Herbal remedies are the answer, says Austrian doctor of Korean medicine

This is the 13th in a series of articles introducing foreigners who have chosen to pursue their life passion in Korea. -- Ed.



Oriental medicine may still be an unfamiliar concept to most expats and even those who are interested are often discouraged by linguistic barriers.

One person to turn to is Raimund Royer, Korea`s one and only Western oriental doctor.

Royer, from Austria, is medical director of the international clinic of the Jaseng Hospital of Oriental Medicine in Seoul.

"I first came to Korea as a traveler in 1987, even before the 1988 Olympic Games took place," said Royer, who is now one of the top experts in his field.

"Back then, Korea was unknown in Europe and it was close to impossible to find any books or information on the country or the language."

One of the only sources of information before coming to the country was an old book on basic Korean, which turned out to have been written in what is now North Korea in the 1920s.

"As little as I knew about the country, I was vaguely intrigued with Korea`s Buddhist culture, martial arts, especially taekwondo," the Austrian said.

He, however, may have been no more than a fleeting European visitor, had he not been acquainted with the complexity of oriental medicine, he said.

"When I sprained my ankle in my taekwondo class, people recommended that I visit an oriental hospital," Royer said.

"Of course, like most foreigners, I also feared the idea of acupuncture, but wanted to experience Korea to the fullest and figured that this was another one of such chances," he said.

The experience turned out to be worth it.



"The doctor stabbed needles into parts of my body that seemed quite unrelated to my sprained ankle, but his measures indeed took effect and I was soon able to walk without pain," he remembered.

Oriental medicine, unlike Western medicine, is about understanding and controlling the flow of "gi" or "energy" within the human body -- and the concept fascinated him enough to change his entire life path.

However, though the Austrian promptly made up his mind to devote himself to oriental medicine, Korea was not yet ready to accept this unprecedented student.

"I applied to one of the most prestigious oriental medicine universities in Korea only to receive a flat refusal," the doctor said.

"Apparently, there had been another Western student in the past who gave up after a few terms and officials thought I would be no different."

Oriental medicine, with its complicated concepts and vocabulary, is in fact a difficult art for non-Koreans, he admitted.

"The obstacles, however, challenged me to become a pioneer in my field," Korea`s No. 1 oriental medicine doctor said.

After spending a few years learning the Korean language, he joined the Daegu Haany University of Oriental Medicine.

"My clumsy Korean, the incomprehensible Daegu dialect and all the Chinese letters all turned out to be challenging, but not as much as the intricate basic concepts of oriental medicine," he said.

"The oriental perspective that human health is based on the flow of vital energy fascinated and confused me at the same time."

More than 10 years have passed since he became Korea`s top oriental doctor. Today, he is still the most sought after person in the field.

"People are concerned about the saturation of the oriental medicine market, but few have turned their eyes to the overseas market or the growing foreigner population in Korea," the Austrian doctor pointed out.

"The Korean oriental medical circles and schools need to open up their doors to the international society and foreign national aspirants."

China recognized its potential more than 20 years ago and started to promote itself in the world as the birthplace and authority in the field of oriental medicine, especially in acupuncture, he explained.

Oriental medicine, still mostly unknown in the Western world, can only be promoted through international exchange programs and campaigns, he said.

"The fact that it has been a local medical art for so long also means that it still has a wide blue ocean market in the rest of the world," the doctor said. "However, the Korean government and the oriental medicine circles tend to settle for the given local market."

Despite China`s growing influence in the world, Korea has a good chance of becoming an international hub of herbal medicine, a market with growth potential, he said.

China, with frequent food scandals, has lost international credit when it comes to food and medicine, he said.

"Few may know it, but in Germany almost 50,000 doctors are using acupuncture when treating their patients," the Austrian doctor said.

"The European medical circles already have keen interest in oriental medicine herbs but the problem is that Korea is presently not ready to meet such demands."

In an age when mankind has come to look back upon its past faults and once again seek ways to befriend nature, oriental medicine may be the answer to most of the health problems, not only for Koreans, but for all people in the world, he said.

"The human body is so complex and interrelated that it may not just be seen as an aggregate of parts," Royer said.

"Oriental medicine sees a person as a whole, as a flow of universal energy and may thus become a fundamental cure without causing unnecessary burden."

He also recommended foreigners living in Korea experience the traditional medical arts when they have the chance.

For years, he has been publishing health columns in English in a local magazine, and promoting oriental medicine to the expat society.

(tellme@heraldm.com)





By Bae Hyun-jung