge, Co Kildare, as well as at the North Side Shopping Centre. Dr China plans to open some 20 outlets in Ireland in the medium term.
While Chinese traditional medicine has been becoming more popular in Ireland over the past decade, there has been a surge of interest in the last five, according to Bernadette Ward, director of the Acupuncture Foundation Training Programme, in Milltown Park College, Dublin.
This growth, which is happening worldwide, is in part thanks to a "resistance to long-term medication", as well as an interest in the integrated and complementary aspect of Chinese traditional medicine, Ward believes.
The arrival of Chinese medicine chain stores is "something that the professional bodies are looking at with a cautious eye", according to Ward.
"We are very anxious that anybody working within these chains would be properly registered in Ireland and [ that they] comply with the codes of practice of an Irish organisation. Although it highlights the profile of Chinese medicine, we would very much prefer one-to-one consultation rather than walk-in shops."
Acupuncture is the most popular form of Chinese medicine, with many people turning to an acupuncturist when looking for an alternative to conventional medication, according to Celine O'Connor Casey, a Limerick-based practitioner.
"Generally speaking, people come to you when they have already explored conventional options. Maybe they have accumulated a lot of medication and have decided they don't want to take any more," she says.
The Chinese herbal sector in Ireland is also expanding, but is still quite small, explains Chinese herbalist Josephine Lynch. While there are many acupuncturists operating in Ireland, Lynch estimates that there are only around 50 Chinese herbal practitioners working in Ireland. This is in addition to members of the Chinese community living in Ireland who are practising.
Training for Chinese herbal practitioners in Ireland usually involves a two-year full-time course, which is an add-on to a three-year acupuncture or western herbal course, according to Lynch.
As an internal medicine, Chinese herbs are quite direct and the medical profession has been quite suspicious of them, she says.
Herbs used in Chinese traditional medicine can be very strong and, used in the wrong way, can be dangerous in some instances - if you overdose or have a weak heart, she cites as examples.
Chinese herbal medicine has been shown to have benefits for skin conditions such as childhood eczema, she says. People also use it instead of drugs that keep a condition in check rather than heal it, as in the case of gynaecological problems, digestive problems, arthritis and other auto-immune diseases, Lynch adds.
Lynch also expresses concern about large operators setting up in Ireland.
She points to the issue in the UK of people getting herbs over the counter without proper assessment of their full history. If someone has a history of jaundice of the liver, then the practitioner has to be careful not to overload the system and cause harm, she explains.
There is a great need for regulation in the sector, according to Chinese medicine therapist Noeleen Slattery.
A member of the Government's working group on the regulation of complementary therapists, Slattery believes that the public must have greater access to information on the sector and must be able to ascertain which therapists are properly qualified.
The sector is taking the challenges of success seriously, and three of the main traditional Chinese medicine representative organisations amalgamated earlier this year. These bodies - the Chinese Medicine Organisation (ACMO), the Acupuncture Foundation Professional Association (AFPA) and the Association of Irish Acupuncturists (AIA) - have joined forces to form the Traditional Chinese Medicine Council of Ireland (TCMCI).
TCMCI has 500 members nationwide and can provide the public with contact details of a fully-qualified practitioner of traditional Chinese medicine and acupuncture. Only fully-qualified and insured practitioners can become members of TCMCI and members are bound by a code of ethics and a code of practice. It also runs a help line for members of the public (tel: 1850-300 600).
Meanwhile, the report on the regulation of complementary therapists delivered to the Minister for Health, Mary Harney, earlier this year included recommendations on education and training in all sectors including traditional Chinese medicine. The report also made recommendations on the role of professional associations and the need for a public information campaign on complementary therapists.