Isaac Yoon and Jonathan Wang interviewed Dr. Wonseop Lee, an Acupuncture specialist practicing in Newport Beach. The interview discussed how Asian American health disparities are prominent throughout the nation, especially in predominantly caucasian areas.
What experiences have you had in your profession regarding being an Asian American? 25 years ago I came to America as an acupuncture doctor and the adjustment was definitely not easy. At that time Eastern medicine was not widespread whatsoever and my practices were often misunderstood by patients. Even a slight side effect after receiving treatment would lead to them threatening to sue me, and this wasn’t a rare occurrence. However, as the American healthcare system began to show more interest in Eastern medicine and schools in the United States began to conduct more research on Eastern medicine such as Harvard, they soon began to understand the intricacies of acupuncture such as how applying needles in the leg can help ailments in the eye. As these discoveries continued, even natural health stores or common pharmacies have begun to take interest and implement Eastern medicinal herbs. This soon became commonplace as these pharmacies opened their eyes to the potency and effectiveness of these herbs. Later, American pharmaceutical corporations would mass produce these herbs and Americans have come to love this type of medicine. Despite these advancements, prescription knowledge of these types of medicine is lacking. Even now, many doctors and pharmacies don’t know what type of Eastern medicinal herb is needed in certain scenarios which causes difficulties in prescription. Nonetheless,we’ve come to the stage where there is heavy interest in Eastern medicine. When it comes to difficulties with language, my medical practice in Florida showed me that there is still a lot of discrimination towards Asian people. I could pick up on the feeling that white medical practitioners and patients tended to look down on me. This caused an even greater urgency to explain Eastern medicine to these people and help them understand. When it comes to cultural differences, Koreans tend to value courtesy very highly especially when it comes to our families. The Korean family is not based on the American idea of an “immediate family” but an “extended family.” This meant that the patients here would often be shaped by individualistic ideals and follow their own beliefs or thoughts instead of my suggestions. I had to adjust to this culture because I couldn’t tell them to change their own values. I began to think that I must become “Americanized” and become acculturated to the way of life here. What are some of the similarities and differences between the body constitutions of Asian individuals and other races as well as the optimal treatment methods according to these differences? Asian and Western people have distinctive constitutions by nature. Asian people have a “vegetable DNA,” or a constitution that benefits from a more plant-centered diet and Western people have a different DNA or constitution. This difference in constitution causes a difference in treatment methods which arises from the Asian’s constitution which is “deficient”, while the Western constitution is stronger and powerful. Because Asian body constitutions are generally weaker, they need more medicine to support their body while Western people have more strength than needed which means they need treatments that lower this excess of energy. This isn’t the case for all Asian people or all Western people. I’d say around 80% of Asians have this “deficient” constitution while 80% of Westerners have a more powerful body characteristic. This causes Westerners to have more resistance to hot or cold environments as their body can maintain homeostasis better, while Asian people are weaker at resisting both temperature extremes. This is what leads to the differences in treatments. Because the Eastern and Western treatments are so different, aren’t there instances where Asians can misunderstand the American healthcare system? Due to Western medicine’s immediate effectiveness, Asians also understand the benefits of Western medicine. For example, Western medicine’s systematic nature of prescribing specific medications for specific cases leads to a consistency that can be relied on. If an Asian person gets a bacterial infection, they will get the same antibiotic prescribed to them no matter what clinic they go to and they will still undergo chemotherapy at any hospital if they get cancer. By forcefully killing viruses or cutting out problematic areas in the body, western medicine gives immediate results that are forceful but reliable and feasible. On the other hand, Eastern medicine isn’t about killing or cutting out but settling natural herbs into the body to support the internal organs and strengthen one’s immune system. This will dissipate the germs and illnesses in one’s body naturally. Wouldn’t the lack of overall wellness and internal organ support that Western medicine provides compared to Eastern medicine lead to an eventual disappointment in certain Western medicine practices within Asian immigrants? I think so. Patients in regions such as Newport Beach have distrust for Western medicine and avoid eating medication. This is because western medicine damages one part of the body as a cost for repairing another. This causes a cycle where the newly damaged area requires a different type of medication which causes damage to another area requiring new medication, and eventually patient medication lists can span up to 3 pages long. There are lots of experiences like this. On the other hand, people with time on their hands can take prolonged eastern treatment which would make them better without a doubt, as the natural remedies are harmonious to their body. However, Western medication usually sacrifices one for another which could lead to distrust from the Asian community. Are there any social ways we can bridge the healthcare disparity in Asian Communities? I believe that healthcare providers can often discriminate against Asians because they believe Asians are not as keen to notice the mistakes they make and they can overcharge or exploit these oversights easily. One of the ways to fix this is just to work towards people treating each other equally and for healthcare providers to not be counterfeit in their practices. Dr. Wonseop Lee Acupuncture & Oriental Medicine Master at South Baylor University (1999~2002) American Liberty University (2002~2005) Ph.D Sun Acupuncture Clinic in La Crescenta, CA (2002 ~ 2005 ) Lee Acupuncture Clinic in Jacksonville, Florida (2005 ~ 2010) Rapha Acupuncture in Newport Beach, CA (2010~Current)
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