Despite her faith in TCM, Poru only uses TCM to supplement Western treatments.
"I take traditional Chinese anti-viral drugs when I get a cold, but only with Western medicines. I believe TCM can alleviate sickness, but for a cure, we still have to take Western medicines in most cases," she says.
Park Jiho, a South Korean studying TCM at Shandong University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, has no problem in accepting TCM because it has much in common with traditional Korean medicine.
He is an intern in the acupuncture section of the provincial TCM hospital of Shandong during his summer break, and will begin post-graduate studies in acupuncture and massage therapy when college returns.
"As I am learning from practioners, I understand TCM needs a lot of hands-on experience," says Park. "Merely following books doesn't work.
"A patient suffering leg pains came to us the other day, and my tutor administered acupuncture at a point that was not the one textbook tells us.
"My tutor told me it came from her own observation through decades of practice, and I think that is the striking difference between Chinese and Western medicine," says Park.
"What also interests me is that TCM applies a holistic approach to treat patients. If a patients suffers a headache, the doctor won't just fix his head problem, but also associated organs."
However, Park says he cannot practice TCM at home as the government of Republic of Korea (ROK) does not recognize a college degree in TCM.
"Still, I want to introduce TCM to more South Koreans and I believe the government will liberalize regulation of TCM sooner or later."
China institutions are working with schools and institutes abroad to train more TCM "heirs."
Nanjing University of Chinese Medicine is about to receive 45 students from the Acupuncture School of Oslo (AKHS) next month. They will take internships at the university's affiliated hospital.
Zhang Xu, deputy dean of the university's overseas education school, says short term exchange programs are also scheduled next year.
(Xinhua reporters Gu Ye, Liu Lu, Zheng Qian, Luo Jun also contributed to the story)
