Accupuncturist Dr. Wang

[efyl]

Hello, does anyone have experience with Dr. Wang? (http://www.taichithailand.com/pages/chinesemedicine.html)

If so, how did it go?

Also, how does he work? Does he require you to buy new needles or does he sterilize needs?

And is there someway to contact him?

Thanks for your help,

Efyl

[CobraSnakeNecktie]

New disposable needles each session. He is solid therapist. Good pulse diagnosis. 500 baht per session. Not the greatest english but okay. Trained in China. His family runs the big Chinese pharmacy at Gat Luang. He will make a diagnosis and provide fresh herbs for medicinal tea.

I personally think he is better than some others in town but that my experience.

His sessions are about 2:30 to 3:30-4 pm each day. He treats everybody at the same time so he first does pulse diagnosis and listens to your needs then sets the needles then returns later to adjust them.

He does it old school and twists the needles to find the energy. Some find that a little painful but I think it works better. It's how they do it in China also.

[drtreelove]

Dr Wang is at Chip An Tong Dispensary (sp) on Chang Moi Rd across from the Wararot market, between the Bangkok Bank and the Krung Thai Bank. He is there usually Mon - Sat from 9am to about 2pm for consultation and herbal prescriptions, then at another location for acupuncture treatments by appointment. It's best to walk in at the pharmacy and let him or the staff know that you want to see the doctor. Monday mornings you may have to wait in line, but usually he can see you within a few minutes.

I've been seeing him regularly for 6 years or so for maintenance. I have been using traditional Chinese medicine for almost 40 years and believe that prevention is better than waiting to develop an ailment. But in either case TCM is where it's at in my book.

I feel that Dr Wang is a great herbalist, only once did he give me a prescription that I thought felt a little off; usually after taking the decoction I feel balanced and sometimes supercharged. But honestly I think his acupuncture technique is not as effective as other doctors that I know. But herbs are the foundation of the TCM clinical system in spite of western identification with acupuncture as the core. I do without acupuncture most of the time, although with many years as a tree worker and martial arts enthusiast, I have thrashed my body and found benefit from skillful needles, moxibustion, cupping and tui na massage many times. I keep a Chinese medicine first aid kit; yin chiao to knock out a cold or flu at early onset, po chai pills to treat a gastro-intestinal disorder before it gets out of hand, loquat-herbal syrup for coughs and sore throat, herbal burn ointment, etc.

There are 5 branches to TCM; herbs and acupuncture are the clinical side, but chi kung, tui na and dietary medicine are equally important if you really want to get into it and get well. don

[drtreelove]

He does it old school and twists the needles to find the energy. Some find that a little painful but I think it works better. It's how they do it in China also.

This technique that you describe is southern school, not better or worse, but effective only as good as the practitioner is and the receptivity of the patient. My favorite acupuncturist is from a northern school and she is very delicate and very effective; she lays the needle in between her index and middle finger, feels the point energetically, then sort of drops/floats the needle as it is sucked into the point. You have to feel it to appreciate it.

[justmaybe]

I like Dr. Wang's personality and trust his skills. I would go to him for herbal treatment any day and did briefly for acupunture, though the "clinic" wasn't my cup of tea and I didn't continue those treatments. I respect him as a talented professional who is doing a lot as basically a one-man show.

For acupuncture I switched to Mungkala on Rachmankala at the same price and have stayed with them. I find it a very pleasant and professional set up. Have only experienced the male doctor's work there but he rapidly corrected a jaw, neck and shoulder issue I had had for quite a long time that had not responded to any modern treatments. No herbs were involved.

[CobraSnakeNecktie]

He does it old school and twists the needles to find the energy. Some find that a little painful but I think it works better. It's how they do it in China also.

This technique that you describe is southern school, not better or worse, but effective only as good as the practitioner is and the receptivity of the patient. My favorite acupuncturist is from a northern school and she is very delicate and very effective; she lays the needle in between her index and middle finger, feels the point energetically, then sort of drops/floats the needle as it is sucked into the point. You have to feel it to appreciate it.

I base it more on Chi energy. If a practioner can really make me experience Chi in the meridian or balancing points then I find it to be more effective. If a practioner is really good then there should be a lot of Chi sensation. This can vary a lot from person to person. Some people might feel tingling, heat or cool, tickling, pulsing, weak or strong muscle contraction, goosebumps etc. For me personally when someone is really good then its almost like being hit with a weak stun gun.

It's more common in western countries to use a soft style because its what people want and if it helps them relax and move Chi then great. The old schoolers in the US for example are the guys who came from China and barely speak english and would tend to be significantly less delicate. Do many of the Chinese patients expect a bit more pain and the doctors conform to their wishes? It's a fairly subjective experience and most studies have found a good bit of placebo effect. Really when you get down to it Chi can be moved by many methods including movement like Chi Gung/Tai Chi or meditation or even mindful walking. Accupuncture is one of the later resorts if food balancing, herbal remedy, and movement have failed to acheive balance.

I was just trying to point out Dr. Wang is a little more on the sadistic part of the pain spectrum.

[CobraSnakeNecktie]

Something I should have included in the last post.

Diagnosis of the pulse and tongue is really key to this. If a Acupuncturist just listens to your complaints and treats you then don't go back.

A good TCM (traditional chinese medicine) Acupuncturist pays much more attention to your pulse, tongue, skin color and demeanor. Reading pulse is incredibly difficult and nuanced. When I use to practice I maybe read a few thousand pulses and I still pretty much sucked. When a practioner takes your pulse get a feel for their manner, confidence and ability to concentrate. That is 90% of the game.

Once the root or key inbalance is determined then then a needle therapy can be applied. If the root diagnosis is less than precise then it doesn't matter how good the needle placement is.

Some of the best treatments I have gotten are from old guys who have seen it all. Unfortunately I really haven't run across a great TCM practioner in Thailand yet. Good ones but still less than some Chinese and US ones.

For that matter Khun Anant who practices Shaolin Tendon massage in the same building as Dr. Wang is one of these really experienced ones but in a more structural or functional modality. It's painful as hel_l as he often manipulates the nerve directly as well as plucking and pulling the tendons to open up nerve channels. He also does a lot of joint adjustment like a western chiropracter. I feel like its a cross between chiropractic and Rolfing(aka Structural integration). It's just Chinese style, painful and very efficient time wise. He charges 800 baht per session(45 to 50 mins) but not for the weak hearted.

This guy is really old school, no BS kind of guy. He smells of tobacco and if you don't need it he doesn't do it but if you need it he works you.

Anyone else try Khun Anant?