Chinese doctors are now being singled-out as forerunners in controversial treatments that the world has never seen before

Madeline Clark was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis when she was 11-years-old. MS, a central nervous disease in which myelin, the fatty sheath that surrounds and protects nerve fibers, is destroyed, causes nerve impulses to be slowed or halted. Her poor eyesight was the first telltale sign.

At times Clark could only go to class for a few hours a day, but she refused to give in to her disabilities. Despite receiving three Interferon injections a week (in an attempt to stop the virus from replicating) and taking an anti-depression tablet daily, Clark's condition progressively deteriorated. Needing assistance, she couldn't walk long distances and dragged her left foot. Her balance was poor, she had bladder problems and her bowels did not function normally. Clark underwent several years of expensive treatment with Western medicine in Perth to no avail.

"Western medicine had done nothing for her," says Catherine Clark, her mother, from their home in Western Australia.

When it comes to seeking medical treatment, China's hospitals are usually the last place foreigners want to go. Most would rather flock to medical tourism hotspots like India, Singapore and Thailand or fly home.

"They have no trust. They don't think China has the same standard of care as their country,"says Dr. Wan Feng, president of Beijing's Phoenix-Wan Cardiovascular (Center) Hospital.

This may not be true for long though. The Chinese medical community is making strides in areas where Western medicine lags behind or doesn't work.

Dr. Wan was the first surgeon to perform minimally invasive beating-heart surgery, a type of heart-bypass surgery, in China, where cardiovascular disease is the number one killer, while Dr. Huang Hongyun is a leader in implanting olfactory ensheathing glial cells from aborted fetuses into patients to possibly halt the progression of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, more commonly referred to as ALS, and improve MS symptoms and the sensory and movements of paralyzed patients. China has also been a trailblazer in traditional Chinese medicine for centuries. Recently, more and more foreigners are enrolling in TCM courses—there were 3,221 overseas TCM students in 2004 alone, said the State Administration of Traditional Chinese Medicine—and, since they cannot practice in China, are taking the knowledge home. Susan Lipper, a registered nurse at a community hospital cancer center in Hartford, Connecticut is part of a growing movement of medical professionals who are blending Western medicine with TCM. The past two years, she has come on a study trip to Beijing's Xuanwu Hospital.

"The TCM doctors were using both modalities daily and this is how I believe a well rounded health program should work. Western medicines can help control some symptoms w0hile TCM can get to the root cause of the disharmony," says Lipper.

As Western doctors and nurses look East, so are many patients; Shen Zhixiang, director general of the State's TCM Department of International Cooperation, estimates that 10,000 foreigners seek TCM treatment annually in Beijing. Desperate to find a treatment that would work for his daughter, David Clark discovered Huaihua Red Cross Hospital in Huaihua, where many foreigners seek treatment with traditional Chinese medicines. The website (www.tcmtreatment.com) shows a litany of success stories with patients' photos before and after treatment and displaying their stories including improvement and cures for various ailments.

Last June, Clark and her aunt arrived in China for her first round of treatment.

She stopped taking all Western medicines and began a daily regimen of acupuncture, massage and drinking brewed herbs twice a day. When necessary, Clark had moxibustion, the application of heat from the burning of a small bundle of tightly bound herbs, or moxa, to targeted acupoints, and cupping, where suction is created by cups to drain excess fluids and toxins, loosen adhesions, lift connective tissue and bring blood flow to stagnant muscles and skin. She also underwent acupotomy, an acupuncture operation. When she returned home in August, the doctors declared her symptoms had improved by 70 percent.

"We truly could not have received better treatment," says Clark's mother, a dental therapist, who paid ¥38,739 for her daughter's therapy (the hospital charges US$80 a day for room, treatments and herbs). While her symptoms have regressed somewhat, today, Clark, 17, is enjoying life as a teenager, hanging out with friends and chatting with her cousins in coffee shops.

But foreigners aren't just coming to China for TCM. Famous the world over, Dr. Huang Hongyun has given hope and a new lease on life to patients suffering from spinal chord injuries, ALS (Lou Gehrig's disease), MS and other neurological diseases.

Since City Weekend last spoke with Dr. Huang, he has moved his Beijing practice from Chaoyang Hospital to Xishan Hospital, has improved the cell transplant procedure and conducts cell matching now. Dr. Huang continues to perform roughly 30 procedures a month and his waiting list has over 1,000 patients. But Dr. Huang is careful to point out that this surgery is not a cure; nonetheless, his patients view it as the next best thing.

"It is a risk that I was willing to take because I at least tried something. If I had not tried, I would have probably gotten worse and may not have been here today," says Richard Douglas McGuiness, a golf enthusiast from Lutz, Florida who has had the surgery twice.

McGuiness, 61, began showing signs of ALS, a central nervous system disease that destroys the motor neurons in the brainstem, motor cortex and spinal cord thus affecting muscle control, in 1997. The disease's progression was slow until September 2004 when Doug lost his coordination, which forced him to quit playing golf. Walking became difficult, his voice projection weakened and tremors in his left arm and hand worsened as did his fatigue. While watching a news broadcast, Doug saw a story about a young ALS patient whose speech and strength improved after undergoing Dr. Huang's cell transplant surgery. McGuiness turned to the Internet to investigate. "I found that there was nothing being done anywhere else and it appeared that patients of Dr. Huang were at least showing some improvement for a period of time. This at least gave me some hope," says McGuiness, who is married and has one daughter.

On March 28, 2005, McGuiness had surgery.

"It was kind of like going to the dentist," says McGuiness, who paid US$20,000 for the one hour and 20 minute procedure.

Post-op, he had physical therapy, acupuncture and massage. After three weeks, McGuiness returned home. His condition improved within a day. McGuiness' voice returned to normal, the tremors in his left hand diminished and he had more strength. After several days, he could cross his left leg over his right leg without having to pick it up and move it with his own hands and his walking improved. A few months after surgery, he began playing golf again.

At home, McGuiness continued physical therapy and acupuncture, and saw his body functions improve throughout the year. Then he began to regress. Dr. Huang suggested a second surgery.

"I felt that the first surgery was successful and felt that the second would at least give me a boost," says McGuiness, whose second surgery was last summer. "I could see some improvement in the motor function. I do not think that I gained anything new, but I did regain some of the function that I began losing before the second surgery," says McGuiness, who believes he will most likely return to China again in the future for a third surgery. "I honestly don't know if I would still be alive had I not had the surgery," says McGuiness. "Today I can still enjoy a social life with friends and family."

Despite positive anecdotal evidence, critics like James Guest at the Miami Project to Cure Paralysis, who witnessed Dr. Huang's work, said in a report: "Until international standards for scientific trial methodologies have been incorporated, clinicians are obligated to advise their patients to forgo Dr. Huang's procedure." Dr. Huang alleges Guest fabricated data and contends the surgery works as evidenced by hundreds of patients' testimonies and post-op tests.

American David Landewee, 44, is another supporter of Dr. Huang. After a car accident on his way to work at Ford Motor Company left this father of three paralyzed from the chest down 10 years ago, he underwent surgery in March 2005.

"I figured I didn't have anything to lose," says Landewee, who after surgery could feel his stomach, feel when his bladder was full and had more muscle control in his trunk.

"Basically he told me upfront he didn't know if it would help or not. I think it surprised us both," says Landewee, who can now walk the length of a football field with assistance.

Landewee spent four weeks in China. The first week was full of tests followed by a six-hour surgery during which he was asleep. After surgery, he had daily physical therapy, acupuncture and massage. About a week after surgery, Landewee was out exploring the Great Wall with his father.

While Landewee has hit a plateau in his recovery, he refuses to give up hope. "I can still do pretty much anything I want to do. I just have to do it differently," says Landewee, who has made seven trips to China since his surgery, visiting Dr. Huang and his fiance, Lin Chenwei.

Landewee believes he will one day walk unassisted: "I have no doubt of that. I think it's just a matter of time."