Bringing colour back into life

HONG KONG: Alvin Chung, 31, gingerly extends his right hand, and attempts to trace a dotted pattern on a colour chart being held out for him. “I think it’s a 6,” he says, and beams with pride when he’s told he’s right. But as he flips page after page, he begins to falter, as the patterns get more complex, and the colour distinctions less easy to discern. Particularly for someone with his condition.

Seven years ago, Chung, a telecom software engineer, was diagnosed with colour-blindness: the revelation came about in somewhat dramatic circumstances. “I had appeared for a job interview in a software company,” he recalls. “I sailed through the interview, but then in my fitness test the doctor said I was colour-blind. I very nearly didn’t get the job.”

In the Western medicine system, there is no known cure for colour-blindness, a condition in which the eye fails to perceive differences between some or all colours. Chung faces trouble in distinguishing between red and green, and a spot of bother with brown. And although he can make out traffic light colours clearly, he has difficulty in picking red and green colours against a chromatic background. This has proven to be a bit of an impediment at work, where he sometimes has to take help from his colleagues in identifying the colours of the wires and the LAN cables — and of blinking lights on the hardware.

“I consulted some Western medical practitioners in Hong Kong,” says Chung. “But they said my condition was probably hereditary, and that it was incurable.” Which is when he turned to Angela Wong, a licensed traditional Chinese medical practitioner in Hong Kong.  Chung is only one of millions of people in China — and elsewhere in the world —who have in recent times begun to explore alternative cures offered by traditional Chinese medicine (TCM). At its simplest, TCM encapsulates a range of traditional medical practices that have evolved in China over thousands of years (see box: Yin-Yang balance). With its emphasis on holistic well-being and preventive good health practices, it borders on being a “way of life” and a spiritual philosophy, in much the same manner as the Ayurvedic medicine system and yoga.

“Traditional Chinese medicine is very widely practiced in China,” confirms Dr Zhixiu Lin, Assistant Professor in the School of Chinese Medicine at the Chinese University of Hong Kong. “There are probably 2,000 to 3,000 TCM hospitals in the mainland.” One factor that perhaps accounts for the resurgence in interest in TCM is that it is far less costly than Western medicine systems, where, for instance, diagnostic procedures alone can be hugely expensive.

Although Chinese traditional medical practitioners in China have claimed success in curing many diseases — including cancer, and even SARS — Lin acknowledges that medical evidence hasn’t always met the highest standards of scrutiny. Yet, he notes, there is an abundance of case studies, observations and anecdotal evidence to back many claims of cures under this system.

Wong, who is treating Chung for his colour-blindness, too acknowledges that even if her method succeeds on him, it would be only one case — not enough to validate her procedures. In the month or so since Chung’s treatment for his eye condition began, he’s made a measure of progress. “My sensitivity to colour is perhaps a little sharper,” says Chung.

What regimen does Wong follow on Chung? “In his case,” says Wong, “I’m trying to increase his yin energy to balance his yang. I’m also working to improve his digestion, and his liver and spleen functions.” Chung has also undergone about 10 acupuncture sessions; he also does eye exercises, follows a meditation routine, practices yoga, and abides by a strict diet regimen.

Wong is well-pleased with Chung’s progress, but refuses to speculate on when he can be completely cured of his colour-blindness.

“Right now, I’m only working to ensure that Chung feels more confident about his eye, and that he’ll never have to give up a job he loves and is good at.”

As Chung traces a panda pattern on his colour chart, he reckons that the hope that Wong offers is a good enough ‘miracle cure’ for him.