Getting the Point

Acupuncture therapy gains popularity in Zambia

By Derrick Silimina | VOL.12 January ·2019-12-30

Anita Njobvu, 32, was introduced to acupuncture therapy by her husband because her blood pressure was through the roof.

"I was first introduced to some other Chinese herbal medicines and I later ended up with acupuncture treatment, which has been helpful as my blood pressure has actually stabilized," said Njobvu, who lives in Lusaka, capital of Zambia.

Acupuncture is an important part of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) and involves the insertion of long needles into specific points on a person's body with the aim of balancing the body's energy levels.

Njobvu, who had been battling severe hypertension for some time, said that after three months of being administered with acupuncture therapy, she is now on the course of recovery.

Acupuncture is part of the growing trend of Chinese involvement in the health sector in Zambia. The growing footprint of TCM in the country is a mirror of the broader perspective of China-Zambia relations, highlighting mutual cooperation in a wide range of areas.

In Zambia, traditional and alternative medicine is used and accepted by a great majority of the population, regardless of ethnic, religious, or social background. So, people are open to the idea of TCM.

Popular treatment

Acupuncture treatment used to be something new to the African continent, but with awareness of it growing in countries like Zambia, an increasing number of patients are opting for the healing technique rather than conventional medicine.

"[My TCM doctor] Feng Kehong's treatment took about two months and from the third month, I have not had any high blood pressure readings," said Njobvu.

As compared to conventional medicine, Pamela Chisunka, a teacher in Zambia's Central Province, said that she found Chinese traditional remedies be more effective than Western medicine.

"I think for me, Western medicine couldn't help cure my chronic headaches. Conventional medicine just has temporary effect, and the pain remains when one stops taking the medicine. As a result, you spend more on medication," said Chisunka. For Benjamin Mambwe, a local bus driver from Intercity Bus Station in Lusaka, acupuncture has proven to be more effective than conventional medicine. He said it wasn't long after he began treatment that he recovered from partial paralysis earlier this year.

He told ChinAfrica that during the acupuncture treatment process, the doctor used needles to prick into the affected body part.

"You will feel a slight discomfort when she starts the process; but thereafter, it's okay and the pain will disappear. After 30 minutes, the needles are removed and the process is repeated [daily] for 10 days."

After the treatment, Mambwe is now back on his two feet attending to his daily duties.

Wide range of benefits

Meanwhile, Benjamin Chitumbo, a renowned Ndola-based medical doctor, is impressed with his Chinese counterparts and their effective medical practice.

"All I know from experience is that acupuncture is one of the alternative medical treatment methods as it is based on the long Chinese tradition and explains the interconnectivity of our hormones and nervous system. Acupuncture has been used for a variety of illnesses. It is certainly a practice that has helped many of my patients too," said Chitumbo.

It is because of this acceptance that Feng established the private medical facility - Zhong Yi Surgery in Lusaka, following an increase in demand for Chinese medical treatment among the city's residents.

"Since I came to Lusaka, more and more people understand acupuncture. I attend to various patients suffering from strokes, HIV/AIDS, hypertension, paralysis and diabetes, among others.

In 1997, Feng came to Zambia on a tour of duty from China and worked for two years as a resident medical doctor first at Ndola General Hospital in the Copperbelt Province and then Kabwe General Hospital in Central Province.

Driven by her passion to provide quality health care to people, Feng went on to establish Zhong Yi Surgery in Lusaka in 2002 with a focus on TCM care.

Feng's assistant Neila Mumba, a Zambian lady, explained how Zhong Yi Surgery, located in Lusaka's Roma residential area, has helped many Zambians recover from various diseases.

"We had a chief from north Zambia who suffered a stroke and he was unable to walk. But after [acupuncture] treatment, he started walking. We also have several cases of senior government officials who come here to seek medical attention," said Mumba. "For instance, there is one lady who is diabetic and she has been to several hospitals but her condition was quite severe and couldn't recover until she came here. Her condition has now improved as her sugar levels drastically came down."

Asked why she has prioritized acupuncture therapy and not conventional medicine in her private medical practice, especially since she is a fully qualified medical doctor who has served in Zambia's public hospitals, Feng said her calling is to help people with the most effective medical care available.

"In China, I learned Western medicine and TCM. I chose the latter after I established a private clinic; but before that, I practiced as a full time conventional doctor," said Feng.

Local compliance

Since TCM is built on a foundation of thousands of years of medical practice, it includes various forms of herbal medicine, acupuncture, massage, exercise and dietary therapy, among others.

Feng said she has since been helping more local people understand how traditional therapies work and comply with local rules and standards.

"One big advantage of traditional Chinese medicine is that it is easy to perform, and it doesn't have high requirements for medical equipment," said Feng.

In line with how these medicines adapt to local conditions, the Zambian Government recognizes traditional and complementary/alternative medicine and national policies do support these treatments.

Although there are no official regulatory measures for recognizing the qualifications of practitioners, the Traditional Health Practitioners Association of Zambia reviews and registers traditional practitioners for licensing and plans are under way to develop such regulations.

Zambia is now considering better utilization of its diverse medicinal plants, a worthwhile lesson learned from China.

According to the World Health Organization, at least 70 percent of Zambians use traditional medicine.

Recently, Health Minister Chitalu Chilufya said the government was in the process of reviewing the act that governs the traditional practice of medicine.

"As we strengthen our health system, we have identified the need to strengthen collaboration, in particular with China. Zambia will collaborate to strengthen cultivation of medicinal plants and to share experiences and knowledge," said Chilufya, when a delegation from Jiangxi University of Traditional Chinese Medicine (JUTCM) called on him at the Ministry of Health headquarters.

Chilufya has since hailed the wider partnership between China and Zambia, especially in the area of health infrastructure and human resource training. Zuo Zhengyun, head of the delegation and President of JUTCM, informed Chilufya that his university had signed a memorandum of understanding with the Tropical Diseases Research Center (TDRC), to collaborate in the area of research.

Located in Ndola, Zambia, the TDRC is a biomedical research Center initiated by the World Health Organization in collaboration with the Zambian Government.

"We also hope to cooperate through research and development to promote clinical use of Zambian traditional herbal medicines," said Zuo.

The mission to Zambia by the university follows Zambian President Edgar Lungu's visit to the JUTCM campus in 2018.

(Reporting from Zambia)

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