alternative medicine
I came across this article today :
Ah Soh: I came to you because my legs swollen only
Dr Liew: Alamak! Since when?
Ah Soh: Long time liao lor.. the Sinseh I’ve been frequenting all this while told me I’m out of his hand and I need to seek alternative medicine. That’s why I come to you.
Dr Liew: Me?? Alternative medicine?? WTF??
Ah Soh: You want to treat me or not???
Hahahhaha… I was trying hard not to laugh in the library today after reading that. I guess, what the writer said about some people considering bomoh and sinseh as their main healers is actually true. I mean, studying here, people go to the Doctors first before they go and seek for alternatives. But in Malaysia, especially in small villages, where doctors are scarce, and bomoh, pawang or sinseh are easily found, no doubt they’ll go to them first before seeing doctors. Not to mention the fear of being injected or ‘cut open’, and the thought of possibly having to take regular medication make people less want to see Doctors. This is especially true in elderly population. Even though they might not particularly like seing bomoh or sinseh, if they were given a choice, they’d go to the bomohs first before seeking ‘alternative’ and see the doctors. Of course, by the time they see the doctors, the condition is already getting so bad, they had to undergo operations and what not. This will then make their friends don’t want to see the doctors. Although to be fair, the situation can increase people awareness and cause people to seek medical advises earlier so that they don’t have to be ‘cut open’.
I guess, this whole ‘real’ or ‘alternative’ medicine issue actually depends on the population. I mean, it’s just so happen that western medicine is the standardised globally use practice, hence other way of healing people are considered as alternatives.
thehealthinspector: and here I thought I’m learning ‘real’ medicine 
