Offering cancer patients a helping hand

By Sue Fea

An experienced Korean Hand Therapist and acupuncturist in Queenstown is now offering people battling cancer a holistic helping hand.

Don Kim has been practising acupuncture and various self-treatment methods like Korean Hand Therapy (KHT) for more than 35 years and is keen to help local cancer patients boost their defences so they can better cope with the disease.

Don, who trained in Korean Hand Acupuncture at a specialist clinic in Korea, is offering a natural complement that patients can use to manage symptoms, like pain and nausea, using simple hand acupuncture tools.

He says he’s had a good response already to the five-day programmes he’s running to teach patients these self-management methods.

“For years I’ve wanted to offer something like this to patients here to help them along their journey,” says Don.

Patients attend a five-day immersion clinic with Don teaching them mainly how to use the various simple Korean Hand Therapy tools, including hand needling, themselves. In Korean Hand Therapy each pressure point in the hand correlates to a particular area of the body.

Don says that by stimulating these pressure points, using the correct method, the body’s natural health defences are supported, enabling its systems to remain healthy and better fight off cancer or any other disease. Acupuncture has long been used to treat pain and Korean Hand Acupuncture can also be helpful in managing pain, he says.

Together with wife Hera, an experienced Oriental health food advisor and cooking tutor, their week-long programme also includes healthy, nutritious meals, and cooking tutorials with Hera in how to prepare these. “Getting the right food and nutrition is an important component in fighting any disease,” says Don. Hera shares her recipes with the clients, including use of fermented foods like kimchi in cooking.

“Eating the right foods enables the body to be in a better place to fight disease,” says Hera.

Their programme is not only designed to support cancer sufferers, but also their caregivers who can help administer the various hand techniques for the patient.

“I’m fortunate to have gained special work experience in Korean Hand Therapy with the specialists in Korea. “It’s so easy to learn and can be applied to managing symptoms for a variety of conditions.”

Don also learned various therapeutic, self-treatment methods over the years and he’s excited to combine his experience into a programme that will hopefully help support cancer patients and others suffering debilitating disease.

“I’m looking forward to bringing those decades of expertise to patients here, giving them these extra management tools to hopefully help them before I retire.”

The newly launched local programme is open to anyone affected by cancers, or struggling with any difficult or painful conditions that Korean Hand Therapy may be useful in managing the symptoms of, he says.

The five-day programme covers Don’s self-treatment training, selftreatment practise with the relevant equipment, and cooking classes with Hera, who also helps patients tailor a diet specific to their needs. She teaches her unique recipes and healthy cooking principles.

Don and Hera have already attracted a great Google review from one grateful patient who flew in recently from Christchurch to attend the programme.

“Over the years I’ve seen many of my patients suffering from cancer, which is very hard to watch as an acupuncturist,” says Don.

“Ever since I learned about Korean Hand Therapy at the Korean Cancer Clinic, I’ve long wanted to offer something like this for cancer patients, in particular.”

“There are two other things that enhance my programme’s special offering,” he says. These include adding various self-management methods to Korean Hand Therapy that Don believes are only available in NZ through his clinic, like Korean traditional heat therapies, special ray therapy and Don’s own ‘invention’ – ramekin moxa.

He says using specialist equipment that he believes is unique to his clinic in NZ, like Ceragem, Platinum Diamond Photon Dome and Thermo, Acubeam, e hand moxa and Korean hot stone, is another added bonus.

“What we do is all about offering people an alternative to managing their symptoms, hopefully enabling them to help themselves in a non-invasive way,” he says. “I’m so passionate about this…Korean Hand Acupuncture is easy and safe to administer, and I offer a detailed easy-to-follow selfmanagement plan.” Don is also happy to administer hand therapy himself if patients wish.

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