School teacher Gina Arsena has always complained of back pain, something that is common in her family, especially for the women on her maternal who suffer from scoliosis.

Her back pain is aggravated by her job which keeps her on her feet for hours as she conducts her classes. It does not help that she also carries heavy books.

“Over the years of taking pain relievers, the medicines are no longer effective. I tried other modes of treatment, but they fell short of the results I wanted,” she said.

In June this year, Arsena went to Cebu to see a doctor treating another relative. This brought her to a small clinic for a treatment that she was not familiar with — acupuncture.

“I was very reluctant at first; I never believed those needles could cure. There is no science that supports it,” she said. Nevertheless, she stayed and continued the treatment after experiencing significant relief after two sessions.

“I no longer experience excruciating pain, and I want to continue this kind of treatment. I have stopped taking pain relievers and I am determined to keep it that way,” she said. “I have realized that these needles have so much power to treat diseases.”

Unknown to Arsena and many Filipinos, acupuncture and other traditional Chinese medicine practices are already integrated into the healthcare delivery system. Many hospitals run by the Department of Health have units that offer treatment methods such as acupuncture, ventosa and moxibustion.

The mainstreaming of traditional medicine, whether Chinese or Filipino, is embedded in Republic Act 8423, otherwise known as the Traditional and Alternative Medicine Act of 1997, authored by Senator Juan M. Flavier.

The law created the Philippine Institute of Traditional and Alternative Health Care, which is mandated “to improve the quality and delivery of health care services to the Filipino people through the development of traditional and alternative health care and its integration into the national health care delivery system.”

Dr. Randy Saavedra, head of the Traditional and Alternative Health Care unit at the Eastern Visayas Medical Center (EVMC), said there is a growing acceptance of traditional medicine among Filipinos due to the increasing demand for wellness and a healthy lifestyle.

He said traditional medicine offers an alternative to patients who have tried conventional treatments but did not get the relief they expected.

“There are people who avoid taking medicines and would prefer natural treatments due to the side effects of some drugs,” he said. “It complements functional medicine.”

Saavedra, who specializes in Family Medicine, said traditional medicine harnesses the body’s natural way of combating diseases.

In acupuncture, he explained, hair-thin needles are pierced into certain points to improve the flow of blocked or stagnant qi, which is the body’s vital energy that flows along specific channels or meridians. He said acupuncture can unblock these meridians to restore the movement of qi and improve health.

Saavedra said that while these modes of healing have been in existence for thousands of years, their practice in the healthcare delivery system remains in its infancy.

At EVMC, the Traditional and Alternative Health Care unit opened only two years ago after 20 staff members completed training in acupuncture, ventosa and moxibustion during the pandemic.

Since the first patient sought treatment for lower back pain two years ago, Saavedra said an increasing number of patients at EVMC have sought such treatments, especially acupuncture, for various illnesses despite the lack of a public information drive.

This year, he said, his unit has been receiving an average of 30-40 patients a month, which is considerable, especially since the unit is open for treatments only in the morning due to his other functions in the hospital.