There is often a lot of wisdom in things passed down from parents to their children, one generation after another.An example of this is the knowledge a doctor of herbal medicine has to make people better when they feel awful because their bodies are simply not working properly.Some of his patients come to him after visiting doctors who work using scientific knowledge.He says a huge number of his patients get better after he gives them his traditional treatments.
Thang has cured thousands of patients in the last 40 years.
By Duc Loi
“Over the past 40 years, I have cured thousands of patients suffering from vestibular disorders with herbal medicines. Many patients were bedridden and had been refused treatment by hospitals. But after taking my medicines which have been handed down by my ancestors, they were able to resume normal life,” said Nguyen Duc Thang, a doctor of herbal medicine and chairman of the Hai Duong Herbal Medicine Association.”
Years of herbal medicine research
Thang is the eighth generation in his family who has been prescribing herbal medicines to treat vestibular disorders.
“In the past, my ancestors used Vietnamese and Chinese medicinal herbs to cure vestibular disorders. I combine my ancestors’ prescription with my own research to extract two kinds of medicine that can treat the disease. It took me dozens of years,” Thang said.
According to him, his prescription includesxuyen khung(Ligusticum wallichii Franch);bup cay da long(Ficus elastica),te tan(Asarum heterotropoides F.Schm.var mandschuricum),man kinh tu(Vitex trifolia L, Vitex rotundifolia L.f)…and many other Vietnamese and Chinese herbs.
Thang said that nowadays many people suffer from vestibular disorders and have symptoms of headache and vertigo. If the patient does not go to a doctor promptly, he will have a stroke.
Thang’s patients come from every corner of the country. Many of them were in serious condition, but after following Thang’s prescription, they are able to stand up, move about and have meals by themselves.
We travelled more than 200 kilometres to visit Nguyen Van Huong’s family in Thuan Loc Commune, Hau Loc District, in the central province of Thanh Hoa.
Two years ago, 78-year-old Huong developed a vestibular disorder. He became bedridden and needed his family’s help to do his daily activities. His children were introduced to Thang by some of the doctor’s patients and they bought medicine for their father.
Huong took about 35 packs of the medicine and his headache disappeared gradually.
“I have taken many kinds of medicine, but Thang’s medicinal herb was the best. Now my health is alright,” said Huong.
We make a phone call to Nguyen Manh Hiep who lives in 575/85 Nguyen Dinh Chieu, Ward 2, District 3, in HCM City. Hiep, 55, was also cured by Thang.
“I found that I had serious vestibular disorder when I was more than 50 years old. At the beginning, I thought it was a normal headache which would go away if I took rest. But it did not. I continued to have headache, nausea and vertigo. I didn’t enjoy food and was scared to travel by bus and on the train,” said Hiep.
“In 2005, I decided to go to the United States for treatment. A doctor, a PhD in nerve research, said that my brain was damaged after he checked my MRI (magnetic resonance imaging) scan. His prescription of supplements for nerves helped to relieve my pain.
“After I returned to Viet Nam, I researched many treatment methods. Thanks to the recommendation of an acquaintance, I bought Thang’s medicine. After taking 15 packs, I recovered completely,” said Hiep.
Ten years ago, Nguyen Van Quy, 80, from Ward 4, District Go Vap, HCM City, was in very serious condition. He did not trust any medicinal herbs. But he took Thang’s medicine for some time and recovered from his long illness.
“At that time, I had a headache which made me feel dizzy. It happened every two days. My daughter is a doctor but she could not help me. After taking 15 packs of Thang’s medicine, I recovered completely. I bought the medicine and gave it to other patients, and they also recovered,” said Quy.
Free treatment for the poor
According to Thang, vestibular disorders are a danger to people of all ages. The disease makes people feel exhausted and threatens their lives. “According to my understanding, there is no specific method yet to treat vestibular disorders. My medicine is highly effective with a 90 per cent recovery rate,” he claimed.
He has also helped many poor patients to recover without making any profit. “I have cured poor patients, women and children free of charge. Several years ago, a family in Tu Ky District in Hai Duong Province had a child who suffered from a vestibular disorder. I give medicines to them and the child recovered. The family was very poor and they removed the tiles of their house and sold them to pay me. I returned the money and told them to use it to buy food for their child,” said Thang.
The logo depicting a sail and a globe on Thang’s packages express his desire to enter the world market. He hopes to make his treatment more widely known.
GLOSSARY
“Over the past 40 years, I have cured thousands of patients suffering from vestibular disorders with herbal medicines.
Vestibular disorders are problems that people have and involve the different parts and systems of the body getting out of balance with one another.
Many patients were bedridden and had been refused treatment by hospitals.
People who are bedridden need to stay in bed all the time.
But after taking my medicines which have been handed down by my ancestors, they were able to resume normal life,” said Nguyen Duc Thang, a doctor of herbal medicine and chairman of the Hai Duong Herbal Medicine Association.”
Your ancestors are your parents, grandparents, great grandparents, great great grandparents and so on.To resume normal life means to go back to living a normal life.
Thang is the eighth generation in his family who has been prescribing herbal medicines to treat vestibular disorders.
Each set of parents, children, grandparents, great grandparents and so on represent a generation.When a doctor prescribes a medicine he or she writes down an order for a patient to go to a chemist and buy a certain medicine, or medicines.
“I combine my ancestors’ prescription with my own research to extract two kinds of medicine that can treat the disease.
To extract means to draw something out. In this case, the doctor has been through many books and taken from them information about two kinds of medicine that can treat the disease.
Thang said that nowadays many people suffer from vestibular disorders and have symptoms of headache and vertigo.
Symptoms are signs that show you have a certain illness.Vertigo is a sickness some people get when they look down at something from a great height.
If the patient does not go to a doctor promptly, he will have a stroke.Promptly means quickly.
“I continued to have headache, nausea and vertigo.”
People suffer nausea when they need to vomit.
“A doctor, a PhD in nerve research, said that my brain was damaged after he checked my MRI (magnetic resonance imaging) scan.
Your nerves are a network of thin strings that are all over your body and are connected to your brain through your spine. They send messages between the body and the brain. Nerve research means study on this system of the body.
His prescription of supplements for nerves helped to relieve my pain.
To relieve pain means to make it go away.
“Thanks to the recommendation of an acquaintance, I bought Thang’s medicine.”
An acquaintance is someone you know but is neither a friend nor an enemy.
My medicine is highly effective with a 90 per cent recovery rate,” he claimed.
If his medicine has a 90 percent recovery rate, it means that 90 percent of patients get better.
The family was very poor and they removed the tiles of their house and sold them to pay me. I returned the money and told them to use it to buy food for their child,” said Thang.
Tiles are flat bricks that roofs of houses are often made of.
The logo depicting a sail and a globe on Thang’s packages express his desire to enter the world market. He hopes to make his treatment more widely known.
A logo is a business, or an organisation’s special sign that people recognise. If a logo depicts a sail and a globe it means that it shows these two things.
WORKSHEET
Find words that mean the following in the Word Search:
1. A person you know who is neither a friend nor an enemy.
2. The number of years Nguyen Duc Thang has been working as a doctor of herbal medicine.
3. Nguyen Van Quy’s daughter’s job.
4. The things that a poor family from Tu Ky District in Hai Duong Province once sold for money to pay Nguyen Duc Thang.
5. The number of generations in Thang’s family who have been practising herbal medicine.
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ANSWERS:© Duncan Guy/Learn the News/ Viet Nam News 2014 1. Acquaintance; 2. Forty; 3. Doctor; 4. Tiles; 5. Eight.
Đăng ký: VietNam News