Tom C., Seoul, South Korea

Tom Crawly, a 48-year-old executive working for an international company in Seoul, had heard about Jaseng Hospital of Oriental Medicine on various occasions. It was his first thought when, while lifting a box, he suddenly felt severe pain in his lower back and radiating pain down his right hip. He'd had recurring periods of back pain for several years, but this time it was so intense that he could not move at all, and his wife called for an ambulance.

At Jaseng, Mr. Crawly was examined by Dr. Raimund Royer, an Austrian-born specialist in Korean Traditional Medicine, who sent him for an immediate MRI scan. The scan showed a severe disc herniation. In Dr. Royer's office, treatment started with a careful spinal adjustment called Chuna manipulation therapy to release the tensed muscle portions in his back.

The next therapeutic step was motion-style treatment. Mr. Crawly was helped to stand by doctors on either side of him; Dr. Royer inserted needles in acupuncture points on his feet, elbows, and neck; and he was asked to start walking, supported by the doctors on his left and right. The pain, very severe at first, decreased with every step, and he was finally able to walk freely without support and with almost no pain.

After this session of acute pain management, Mr. Crawly was hospitalized for ten days of treatment with acupuncture, physiotherapy, and Chuna medication. Based on herbal formulas in Korean Traditional Medicine, this medication has been scientifically tested for its anti-inflammatory properties and regenerating effect on bone, disc, ligament, and nerve tissue.