Traditional Chinese Medicine
Traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) is one of the oldest systems of medicine in the world, dating back to more than 2,000 years. It views the human body as an organic whole, with the organs related to and influencing each other. Thus, all parts of the body, including the five core zang (脏) organs (heart, liver, spleen, lung, and kidney) and six fu (腑) organs (which include the intestines, urinary bladder, and stomach), are linked via a network of passages known as meridians (经, jing) and collaterals (络, luo). This network carries blood, the qi (气, or “life force”) as well as information between the different parts, which keeps the body working and in balance.
Geographic Location
The origins of TCM can be traced back to ancient China. It is now practised wherever Chinese communities have settled.
TCM clinics can be found throughout the island, particularly in large housing estates. For example, the main branch of Singapore Thong Chai Medical Institution is at Chin Swee Road, the Singapore Chung Hwa Medical Institution in Toa Payoh, and Wong Yiu Nam Medical Hall in Chinatown.
A number of public and private hospitals provide TCM therapies as well, to complement Western medical treatments. These include the Singapore General Hospital, the National University Hospital, and Tan Tock Seng Hospital.
Communities Involved
The Singapore College of TCM, established in 1953, is one of the largest educational institutions for TCM doctors, and has a strong influence on the direction of TCM practices. Its training includes traditional Chinese medical theories and modern Western medical knowledge, along with practical clinical experience.
Two associations closely linked to TCM are the Singapore Coordinating Committee of Chinese Medical Organisations and the Singapore TCM Organisations Committee. The former caters to medical practitioners, while the latter comprises representatives from the drug import and distribution businesses.
TCM in Singapore has been formally regulated by the Ministry of Health (MOH) since 1999. Proprietary medicines in the form of tablets, capsules or liquids now have to comply with safety and quality criteria. The ministry also set up the Traditional Chinese Medicine Practitioners Board to register acupuncturists and physicians, regulate their conduct and ethics, as well as accredit TCM schools and courses.
Given the multicultural nature of Singapore, TCM practitioners treat non-ethnic Chinese as well.
Associated Social and Cultural Practices
TCM is built on the concepts of yin (阴) and yang (阳), as well as the “five elements” (五行, wu xing). Yin refers to that which is “static, internal, descending, cold, and grey”, while yang pertains to that which is “dynamic, external, rising, warm, and bright”. The ideal state is to achieve a balance between the yin and the yang.
The “five elements” are wood, fire, earth, metal, and water. These are related to the liver, heart, spleen, lung, and kidney respectively. In TCM tradition, the organs (and hence the corresponding elements) are linked to each other in a specific way, and this relationship is used to select the right therapy.
TCM does not just believe in treating symptoms, but also in maintaining the function of the organs and tissues not directly affected by disease. This preventative approach (治未病, zhi wei bing) or “treating the undiseased” focuses on one’s personal lifestyle, dietary habits, and consumption of food or health supplements in order to balance the yin and yang in the body.
Common TCM therapies include acupuncture (the use of needles to regulate qi and blood by stimulating specific points on one’s body, known as acupoints) and moxibustion (the burning of mugwort root at acupoints).
Experience of a Practitioner
Mr Chow Khai Shui is the managing director of Teck Soon Medical Hall, and a TCM doctor. His interest in TCM was sparked as a young boy when he started helping his father at the family’s small TCM store in Sago Street. He went on to study the subject at the Chung Hwa Medical Institution, graduating as a TCM doctor in 1985.
Today, the family business has expanded to four stores, which are run by Mr Chow and his siblings. Like most TCM doctors, Mr Chow has built upon the knowledge he gained at medical school as well as his experience to develop his special treatments for diseases. For example, many patients visit Mr Chow to treat coughs developed from nasal sensitivity. He has also observed that certain skin diseases and stomach problems are common complaints among his patients. He attributes this to the effects of Singapore’s hot and humid climate, as well as a diet rich in spicy and fried food.
Even as Mr Chow remains optimistic about the future of TCM and its relevance in the modern world, he cautions that increasing commercialisation can cause problems. He notes how some medical halls skip processes needed to improve the properties and treatment effects of certain herbs. This not only affects the benefits of the herbs but can also result in knowledge about these processes being lost over time.
Viability and Future Outlook
The next generation of TCM practitioners and business operators has continued to ensure that TCM can reach out to and help as many as possible. These technological, product and operations improvements have been championed by such institutions as Heng Foh Tong medical hall, supported by NHB's Organisation Transformation Grant in 2022 and 2024.
When Chin Siong took over Heng Foh Tong from his parents in 2019, he expanded access to the medical hall by bringing the business online, with the brick-and-mortar outlet having been located at Bukit Batok since 1948 (initially founded in 1957, with a storefront along Upper Bukit Timah Road). Since then, his expansive research, development and innovation efforts have resulted in a host of new ways to incorporate TCM into today's daily routines. These include a plant-based dissolvable capsule for the consumption of pearl powder, modern triangle teabags and packeted blends for the cooking of herbal soups made accessible through both Heng Foh Tong's storefront and associated retail partners. Chin Siong has also remained dedicated to serving his community, carrying on the legacy of his parents' neighbourhood business since its founding at Upper Bukit Timah Road in 1957, undertaking everything from updating Heng Foh Tong's tea blend packaging to appeal to younger audiences to redesigning a confinement herbal package for post-partum mothers as an aide in traditional birthing practices.
Access to learning about TCM has also widened. For example, the Nanyang Technological University offers TCM as part of a biomedical science double degree. And, for those who are more casual learners, organisations such as the Singapore Chinese Physicians’ Association often hold classes that teach TCM knowledge to the public, says Mr Chow. In recent years, these classes are conducted in English, which has attracted non-Chinese-speaking individuals as well, thus exposing TCM to a wider audience.
References
Reference No.: ICH-078
Date of Inclusion: October 2019
References
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Resources
Voon, Alvin, Traditional Chinese Medicine in Post-War Singapore: Resistance, Adaptation and Legitimacy. Dissertation, Master of Science in History of Science, Medicine and Technology, 2013.
