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Thread: Busted TCM practitioners

  1. #16
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    The opposite side of the debate

    Considering the size of Singapore and the proliferation of TCM there, these stats aren't bad at all. I'd be curious to see how they stack up against Western medical doctor complaints.
    Complaints against TCM practitioners falling
    Posted: 13 January 2010 1312 hrs

    SINGAPORE: The number of complaints against practitioners of Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) has been falling.

    In reply to a question in parliament from Ang Mo Kio GRC MP Lam Pin Min, Health Minister Khaw Boon Wan said there were six complaints last year, seven in 2008 and ten in 2007.

    The complaints were mainly related to allegations of professional negligence, misconduct and the misuse of Western medicine.

    Dr Lam also asked if TCM practitioners need to be covered by professional indemnity against costs and damages in clinical negligence cases.

    To this, Mr Khaw replied that the TCM Practitioners Board encourages all registered TCM practitioners to be covered by professional indemnity insurance on a voluntary basis.
    Jan 13, 2010
    23 grouses against sinsehs

    THE number of registered Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) practitioners in Singapore has grown to 2,421.

    And over the past three years, the TCM Practitioners Board received 23 complaints against the registered practitioners: 10 in 2007, seven in 2008 and six last year.

    The complaints were mainly related to allegations of professional negligence, misconduct and the misuse of Western medicine, said Health Minister Khaw Boon Wan in a written response to Dr Lam Pin Min, MP for Tanjong Pagar GRC in Parliament on Tuesday.

    The TCM Practitioners Board encourages all registered TCM practitioners to be covered by professional indemnity insurance on a voluntary basis.
    Gene Ching
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  2. #17
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    arsenic plasters

    How many Dr. Wangs & vendor Zhaos are there in China?
    TCM doctor sells lethal medicine

    A traditional Chinese medicine doctor surnamed Wang with more than 20 years of experience has been charged with the accidental murder of two patients, the Beijing Times reported yesterday.

    Wang bought plasters and other traditional Chinese forms of medicine from an unlicensed vendor surnamed Zhao in April 2009. He sold them on to two patients surnamed Liu and Li in May, but they died shortly afterwards. Tests confirmed that the plasters contained lethal doses of arsenic.
    Gene Ching
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  3. #18
    Quote Originally Posted by GeneChing View Post
    She's fully certified and doesn't advertise at all. Her business is strictly word-of-mouth and she's constantly dealing with rather obvious undercover cops trying to book appointments. They're pretty easy to figure out since all of her recommendations are chart-able. So it's troublesome both ways.
    Quote Originally Posted by mawali View Post
    It comes down to professional regulation!
    The pair claimed to practice massage therapy but somehow offered to do 'other therapy/services' for additional money, which caused the illegal flag to be turned on. As long as protocol in the name of health/wellness has been followed, then the already certified others as Zero Balancing, Trager, Rolfing (they have their own certiication) are within the rules then all is fine.

    Appropriatness is a better clue to legal or illegal therapy!
    here's my issue w/unlicensed practitioners: if all you are doing is treating friends and family and not receiving any payment, go for it; however, as soon as you start treating the general public, especially if you are advertising treatment for clinical conditions (and word of mouth is still advertising) and especially if you are taking payment for it, the issue is this: ANY treatment that has the potential to address a clinical condition, has the potential to harm; if it doesn't, then it's not skilled therapy (sorry, no free lunches - if the reiki people think it's all good, then good for them, but getting attuned, while not a bad thing, is not skill acquisition, and the way one applies things of that sort has nothing to do with clinical acumen); if it's not skilled therapy, then there's no reason to train in it or to charge for it; if one is applying a technique that requires skilled application, either in appropriateness (requiring clinical reasoning skills as to type of condition, state of patient, etc.), or in delivery (selection / duration / frequency / amplitude of application, etc.), then there is always the possibility that the patient will have an adverse effect if the therapy is improperly applied; if there is improper application and the patient experiences an untoward effect, then the possibility of negligence arises; if there was negligence, then the practitioner needs to be held accountable for that negligence; if the practitioner is licensed, then the client has recourse both in terms of filing a complaint with the appropriate licensing agency or a lawsuit - the point is that the practitioner is able to be held accountable for their actions;
    on the flip side, if one sees an unlicensed bodyworker and afterwards has some bad effect, that's too bad for you: the client has no recourse, and there is no accountability on the part of the practitioner - you can't get their license revoked and you can't sue them, because there is no means by which what they did can be held to any standard of care; the best you might do is have them brought up on charges for illegal activities, but good luck if they contend that they were not doing something that they were legally barred from doing - how do you prove it?
    don't get me wrong - I am not saying that unlicensed people lack skill, but if they are skilled and want to do what they do for a living, then they need to consider how to best protect the interests of their clients, and getting licensed (not just certified, as these are private entities doing that, not the state) is the ethical way to do that;

  4. #19
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    Quote Originally Posted by GeneChing View Post
    How many Dr. Wangs & vendor Zhaos are there in China?
    There are multiple violations here!
    1. Unlicensed TCM practitioner
    2. The company/individual who sold the arsenic laced plaster
    3. A combination of the QA/QC (both internal and external) personnel who approved and signed off that the product was safe!

  5. #20
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    Busted TCM

    14%. Yikes.
    Western ingredients and fourth-grade toxins found in Chinese medicine
    Updated Friday, February 26, 2010 9:53 am TWN, The China Post news staff

    The Consumers' Foundation of Chinese Taipei found 14 percent of the Chinese medicine contains ingredients of western medicine, and even discovered fourth-grade toxin in some of the examined Chinese medicine, local media reported yesterday.

    Conducting a test on Chinese medicine available to the public in 2009, the foundation found 26 of the 187 Chinese medicine samples contain Western ingredients and 35 percent of the problematic medicine was imported from China. Pain-relieve medication was the most dangerous as 7 of the 16 tested samples were found mixed with western medicine.

    With the result of the test similar to that of 2008, it seems the problem of Chinese medicine mixed with western medicine has not been improved, added Hsieh Tien-jen, chairman of the foundation.

    Diazepam (二氮平), a mental tranquilizer, also a kind of fourth-grade toxin, was found in 3 samples. However, they were prescribed to cure constipation. Despite no severe immediate problems, this ingredient is likely to cause addiction after long-term use, said Yu Kai-hsiung, the publisher of the foundation's magazine

    As for the examination of heavy metal content of Chinese medicine, only three out of the 228 samples did not conform to the current regulation, which requires the content to be lower than 100 parts per million (ppm). Compared with Hong Kong's rule which demands the content to be below 15 pmm, the looser rule in Taiwan should be adjusted as some patients do suffer from lead poisoning after they take Chinese medicines with an excess of heavy metal, explained Hsieh.
    Gene Ching
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  6. #21
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    Dr. Lamb?

    Never, never, never go to an Asian doc named Dr. Lamb.

    Beauty therapist left clients blistered
    Last updated 11:56 09/03/2010

    A practitioner of Chinese medicine has been found to have breached patients' rights after two women experienced severe reactions to hair removal treatment he provided.

    Both women complained to the Health and Disability Commissioner after they developed redness, pain and blisters following intense pulsed light (IPL) treatment.

    The first woman said she was told by the practitioner that she would need six treatments, for which she prepaid. After the first session, she was given an information sheet which warned of the possible side-effects of IPL.

    She was also given an information sheet explaining the procedure. One of the steps outlined involved testing a patch of skin to determine sensitivity.

    The commissioner's report, released today, found the practitioner did not test the woman's skin.

    After four uneventful treatments, she experienced some redness on the fifth treatment and severe pain on the sixth. Within 36 hours her legs blistered and she sought help from a medical centre.

    She also saw a dermatologist who told her too much energy had been used during the procedure.

    She returned to the clinic where the practitioner agreed to fully refund her fees.

    The second woman also agreed to six pre-paid treatments and did not have her skin tested. She experienced "very painful" and blistered legs after the third treatment.

    She also visited a dermatologist who told her too much energy had been used during the treatment but that the hyperpigmented scarring on her legs would improve with time.

    Deputy health and disability commissioner Rae Lamb found that the first woman had been given information about the treatment after her first session so she was not able to make an informed consent.

    She also found that because the skin test was not performed on either woman, the practitioner had failed to follow the required safety procedures.

    On Ms Lamb's recommendation, the practitioner had further training, updated his procedure manual, and apologised to the women.

    Ms Lamb also warned the practitioner that he needed to remove the title "Dr" from his clinic's website as he was not a registered health professional.

    The man told the inquiry he studied Chinese medicine and medicinal beauty in China and had performed IPL hair removal treatment to nearly 1000 clients over three years.
    Gene Ching
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  7. #22
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    Quote Originally Posted by GeneChing View Post
    14%. Yikes.
    That is why I go out of my way to make sure the herbs I buy and sell are tested.

    way too many suppliers out there could care less and give their customers the lowest grades of herbs sold as highest grade.

    This was why I started my business in the first place to offer people great medicine that will not break the bank as well as offer the best quality herbs.

    They are much more expensive, but why would I harm people when I want to help them? It does not make sense, but then most people worship money too much to care about people.
    Mouth Boxers have not the testicular nor the spinal fortitude to be known.
    Hence they hide rather than be known as adults.

  8. #23
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    caused more pain

    Not established TCM practices? Imagine how would that fly with Western Medical malpractice...
    Appeal against High Court unsuccessful for TCM physician
    by Ong Dai Lin
    05:55 AM Apr 30, 2010

    SINGAPORE - For giving unapproved treatments to a dying patient in his Johor Bahru clinic, a traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) physician's licence was revoked by the TCM Practitioners Board in April 2008.

    In the High Court yesterday, Mr Huang Danmin, was unsuccessful in his appeal against the decision.

    In January 2004, Mr Tan Nan Kee, 72, who was suffering from terminal rectal cancer, approached Mr Huang in his clinic in Rochor Road for an alternative treatment.

    Although he visited the clinic regularly, Mr Tan was told on three occasions to visit Mr Huang's second clinic in Johor Bahru.

    On one occasion, Mr Huang gave Mr Tan an injection which caused the latter to experience an adverse allergic reaction.

    In June 2004, Mr Huang told Mr Tan and his family he had an electro-thermal needle machine in the Johor Bahru clinic that may be able to treat Mr Tan's condition.

    By then, Mr Tan was bedridden, on an intravenous drip and dependent on morphine for pain relief. He was transported to the Johor Bahru clinic in an ambulance.

    The use of the machine did not relieve Mr Tan's condition but caused more pain. He returned to Singapore on June 6 2004, and died 15 days later.

    Mr Huang's lawyer, Mr Ismail Hamid, said yesterday the physician's actions outside Singapore should not be held against him.

    Said Mr Ismail: "His (Mr Huang's) intention was to help the man but, somehow, things went wrong."

    Lawyer Rebecca Chew, who was acting for the Board, argued that Mr Tan and his family were consulting him as a TCM practitioner registered in Singapore.

    She added that Mr Huang administered the injections and electro-thermal needle machine treatment on Mr Tan despite knowing that they were not established TCM practices. Justice Tay Yong Kwang also ordered Mr Huang to pay the Board its costs of appeal.
    Gene Ching
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  9. #24
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    Toad venom?

    I could go a lot of ways with toad venom. Shoot, where's uki when you really need him?

    Anyone know more about Six God Tablets?

    Crime Scene
    Highlights From The Chronicle's Crime Scene Blog

    SAN FRANCISCO
    Clinic head arrested for toad venom pills

    The 81-year-old operator of a San Francisco clinic has been charged in federal court after he sold pills - purportedly for fighting colds - that contained arsenic and a hallucinogenic chemical found in toad venom, authorities say.

    Edward Feng, the owner of Feng's Holistic Healing Center at 1314 Utah St., also known as China House Clinic, sold a vial of pills to Kathleen Millikin of Watsonville in May 2009 that he said would combat the flu, investigators said.

    Millikin, now 62, took four of the tablets and soon developed an earache, Special Agent Hilary Rickher of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration wrote in an affidavit filed in U.S. District Court in San Francisco.

    About a day later, Millikin's hands swelled, peeled and erupted in painful blisters, a condition that remained for a week, Rickher wrote. Millikin went back to Feng at his clinic - in the shadow of San Francisco General Hospital - and showed him her hands, and he "denied the tablets were the cause," the affidavit said.

    Feng wrote down the name of the tablets in Chinese on a piece of paper for Millikin, investigators said. Translated, it means, "Six God Tablet," or "Six Spirit Pills." An FDA analysis revealed that the pills contained arsenic and bufotenine, which is derived from toad venom.

    In March of this year, an undercover FDA agent bought five vials of the pills from Feng, Rickher wrote. Feng conceded that the pills contained frog poison, but called it "good poison," the affidavit said.

    Millikin's son, Nicholas Eckel, went to Feng around the same time as his mother for alternative treatment of his testicular cancer, Rickher wrote. A friend had told Millikin that Feng was a "foot acupressurist," the affidavit said.

    As part of the treatment, Feng jammed metal probes into Eckel's foot, causing so much pain that he "could almost not walk after treatment," Millikin told investigators.

    Feng was arrested May 24 and charged with introducing misbranded drugs into interstate commerce. He is free on $10,000 bond. He is not licensed to practice medicine in California, nor does he have a Drug Enforcement Administration license to distribute controlled substances, the FDA says.

    In an interview, Feng denied any wrongdoing, saying he only wants to help people.

    Speaking in Mandarin and English, Feng said he has been a "Chinese traditional doctor" since 1982. "I helped hundreds and thousands of people before," he said. He said he would not "try to make people sick."

    Millikin expressed delight that Feng had been charged, describing him as a "quack" who "almost killed my son."

    - Henry K. Lee
    Gene Ching
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  10. #25

    Swiss acupuncturist charged in 16 HIV infections

    http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-505245_1...iv-infections/

    GENEVA — A self-styled healer has been indicted by a Swiss court on charges that he intentionally infected 16 people with HIV, the virus that causes AIDS, in cases going back more than a decade, authorities said Thursday.

    The unidentified man was indicted by a five-judge panel in Bern-Mitelland regional court on charges of intentionally spreading human disease and causing serious bodily harm, offenses that carry maximum penalties of five to 10 years respectively, said the regional prosecutor's office in Bern, the Swiss capital.

    The police investigation concluded that the man had used various pretexts to ***** his victims, but it remained unclear exactly what objects he had used. In other cases, the investigation found, the self-described healer — who is not HIV-positive — had served his victims drinks that made them pass out so he could infect them.

  11. #26
    Quote Originally Posted by TenTigers View Post
    ok, these tui-na/acupuncture/massage places are popping up all over the place. I know of one "clinic" in my area that is known for their "happy endings."
    At first, since I am studying tui-na, I'm starting to notice these places more and more, and I was thinking,"Wow, there are an awful lot of people doing tui-na. I had no idea it was so popular."



    I wonder if my health insurance covers a rub n' tug?
    Maybe you should start following by example!

  12. #27
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    Singapore ethical standards

    Intriguing case...
    TCM physician successful in appeal for lighter sentence
    By Amir Hussain, TODAY | Posted: 06 October 2012 0603 hrs

    SINGAPORE: A Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) physician, who was censured by the TCM Practitioners Board for prescribing four Panamol (paracetamol) tablets to a patient, has been successful in his appeal to the High Court for a lighter sentence.

    The board's sentence was harsher than precedent sentences and Tang Yeow Leong, 52, had not prescribed any other medicine for the patient, Justice Lai Siu Chiu said on Friday.

    She cut Tang's three-month licence suspension to two months and reduced his S$5,000 fine to S$4,000.

    Tang had prescribed the pills to a patient for acute backache after a TCM massage in May 2010. Under the TCM Practitioners Act, TCM physicians are only allowed to prescribe Chinese medicines.

    Worried about the unlabelled tablets, the patient contacted the Health Sciences Authority, which lodged a complaint with the board after conducting an analysis one of the tablets.

    An inspection of Tang's clinic on Sept 16, 2010 also turned up small bags containing tablets of Panamol.

    Tang's lawyer, Mr Daniel Xu, said Tang had given the pills "kindheartedly" to a patient who was in "exceptional pain". He argued that the board's sentence was excessive. Mr Xu also asked for the fine to be reduced to S$2,000.

    But board representative Rebecca Chew said attempts to breach or flout ethical standards should be viewed seriously.
    Gene Ching
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  13. #28
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    scope of practice is scope of practice.

    They were not herbal medicine in the least.

    They have rules to protect patients as well as practitioners.
    Mouth Boxers have not the testicular nor the spinal fortitude to be known.
    Hence they hide rather than be known as adults.

  14. #29
    Quote Originally Posted by Dale Dugas View Post
    scope of practice is scope of practice.

    They were not herbal medicine in the least.

    They have rules to protect patients as well as practitioners.
    well said...

  15. #30
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    Slightly OT

    How do you fence sea cucumber?
    1 charged, 1 sought in Monterey Park sea cucumber, ginseng thefts
    November 1, 2012 | 11:25 pm


    Second suspect

    Monterey Park police Thursday released an image of a second suspect in a string of recent robberies at traditional Chinese medicine stores.

    The picture, pulled from a security camera on a Garvey Avenue storefront, depicts a man pacing in front of an herbal remedy store before, authorities say, he ran in and seized a container of ginseng.

    Man Van Truong, 56, accused of being an accomplice, was arrested Monday and charged Wednesday with two counts of burglary and one count of attempted robbery. Truong remains in custody; bail was set at $120,000.

    Police believe the two men could be involved with as many as three thefts at medicine stores within a week and at least one other theft at a San Gabriel store. In each case, police said, one of the men attempted to grab containers of the herbal remedies and flee into a waiting vehicle, which witnesses described as a black Honda sedan and gave similar license plate numbers.

    Ginseng and sea cucumber are highly valued in Chinese medicine for a wide array of supposed healing properties. They are also highly valued on the black market: One pound of ginseng can retail for $300, and a pound of sea cucumber can cost more than $100.

    Still, repeated daylight robberies of Chinese medicine stores are unusual, authorities said.

    "I've never heard or seen anything like this before," said Det. Gil Alvarez of the Monterey Park Police Department.

    Anyone with information about the second suspect or similar thefts should call Alvarez at (626) 307-1226 or Det. Arlene Guevara at (626) 307-1428.
    I'm guessing this is for a sick family member and they can't afford the medicine. Or is there a significant black market for legal TCM herbs? I know there is a black market for the illegal stuff, but there's always a black market for illegal stuff.
    Gene Ching
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