In Focus 16/2016
The topic of TCM and acupuncture is explored in detail in a comprehensive article. Dr. Kästner was extensively interviewed at his practice in Hermsdorf. Excerpts from the article can be found below:
The Doctor and TCM Practitioner Hans-Constantin Kästner in Berlin
Perhaps the pressure from patients will bring about some change. The Berlin doctor and TCM practitioner Hans-Constantin Kästner experienced the first boom of Chinese medicine in Germany 20 years ago. It was trendy to go for acupuncture. Today, he says, "patients specifically ask whether and how TCM can help them." And they book treatments, even though public health insurance generally does not cover TCM, and private insurers are often strict about it.
For Kästner, it is normal to refer patients to colleagues if existing illnesses have not yet been clarified through conventional medicine. In China, where he completed large parts of his training, the department for TCM and acupuncture existed on equal footing with Internal Medicine and Surgery. "For a stroke patient, you would be called to the ward, provide treatment, and then leave again."
PETRA HOLLWEG
FOCUS 16/2016 Page 86
