‘Chinese therapist left me with burns’ (From Swindon Advertiser)

‘Chinese therapist left me with burns’

8:20am Wednesday 12th September 2012 in News By Josh Layton

A PATIENT treated by a herbal medicine practitioner convicted of groping a woman at a high street clinic has told how he left her in agony after a botched Chinese therapy.

The woman, who had gone to Herbal Shop in the town centre, received a “cupping” treatment from Hong Wei Dong, leaving her with burns which took months to heal.

Dong, 51, was convicted on Monday of sexual assault after grabbing a shocked patient in the chest area and performing a sex act during an acupuncture session.

Another woman, who asked not to be named, told of her own ordeal last July after she paid for the treatment which uses heated cups to create suction and improve blood circulation.

She said: “I could feel the cups scalding my skin, I started thinking straight away it was too hot.

“When I showed my mum she thought I had third-degree burns.

“I went to the doctor and he couldn’t believe it had happened at a health shop.

“The welts were horrific. I had to use a special gel on the burns for weeks and now I’m in fear of having any heat on my back.”

Dong was not a member of self-regulatory bodies The Association of Traditional Chinese Medicine and the British Acupuncture Council, it emerged yesterday.

Dr Ming Chen, the vice-president of the association, provided a written statement for the prosecution case, outlining the way a professional practitioner would treat stress or anxiety.

He said yesterday: “While I am shocked by this case it is an isolated one. We have about 800 members and we have never had an incident like this before. It is also the first time I have had to to provide evidence for a court case.

“This individual did not belong to the association, or any of the voluntary self-regulatory bodies which have codes of conduct and high standards of practice.”

Dr Chen, who is also the chairman of the association’s professional conduct committee, said customers should check certificates – which should be on display in a shop – showing they are registered with the association and the acupuncture council.

Dong, who is due to be sentenced later this month, told the court he was an employee at the shop in Fleet Street, where he lived with his wife and child.

He had claimed his victim, who cannot be named for legal reasons, had left the clinic with no complaints after he carried out the treatment normally.

But she told how he had turned off the lights after administering acupuncture needles before groping her and making a series of sexual remarks.