Acupuncturist Richard Mutingwende treats a patient at his clinic in Harare, Zimbabwe, June 6, 2024. (Photo by Tafara Mugwara/Xinhua)
Tafara Mugwara
HARARE, June 7 (Xinhua) — At an acupuncture clinic in Zimbabwe’s capital, Harare, Charity Kalekuwaivaneng remained calm as acupuncture needles pierced her body.
“It’s strange that those needles cured me. I didn’t know what effect they would have on my body. I don’t feel any pain anymore. I’m fine,” the 69-year-old grandmother, who had suffered from back pain for more than 10 years, told Xinhua after receiving the treatment.
Zimbabwean licensed acupuncturist Richard Mutingwende set up the clinic after witnessing first-hand the wonders of ancient Chinese medicine.
Acupuncture has given Mutingwende an outlet to realise his passion for relieving the pain of others.
“Chinese treatments work amazingly well, they’re like magic,” Mutinwende told Xinhua. “They have immediate results, especially for symptoms that other medical systems can’t solve. That’s why many people come here as a last resort after trying different medical systems.”
Mutinwende is one of a group of 10 medical professionals who graduated in 2022 from a Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) and Acupuncture training course taught by Chinese doctors in Zimbabwe.
The training programme, the first of its kind in Zimbabwe, was held at the Zimbabwe-China TCM and Acupuncture Centre at the Parirenyatwa Group of Hospitals (PGH) in Harare. The training programme was both theoretical and practical and included TCM elements such as acupuncture and moxibustion, as well as diagnosis and treatment of diseases.
In November 2023, Mutingwende started a private practice to provide alternative medicine at a low cost.
Word of mouth spread quickly about the benefits of acupuncture, and now his clinic in Stoneridge, south of Harare, treats about 20 patients a day – a number he hopes to increase to 50.
Mutingwende said people with conditions such as arthritis, sciatica, back pain, stroke, diabetes, high blood pressure and even infertility and digestive disorders are being treated. “Considering the high cost of medicines, we opened this centre to ensure that many people can receive treatment at a very low cost,” he said.
Acupuncture is a component of Traditional Chinese Medicine, a medical system with more than thousands of years of history that has been used to diagnose, treat and prevent illness.
TCM also employs techniques such as moxibustion and cupping, and makes use of herbal medicine products and mind-body therapies.
“The biggest advantage of acupuncture is that it allows the body to heal itself, which means it has no side effects compared to other systems of medicine. It just stimulates the body’s natural healing process and the body heals itself,” Mutingwende said.
For many patients, such as 32-year-old Binbainashe Siziba, who was diagnosed with arthritis, acupuncture has proven to be a last resort.
“Before I received acupuncture for my arthritis, I had difficulty walking, but now I can walk easily and wear different types of shoes, including heels. I can confidently say that acupuncture has helped treat my arthritis,” she said.
Geary Madjiva, 68, said he had suffered from heart disease and mobility issues for more than 10 years, and when he first came for acupuncture, he could barely walk.
“People were surprised to see me walking home unassisted. Even my husband was shocked to see me walking. He immediately decided to come for treatment himself,” Majiba said.
TCM treatment is still new in Zimbabwe, but people are slowly beginning to embrace it, Mutingwende said.
“There have been some misconceptions about acupuncture, but now many people will attest that it is one of the best forms of treatment,” he added. ■
