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KORAT, Thailand: Team Singapore athletes are recovering and healing faster by combining the best of both worlds.
Besides western medicine, doctors are also using traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) methods such as acupuncture treatment - the first time Singapore is doing so in a major sporting event like the SEA Games.
Team Singapore's sports physician, Dr Cormac O'Muircheartaigh, has a knack for pinpointing what ails his patients. But some may say he is also the last person they would expect to harness the healing powers of the prickly kind.
"So the initial reaction – 'Yeah, you don't look like you're TCM trained or acupuncture trained', but I always say... if they're scared, I'd put a needle in myself to reassure them. And if I don't cry in pain, they generally will accept I know what I'm doing," he said.
Most of the athletes said they are open and receptive to anything that has a possible performance benefit.
The team's sports physician, Dr Teoh Chin Sim, said: "We find it's very useful in treating pain. That's the (most common) reason why our athletes come and seek treatment – pain.
"A lot of them also have swelling and stiffness. Acupuncture is very useful for such conditions. On top of that... we could extend it to other kinds of treatments (for) flu, colds, or when the immune system is down."
Acupuncture treatments may work wonders for some, but others would need a few sessions to heal completely.
Henry Ong from the archery team said: "I'm recovering from this flu virus, so I had one day of training today. My back and shoulders are... aching all over. And after a quick needle session, to be frank, it's pretty amazing. It helps to relieve the tension a lot." - CNA/ac
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