Eastern Medicine Meets Western Technology: Doctor David Zhang

After more than a decade’s worth of academic and professional experience in the US, Doctor David Zhang decided to sell his three clinics and come back to his native country to take care of his elderly parents and fellow country men.

How did you get started in the field of medicine?
My parents were from the northeast, but I was born and grew up in Beijing. I first studied cerebral stroke in Beijing University. I was awarded a scholarship to attend Park College in Austin, Texas, and after graduation, I worked for a small clinic where I was required to find my own patients. I worked very hard at finding patients, and my hard work was very rewarding – we had more patients than we could handle. That’s how I started my own clinic and opened two more clinics in the following years.

Why did you study medicine in the first place?
I was born into a family of doctors. My grandfather and all three uncles on my mother’s side are doctors, as was my mother. So you can see that I had a lot of strong influences, and that it was also very convenient for me to study medicine.

Does studying medicine make any difference in your personal life?
I watch what I do and what I eat and I know how to stay healthy. I also know how to take care of other people, especially loved ones. Chinese medicine is not only about medicine and health, it’s also about life attitude and philosophy. It opens a whole world for me.

What is your area of specialization?
I specialize in chiropractic treatment, and I use both western and Chinese methods, including X-ray and MRI analysis, bone setting, posture correction, electric therapy, and Chinese tuina massage. I am also a licensed acupuncturist in Texas.

How does Chinese medicine differ from western medicine? Do western patients trust Chinese medical methods?
Patients always trust a good doctor and whatever method works. Chinese medicine is based on experience and thousands years of practice. For example, bone setting was a treatment used when people were hurt while practicing martial arts. Today, however, most people only get hurt from sitting in front of a computer 10 hours a day, so Chinese medicine has to find its place in this technology-driven age.

What kind of treatments do you perform in your clinic?
We use both Chinese and western methods. Sometimes we combine them, and we also have Chinese methods that are adopted by western technology. Like acupuncture, we use TCM iontophoresis (which delivers medicine through small, electronic pulses), and electrotherapy acupuncture, which are much easier on the patient and much more effective. We also use both Chinese and modern technology methods to do X-ray analysis, MRI analysis, posture correction, and chiropractic manipulation.

What advice would you like to give to our Soho professionals?
Sit correctly when working at a desk or on a computer. Your thighs and calves, thighs and back, and arm and upper arm should all be at right angles, and your arms should be comfortably placed on desk. And eyes should look downwards to the screen. Sitting in a bad position puts pressure on nerves and organs, which will eventually cause various bone and organ illnesses. Bone marrow and tendons are both common ingredients in Chinese cuisine, and the collagen is actually very good for the human bone structure.