Doctor, could you briefly introduce yourself to our patients?
I graduated from the 1st Faculty of Medicine of Charles University, then I worked for several years as an epidemiologist at the State Institute of Health in the Centre for Environmental Monitoring and Population Health. After my first certificate in hygiene and epidemiology, I went on maternity leave, which extended to 12 years with five children.
In 2012, I joined the neurology department of Hořovice Hospital. I started in a new place and in a new field for me. After a few months, the then head of the neurology department encouraged me to pursue my old dream - to study acupuncture. I enrolled in a year-long acupuncture course for physicians, led by MUDr. Fiala, which I successfully completed by exam in the summer of 2014. In the same year, I also completed the neurological strain. And two years later I passed the theoretical exam in sleep medicine and the practical exam in polygraphy.
Under the guidance of the chief MUDr. Martin Šrámek I had the opportunity to practice acupuncture in the context of neurological diseases - facial nerve palsy, trigeminal neuralgia, back and cervical spine pain. The number of patients increased and I felt the need to learn more about acupuncture points and their use in practice.
I enrolled in the study of Traditional Chinese Medicine at the TCM Institute in Prague. I am currently in my third year. The study is four years long and is followed by postgraduate courses. We learn diagnostics, acupuncture and phytotherapy along with auxiliary methods such as dietetics and tuina massage under the guidance of experienced lecturers. It has pushed my knowledge and skills much further and opened up new horizons.
Currently, I work three days a week at the hospital in Hořovice as a neurologist in the chronic outpatient clinic and emergency room, performing outpatient cerebrospinal fluid collections. Two days a week I am at the neurological outpatient clinic of our hospital in Královův Dvůr, where I work exclusively with acupuncture.
What led you to "exotic" acupuncture?
What I have always liked about acupuncture and Chinese medicine as such is that it has an individual approach to the patient, it is "tailor-made" for everyone. With the right diagnosis and therapeutic procedure, it has very good results even without the use of drugs. This is probably what I like most - that it is possible to stimulate the body to the healing process without unnecessary burden of drugs. There are situations and diagnoses where we cannot do without medication, but there are also many conditions where things go well without it, or the dose of medication can be reduced.
What do you say to the objections from some of the public, but also from many of your colleagues, that traditional Chinese medicine and Western medicine are in conflict?
For me they are not in conflict, they are just two different views of the patient and health. Western medicine looks for a diagnosis and has a pre-determined therapy based on that. Chinese medicine describes the current state of the patient's body and looks for a path to balance. My grandfather was a general practitioner during the First Republic - back then, doctors in the field were used to making a diagnosis primarily from questioning and physical examination of the patient - observing skin color, tongue, palpation, listening. Chinese diagnosis is very similar. I think that our Western and traditional Chinese medicine can complement each other very well. It is important to know when I can still treat with Chinese medicine and when I have to reach for our Western medicine.
Who is acupuncture suitable for?
For everyone, it works as a therapy and as a prevention.
Can you also use it for serious illnesses such as cancer?
Yes, we can, but only as a supportive therapy. It will help to better cope with and tolerate chemotherapy or radiotherapy. But it cannot cure the cancer itself.
What are the reactions of patients in Gorovice when you suggest acupuncture?
In cases where I think acupuncture would really make sense, I offer it to my patients, and some of my colleagues do too. The patient has the free choice to "go for it" or not. For some, especially the elderly or socially disadvantaged, it is mainly a question of money. Because one session is not enough, it needs to be repeated after a week - usually 7 to 10 times. In some cases we continue even further. But overall I feel that patients welcome the possibility of a different therapy.
