Dr. Jim Chan
by ADRIAN MACK
Mention the term “alternative medicine” to Dr. Jim Chan and he might, between chuckles, tell you the story of Ah Fong. A traditional Chinese medical practitioner in the late 19th century, Fong brought herbalism and acupuncture to the New World, setting up shop in Boise, Idaho. He then commenced, as Chan relates, to “cure the whole town.” Fong’s practice was so successful, in fact, that he was admitted into the fledgling American Medical Association.
“So who are we kidding with the word ‘alternative’?” asks Chan. “In fact,” he adds, “the whole thing turned sour because of profiteering and monopoly by drug companies.”
Chan has plenty of stories like that one, and while he advocates passionately for the alternative treatments offered at his Richmond-based Naturopathic Clinic—Chelation and Ozone therapies among them—he also advocates caution.
“You see a lot of pseudo-science,” he says of the often-woolly business of “alternative” medicine. “I’m sure you’ll find a lot of three dollar bills…It just takes a lot of buyer-beware and a lot of self-discipline from hopefully ethical practitioners, who will never stop in their quest for truth and knowledge.”
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