Windhoek — A strong whiff of burnt herbs hits the nose when entering the first floor at the northern wing of the Katutura State Hospital.

"It is their medicine," says a Namibian nurse walking by and pointing to the green and white board that reads 'Chinese Acupuncture Department'.

What is burning is a natural herb called moxibustion, rolled up in a small, tight ball. This is used with an acupuncture needle pushed through the middle of the ball and inserted into the patient where it stays for 15 to 20 minutes.

"The warmth that this generates is good for blood circulation and boosts the immune system," explains Dr Li Xin Wei, a traditional Chinese doctor.

Xin Wei specializes in acupuncture after studying for a five-year degree and three-year Masters programme at one of China's Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) universities.

He is in Namibia on contract at the Chinese Acupuncture Department at the hospital, courtesy of the Chinese Government to its Namibian counterpart since 1996.

The Chinese Government started sending teams of TMC doctors and nurses on two-year contracts for the past 11 years, after a request from former President Sam Nujoma, who was exposed to the magic of TCM during the 1960s and 1970s.

So fervent is Nujoma's support to the department that he and his wife, Kovambo, receive treatment on a weekly basis.

The former first lady, who suffered from a stroke - says head of the department, Dr Luo Yan Ning - is recovering very well with acupuncture.

TCM, a phrase coined in the 1950s, is a modern compilation of traditional Asian medical practices, which includes other East Asian systems from Japan and Korea. Today, says Zhang Jun, second secretary to the Economic Councillor's Office with the Chinese Embassy in Namibia, more influences come from Mongolia and Tibet since these regions have been incorporated into China.

"It is a wonderful accumulated science taken from one generation of practitioners to the next," declares Yun.

"It should not be viewed as an auxiliary to Western medicine, but as a different approach."

TCM is a growing phenomenon in the world today. Its popularity grows, experts say, because it offers simple, effective and low-cost medical treatment, which works in harmony with the body's natural ability to heal itself. It also has virtually no side effects.

Developed over 2000 years, its philosophy is based on a holistic approach to live: to maintain a balance between the mind, body and the environment.

"Life is made up of yin and yang," explains Yan Ning. "It is night and day, dark and light; the sun is yang and the moon is yin."

Yang represents light and, in TCM terms, encompasses the external body. Yin symbolizes darkness, representing internal organs.

Diagnoses and treatment are also conducted with reference to other theoretical frameworks such as the five elements (wind, fire, earth, wood and water), the body meridian system, and Zang Fu organ theory.

Meridians, says Xin Wei, are like tubes transporting blood and chi, which is life energy. Illness often occurs because these tubes are blocked. There are 14 meridians in the body.

The Zang Fu explains the physiological function and interconnection of the five zang organs (heart, lungs, spleen, liver and kidneys) and six fu organs (gall bladder, stomach, large and small intestines, urinary bladder and the sanjiao, or the three cavities in the human body).

An initial diagnosis is made by an observation of the pulse of a patient, the colour of the face, and the texture of the tongue.

The pulse is checked by placing three fingers on the pulse - left-hand pulse for men, and right-hand pulse for women, says Dr Jia Fushen.

The three fingers touch on the areas that correspond with the heart, liver and kidneys separately.

"If the tongue, for example, is swollen or has too much white cover with dots on the side, it can indicate that the patient has a water retention problem," clarifies Fushen, who runs a private TCM clinic from the Wernhil shopping centre.

The three most important TCM treatments are acupuncture, massaging of soft tissue, and cupping. A combination of about 10000 herbs forms part of the treatment arsenal.

The herbs, says registered TCM nurse Mali Ma Li, form the biggest part of Chinese medicine.

Animal skins and bones, she says, are sometimes used in more severe cases.

"But these are more expensive because they are rare," Ma Li says.

And then, of course, with China being a tea-drinking country, there are purported to be teas for just about every medical problem: a tea to "eliminate food stagnation"; for hyperglycemia sufferers; an energy tonic to revitalize your spirit and create harmony in your sex life; for longevity; for the middle-aged and elderly "heart and brain health-keeping"; for hypertension; "to clear lungs damp heat and improve sleeping"; and a beauty tea that "dispels heat and detoxification"; and for slimming.

With acupuncture, special needles are inserted at specific points of the body to allow for increased blood circulation and adjustment of chi. The prick of the needle stimulates the release of endorphins and encephalin, the pain-killing chemicals of the body. It influences nourishing flows of the blood, waste, food, hormones and lubricating fluids. There are 1000 acupuncture points along the meridians of the body.

"And then the balance in the body is restored and pain goes away," says Xin Wei.

"Pain may register in one part of the body, but is a symptom of a problem elsewhere," adds Fushen.

"If your back pains it does not mean the disease is there. It could be the kidneys that control your bones, hair and water function. We will then treat the kidney."

The very popular Chinese massage, a precursor to acupuncture, also involves the stimulation of blood and chi flow. It is often used to relieve pain and heal soft tissue injuries, and to prevent illness caused by stress and muscle tension.

The China Grand Restaurant in Windhoek introduced a Chinese traditional massage centre a month ago. There they do not do massages mostly for relaxation. They anticipate bringing in six to eight more massage specialists.

Cupping involves placing a glass container on certain spots of the body, again to relieve pain, restore blood circulation and reduce muscle stress.

Acupuncture and cupping are also used to treat facial and other forms of paralysis. Acupuncture, says Fushen, is the best treatment for strokes, provided patients go for treatment within the first week or month after the stroke. Treatment is less effective - or not at all - after six months.

"But it is particularly effective to treat the paralysis of a face," he says.

Patients with chronic diseases also respond very well with these forms of treatment. It quells intense pain, and boosts the immune system.

It is thus not surprising that HIV/Aids patients seek the help of TCM practitioners.

"We cannot cure HIV/Aids," cautions Xin Wei, "but our treatment helps with diarrhoea and depression suffered by these patients."

"The HIV/Aids sector in China is a very important one and a lot of research is being done there," says Jun. "China has a 1million HIV/AIDS rate, but we would like to make our contribution to the world."

The more typical cases treated by the acupuncture department at the hospital and other private clinics are back and neck pain, strokes, functional problems such as headaches and impotency, and mental problems like insomnia, depression and anxiety. Asthma and other respiratory problems like chronic bronchitis are also treated.

What TCM cannot do, say the doctors, is heal fractures, tuberculosis, and high blood pressure.

"If there is an emergency, it is also best to go to a conventional hospital," advises Fushen. "It can get dangerous because we do not have the right equipment."

Of concern to Jun at the Chinese Embassy, is that TCM doctors are not allowed to dispense prescription drugs - or Western drugs.

"The Namibian ministry of health does not grant them prescription rights," he complains. "We would like to recommend that this changes."

Many of the Chinese doctors here have conventional medical qualifications, with parallel TCM training.

"Even antibiotics produced in China are cheaper by a third or a fourth of the prices here, but are not to be dispensed. Reform is necessary in Namibia."

Senior Medical Superintendent at the Katutura State Hospital, Dr Rheinhardt Gariseb, feels that the Namibian Government has been very accommodating to the foreign doctors in that they are allowed to practise TCM here.

"The TCM practitioners have their own concoctions, but if they want to dispense Western drugs, they would have to register with the Namibian Medical Aid Fund (NAMAF], and with the Medical Council as well as the Pharmaceutical Association. It is important, however, that control measures are in place; it is the responsibility of the ministry to ensure safe health-care provision in the country."

Fushen, who imports medicine from China, says he has not had any difficulty bringing in some of the drugs here since most of these are already registered in South Africa. For those not registered, he has to get clearance from the Pharmaceutical Association here.

Jun would like to see Namibians interested in being trained as TCM practitioners, and exchanges between Western trained doctors and the Chinese doctors.

"If the Namibian Government is willing to cooperate, we'd be willing to accept that because we want to make a contribution to the world and not just take from it."

What is important, he adds, is that patients have access to a wider range of medical treatments.

"By introducing more Chinese practitioners and medicines, people will have more options and it will lower the costs of treatment."