Korean herb doctor

Dr Lee Dong Il and his wife, Lisa in his TCM clinic

“Nothing more can be done for you,” the doctor said.  He had undergone several heart surgeries and it was not advisable to go under the knife again.  But at age 65, he could hardly climb stairs without his heart racing into erratic palpitations. 

Then he was introduced to Dr Lee Dong Il, a Korean doctor who practiced traditional Chinese medicine (TCM).  After several courses of treatment involving traditional therapies and herbal remedies, he no longer panted after climbing stairs.  Today he’s going on strong in his daily routine and takes frequent holidays abroad.  Like many patients, he became Dr Lee’s friend.

 

Dr Lee, aged 42, who studied Mandarin in school, had early exposure to all things Chinese including traditional medicine because 2 of his uncles are TCM practitioners in Korea.  With an interest in TCM, he studied under renowned professors in the Beijing University of Chinese Medicine and spent the next 10 years in China.  After graduating, he worked with the Beijing Dongzhimen Chinese Medicine Hospital and the Beijing Chinese-Japanese Friendship Hospital before returning to work in his uncle’s Seoul Youngdengpo Oriental Medicine Hospital in Korea.

Keen to establish a medical practice outside of Korea, he and his wife, Lisa, explored options in Kuala Lumpur, Singapore and Johor before deciding on Johor Bahru.  With its central location in Taman Pelangi, his clinic offers a range of traditional therapies and is equipped with a pleasant waiting area, consultation room, private therapy cubicles, dispensary as well as a room where herbal tonics are hygienically prepared. 

Herbal ingredients for a herbal remedy

Premium quality ingredients imported from China and Korea are kept fresh in refrigerators and specially designed drawers.  Dr Lee would prepare herbal tonics in traditional recipes using a series of pressure cookers and the cooled tonics are sealed by an automated process into clean and convenient sachets.  Fresh batches of these tonics are prepared regularly and have a shelf-life of up to 12 months.

When patients arrive at Beijing Chinese Medicine Center, they exchange their street footwear for slippers provided.  Among the patients waiting there was a lady who was consulting Dr Lee for menstrual pain problems.  For 10 years she suffered excruciating monthly pains which she described were “just like childbirth.”  After 20 months of treatment, she was free from pains a year ago and now only makes monthly “maintenance” visits.

She eagerly shared how Dr Lee made daily home visits to see her 75-year old mother-in-law who was in a coma after suffering a stroke.  As a result of the treatment, the patient opened her eyes on the second day and on the third day when he applied acupuncture needles, she suddenly responded by saying, “thoong” meaning painful.  With daily treatment, she gradually recovered to be able to talk, eat and walk again and the family enjoyed a two-year bonus with her.



Hygenically packed sachets of herbal tonic

Another man who suffered a bout of denggi fever was very weak for months but he regained his strength after consulting Dr Lee.  His recovery was amazing because he had the stamina to drive alone from Johor Bahru to Sungai Petani and back again on the same day.  Such exciting proofs of recovery have been told and re-told by patients who have experienced a better quality of life.

Talking about his patients, Dr Lee modestly summed it up as “International.” 

In the past 4 years, this Korean herb doctor has been successfully treating patients in the Korean and Japanese communities in Johor Bahru and Singapore as well as many Chinese, Malay, Indian and Caucasian people who preferred alternative treatments. 

While Dr Lee specializes in ailments like stroke, hypertension and diabetes, he sees patients for all kinds of disorders ranging from menopausal problems, heart conditions, thrombosis, aches and pains and even slimming.  Beside his practice, Dr Lee is a guest consultant with the Singapore Korean Society and provides TCM remedies in a column on its website http:www.hankookchon.com.  He’s also a contributor to the TCM column of Hannah Press, a Korean newspaper circulated in 6 South-East Asian countries. 

Beijing Chinese Medicine Clinic at No. 14 Jalan Pingai, Taman Pelangi is open on Sunday from 3.00pm to 8.00pm.  Consultation hours are from 10.00am to 1.00pm and from 3.00pm to 8.00pm daily except Wednesday and Public Holidays.  Tel: 07 – 3353023.

A version of this article was published in The New Straits Times, Johor Streets in May 2009