Healing hands (hktdc.com)


	Steve Paine, a Doctor of Oriental Medicine, has built a business and lifestyle in Hong Kong

Alternative healer Steve Paine is one of only a handful of expatriate-listed and registered Chinese medicine practitioners in Hong Kong. The American-born Doctor of Oriental Medicine and licensed acupuncturist runs a practice in Central, where he treats a range of conditions using "humankind's oldest and most complete medical system," comprising meditation, diet and exercise, acupuncture and herbs, as well as manipulation, massage and gentle warming therapies.

"I've always had an interest in Chinese medicine because of the elegant thinking that lies behind it, the usefulness of its treatments, and the overwhelming popularity among those who use both Western and Chinese medicine. I also happen to think Chinese medicine is a treasure. It is based on taking good care of one's self and living a gratifying and productive life.

I was born in Connecticut, in the United States, and in 1988, graduated from university in New York and completed four years of Chinese medicine training in California. I came to Hong Kong for my first two years of practice with noted integrative doctor Mosaraf Ali, now a celebrated Harley Street physician in London. I never intended to stay, but I found Hong Kong to be so exciting and dynamic, that after completing a postgraduate Chinese medicine programme in Beijing, I returned and joined Dr Ali's integrated medical practice. Hong Kong became my permanent home in 1995, and my wife and I are raising our three children here. I live here and practice here because the city is filled with enterprising, hardworking, creative and dynamic people, who are making something useful and important of their lives.

Treating all ages

There are about 7,500 listed and registered Chinese medicine practitioners in Hong Kong, roughly the same number as medical doctors. Of this number, fewer than 10 are Westerners. The clients who come to see me are mostly entrepreneurial, business and professional people, as well as their spouses and children. Broadly speaking, the areas of concern are headache, nerve and muscle pain, breathing, digestive and fertility problems; and for children, allergies, asthma and frequent colds.

Chinese medicine is the most popular, complete medicinal system next to Western medicine. It has been so widely embraced because it successfully treats a range of conditions with which Western medicine has had less success. Perhaps just as importantly, Chinese medicine practitioners are perceived as holistic health-care providers, who treat people as unique individuals, listen to their stories, and work with them as colleagues and mentors.

At my clinic, I treat men, women and children, specialising in musculoskeletal problems, infertility, anxiety and mood disorders, and chronic pain. Apart from my areas of specialisation, I treat the spectrum of conditions for which one would normally consult a general practitioner of Western medicine.

Wellness consultancy

My company also creates corporate wellness programmes, aimed at reducing healthcare costs in the workplace and increasing employee productivity and retention. We do this by calculating an organisation's current healthcare costs, and by conducting a needs-and- interests survey and a personal health assessment of its management and staff. We then help them craft their organisation's wellness plan with clear goals and objectives, roles and responsibilities, itemised budgets, internal marketing strategies and evaluation procedures. My company is unique in being both a wellness consultancy and a service provider. Much of our work is done on-site at the client's offices, where the data is gathered.

Hong Kong is an excellent place to do business because of its low tax rate, first-rate transportation and communications infrastructure, and the compact nature of the Central business district. The city is extremely efficient, clean, and dealing with government departments is surprisingly easy and pleasant. I know of no other place in the world that is so well organised.

Secure family lifestyle

My children are young, so my primary concern is with their safety and education, both of which are excellent in Hong Kong. Our home is on a beautiful beach on Lantau Island in a safe and quiet neighborhood, surrounded by low mountains. At the same time, we have access to a city of six million, 30 minutes away. It's quite a juxtaposition, and gives us both action and rest.

I have been very fortunate in Hong Kong and I am expanding both my Chinese medicine practice and my wellness consulting business. I'm doing this in Hong Kong because there is both the demand and the resources in capital, and people to build companies that meet that demand."