Back From Cambodia

I am back from a two week life changing trip to Cambodia. I joined a group of fifteen health care practitioners, MD’s, PA’s and students. We transported suitcases filled with medications, acupuncture needles and homeopathics. After flying through the night, we arrived in Seoul in the midst of a snow storm. The plane was de-iced twice and finally we got off the snowy runway minutes before planes were grounded. We arrived in Phnom Penh at two in the morning, where we were greeted by members of the Khmer Asian Friendship Society (KAFS), our local host organization. We met up with other practitioners from around the country and headed south of Takeo to the Buddhist monastery. There we found a wonderful combination of monks, orphans, villagers and interpreters. This was the third time a group of Peacework Medical volunteers had visited this Cambodian community.

Upon arrival to the pagoda, we scoped out our space to set up our tents, that would be called home for the next six days. The upper floor of the monastery was our home and the bottom was to be transformed into a clinic that would ultimately service 2600 patients within the next week. Tarps were then arranged as walls, wooden tables as beds and tables and benches became a pharmacy. The pharmacy was filled with an assortment of antibiotics, anti-fungals, vitamins, ibuprofen and other allopathic medications.

The patients arrived and went through registration, education, triage (vitals) and primary care. They were then referred to my clinic area. I was assigned to a wonderful space that was surrounded on one side by the monk’s bedroom and private prayer space, and on the other side, the bustling pharmacy, which was separated by a hanging floral cotton sheet. The lighting was provided by large barred open air windows that were continually filled with curious faces, mostly children, amazed by the sight of acupuncture, aka injection. Carved wooden chairs and benches filled the space and multiplied as the word got out about this new treatment. We started with five seats initially which grew to twelve.

Homeopathy and acupuncture were the primary modalities and patients were sent for pain, which was universal, since the local work is long hours bent over in rice paddies, followed by long hours of squatting. Abdominal pain and strokes were also common complaints.

The patients were extremely responsive to the treatment. It was not unusual to have 80 year olds start squatting up and down after an acupuncture knee treatment. I had one young man who had been in a motor vehicle accident two months prior with significant knee, upper and lower back pain. He had to take a motorcycle both ways the first day. The second day he returned and I treated him, and his mother for knee pain. He took a motorcycle in and was able to walk the six miles home. The following morning his mother was once again able to ride her bicycle, due to lack of knee pain, and rode him to the clinic. When offered another treatment, his mother responded, “I don’t need it.”

The population is universally a medication naive group, most of whom have never seen a health care practitioner. Despite having socialized medicine, some money is still needed to receive care or medications. Blood pressures typically are normal, but hypertension was not unusual and one patient, in her 30’s had a BP of 250/130. The issue of bringing medicine to this population is that patients are not able to receive long-term medications for treatment of chronic illnesses. The medicines may be appropriate and helpful, but limited. The population is exposed to a multitude of organisms that they have for the most part adjusted to. They drink rainwater from community cisterns, frequently containing insects, mold and questionable microorganisms. There is the concern of what happens when we give some of these medications for the short term that disrupts the delicate balance that has been achieved in this population. There are endemic diseases there that will return despite our best efforts. However, many of the benefits of primary care are also seen; treatment for an infection, an ear lavage to remove a live spider from a little girl’s ear, as well suturing a lacerated thumb, despite the lack of lidocaine. The villagers were so appreciative of the dedication and help from this group of devoted practitioners.

After a week, we moved onto the tourist part of our trip to get massages, eat amazing food and of course, see Ankor Wat, a complex of intricate temples from the 12th century to honor the Hindu and Buddhist religions. Our mission was complete and we were then ready to begin our thirty-six hour journey home.

Our hearts and souls were filled from the villagers to the temples and we were all to be forever changed.

-Sincerely Leslie Axelrod

To see additional pictures of the Medical Mission to Cambodia Click Here & Click Here

To learn more about Peaceworks and their years missions Click Here