A lucky student at Mary Chapman School for the Deaf receives an acupuncture treatment. Pic: Ni Ni Myint

SOME children at Mary Chapman School for the Deaf who have received medical acupuncture treatments in the past four months say they have benefited from the procedure and can now hear better than before.

Daw Margret Kyaw Mya, the headmistress of the school, said a group that provides free medical care headed by Dr Aung Myat Thwin – an acupuncturist and professor of anaesthesiology at Thingangyun Hospital in Yangon – startted giving treatments at the school in early April.

The group’s seventh and most recent visit to the school occurred on July 27.
“Not all the children have had the treatment, only those who have permission from their parents,” Daw Margret Kyaw Mya said.

“Some of the children said they could sometimes hear people’s voices after only one or two treatments. Some said they could also hear telephones ringing,” she said, adding that parents who have allowed their children to get acupuncture are quite happy.

She said that although acupuncture can help deaf children, doctors could not guarantee complete restoration of hearing ability.

Dr Aung Myat Thwin said acupuncture helps the body respond to a wide range of ailments.

“The body has its natural response to all illnesses. Acupuncture helps the affected areas heal faster,” he said.

He said he has been an acupuncturist since 1982 and now provides free treatment at Shwe Pyi Hein Free Medical Clinic in Thingangyun township as well as at Thingangyun Hospital.