Naturopathic Doctor – From a Traditional Massuer To 9 Years of Study In Natural Healing
As featured in Berita Harian, 15 May 2009.
Naturopathic Doctor
FROM A TRADITIONAL MASSEUR TO 9 YEARS OF STUDY IN NATURAL HEALING
Mr. Mohamed Rashidinz Shariff has been exposed to traditional massage since his teenage years. Unlike his peers, he spent most of his time in the massage room. His deep interest in traditional massage propelled him to offer his services to anyone who had asked for his aid.
“I would usually offer free massage treatment to close family and friends.”
“I don’t remember being paid for that. This was done during my leisure time”.
He was inspired by his father. “My father was a masseur and he used to offer massage services to close relatives. It made me curious to know the effect of traditional massage on the body. Many say they felt lighter after being massaged.”
“I did not understand what “lighter” meant,” he said.
It was because of this curiosity that Mr. Mohamed Rashidinz, 36, decided to pursue his studies in the field of Malay traditional massage by choosing to study Naturopathy.
Education
Mr. Mohamed Rashidinz, the eldest of two siblings, attended his secondary school education at Dunman Secondary School.
He then enrolled in Diploma in Computer Studies program by MENDAKI.
“At that time, I understood more about traditional massage from a local masseur. He was a family friend who had been practicing traditional massage for 50 years. He was in his 70s when I met him,” he added.
Upon completing his National Service (NS), Mr. Mohamed Rashidinz had worked temporarily at Changi Airport.
However, he still had a burning desire to embark on naturopathy.
“Only after 5 years that I decided to work as a clinic assistant at a natural therapy centre. The clinic is now located at 251A, Victoria Street, Bugis Village.
“Concurrently, I attended a degree course in naturopathy organized by The Youngson Institute of Natural Science (YINS) in Queensland”, said Mr. Rashidinz, who invested up to S$50,000 for his studies.
After nine years of hard work, Mr. Mohamed Rashidinz was awarded Bachelor of Science Degree (Honours) in 2004.
He is now a Naturopathic Doctor. Late last year, he was awarded Master Degree in Naturopathy.
Mr. Mohamed Rashidinz has three sons aged between three and eight years.
He is married to Ms. Rohanah Amin, 36, a housewife, in 1999.
“When I was pursuing the degree course, I had to juggle between studies and family. It was a great challenge.
“However, I have been trained to always be patient and pray since young”.
What is Naturopathy?
Mr. Mohamed Rashidinz explained that Naturopathy or naturopathic treatment is a natural healing system.
“Naturopathy is a holistic system where the naturopathic doctor locates the root of an illness by understanding the patient holistically.
“This includes the patient’s body, mind and energy.
“Most naturopathic doctors use a variety of therapies and techniques such as dieting, herbal medicine, homeopathy and acupuncture.
“The treatment and medicine do not involve or contain chemical compound. We use herbs instead,” he added.
According to him, people who have come to receive naturopathy treatment include those suffering fever and cold, asthma, and cancer.
“Most of them are foreign citizens,” he added.
Challenges
So far, local community’s acceptance to naturopathy is low compared to foreigners.
“In fact, there are people who believe that certain treatment only worked on certain races. For example, Chinese Medicine and acupuncture are only for Chinese, Ayurveda only for Indians, and traditional Malay treatment only for Malays.
“Actually, every treatment is for everyone. In fact, treatment can be mixed and varied to suit patients’ needs.
What is his advice to those who are interested to embark on naturopathy?
“Interest, confidence in its healing effect, and never think of making lots of money when joining this field,” he said.