Feature: A Brazilian's two-decade commitment to traditional Chinese medicine

A traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) enthusiast from Brazil experiences a TCM treatment at the Second Affiliated Hospital of the Guizhou University of Traditional Chinese Medicine in Guiyang, southwest China's Guizhou Province, May 29, 2025. (Guizhou University of Traditional Chinese Medicine/Handout via Xinhua)

GUIYANG, June 13 (Xinhua) -- Brazilian national Reginaldo Filho has spent the last two decades working in the field of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM), deepening connections between China and Brazil.

ENLIGHTENMENT

Reginaldo used to practice martial arts and eventually earned a black belt in Hapkido, in which practitioners use certain acupuncture points as pressure points to enhance the effectiveness of techniques.

When he was a fourth-year undergraduate studying law, Reginaldo developed a severe case of gastritis. He visited several doctors and tried various medications, but none provided relief.

Inspired by his Hapkido master, he decided to try acupuncture. After just one session of auricular acupuncture, his gastritis symptoms disappeared, he told Xinhua.

This ignited a deep curiosity. He purchased a copy of Huangdi Neijing (Inner Canon of the Yellow Emperor), an ancient Chinese medical text, and began studying it to understand his own experience of TCM.

He soon chose to set aside his legal studies and began training in acupuncture at the Sindicato dos Acupunturistas e Terapias Orientais do Estado de São Paulo (SATOSP), enrolling in daily classes from Monday to Saturday.

TRIP TO CHINA

"I felt that to truly understand its essence, I needed to go beyond textbooks and classroom learning and experience its roots directly in China, where the knowledge is passed down not only through formal education but also through clinical practice, mentorship and cultural immersion," Reginaldo said.

In 2001, Reginaldo embarked on his first educational journey to China. During his 40-day trip, he immersed himself in intensive studies and clinical internships at the Shandong University of Traditional Chinese Medicine by day, and took private theoretical classes in the evenings.

This experience allowed him to gain a firsthand understanding of Chinese medicine within its cultural and historical context, he said.

Since that first trip, he has returned to China many times, each visit driven by a strong desire to deepen his theoretical knowledge, refine his clinical skills, and enhance his ability to deliver effective care to patients.

In China, he was amazed to see patients arrive at clinics unable to walk, but walk out after acupuncture treatment.

He said that observing the treatment in practice was a living lesson on how deep classical knowledge can produce powerful and immediate effects when truly integrated with clinical insight.

GLOBAL DISSEMINATION

After completing the SATOSP program, he was invited to begin teaching there. At the request of his students, he started offering classes on more advanced topics and went on to establish a Chinese medicine educational institution that would become known as Faculdade EBRAMEC.

In 2016, the school was officially recognized as a higher education institution, becoming the Brazilian College of Chinese Medicine. In 2021, it received approval from the Brazilian Ministry of Education to launch an undergraduate program in acupuncture, Chinese herbal medicine and massage therapy.

Reginaldo said that the first group of students to complete Brazil's accredited Chinese medicine undergraduate program graduated in December 2024. Many now work as educators, researchers or health practitioners in Brazil and abroad.

Over the past 20 years, Reginaldo has witnessed growing demand for Chinese-medicine-based approaches to health care, not only among patients but also among health professionals seeking training in Brazil.

Data shows that the number of Chinese medicine practitioners in Brazil has reached 200,000. Therapies such as acupuncture and auricular therapy have been included in the national medical insurance system.

"Chinese medicine is now viewed not as an exotic or alternative practice, but as a complementary and integrative medical system," Reginaldo said.

In Brazil, patients often turn to acupuncture for musculoskeletal pain, anxiety, insomnia, digestive disorders, or women's health issues. Since the start of his TCM career in Brazil, Reginaldo has opened a clinic to make acupuncture accessible to more people and promote its benefits.

Aside from the medical books, understanding Chinese culture as deeply as possible helps TCM practitioners grasp some of the profound meanings of its theories.

In May 2025, Reginaldo and other Brazilian TCM enthusiasts visited the Guizhou University of Traditional Chinese Medicine and exchanged ideas on treatment methods with their Chinese counterparts.

The Brazilian team was inspired by the university's innovative research on herbal medicine combinations for external application, and by how traditional techniques are preserved within modern academic structures in China.

"It reinforced our understanding that Chinese medicine is not just a medical system, but a living cultural heritage," Reginaldo said following the trip. ■

Traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) enthusiasts from Brazil observe a TCM treatment at the First Affiliated Hospital of the Guizhou University of Traditional Chinese Medicine in Guiyang, southwest China's Guizhou Province, May 30, 2025. (Guizhou University of Traditional Chinese Medicine/Handout via Xinhua)

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Traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) enthusiasts from Brazil pose for a group photo with their teachers after concluding a training session on TCM at the First Affiliated Hospital of the Guizhou University of Traditional Chinese Medicine in Guiyang, southwest China's Guizhou Province, May 30, 2025. (Guizhou University of Traditional Chinese Medicine/Handout via Xinhua)