It has been an amazing two months already in Korea! The time has flown by (mostly with long commutes on the train to Seoul), but I've finally set aside some time to update you all on my time here.
First of all, thanks for your patience with my absence. Openings for appointments will be available starting January 7th, 2025 and will be bookable starting mid-December.
My time at Kyung Hee University started in October after a month of settling in and sightseeing. I hadn't realized how far away Kyung Hee University was from our apartment in Suwon, but it ends up that the commute is about 1 hour 45 mins one way most days when I take the train. I don't always get a seat in the morning and never in the afternoon! Needless to say, I'm exhausted most days and I'm thankful for the short breaks.
Kyung Hee University Hospital
After my orientation and tour of the beautiful campus, my first section of study was in the Stroke and Neurological Disorders Center with Drs. Kwon Seungwon and Lee Han-Gyul.
Kyung Hee has both inpatient and outpatient facilities, so I was able to see patients with conditions that were both acute and chronic. In this section I saw and discussed treatments such as hemiplegia, speech and swallowing difficulties, pain and depression after stroke; Parkinson's disease, dementia, multiple sclerosis, and migraine treatments. Many patients received acupuncture and electro-moxibustion treatments multiple times per week, depending on their condition. They also were prescribed herbal formulas.
Electro-moxibustion device. Set at a constant temperature and with a small hole to be placed around a needle. No need for smokey moxibustion!
For me, the herbal formula discussions were the most enlightening. It was fascinating to see all of the studies the university and the doctors had done for complicated conditions. One of the most interesting for me was the treatment of constipation in Parkinson's disease. Often times, treatment is laser-focused on the main problem or concern, but the doctors at Kyung Hee stressed the importance of overall wellness when treating chronic conditions such as Parkinson's disease. In their experience, patients complained of constipation as their nervous system struggled and their solution of using Da Huang to ease the discomfort of constipation helped their patients (and patient's family) immensely. I was really encouraged by the treatment of the whole person and not just the diseased condition.
It was also interesting to see how the two doctors treated similar conditions differently. Both were educated at Kyung Hee University of Korean Medicine, but each had a slightly different approach and acupuncture point choice. It will never cease to fascinate me how complex and unique this medicine is.
If you'd like to do deep dive into some of the research and papers I've been reading here are links to a few related to neurological conditions and health:
Comments