Nowadays, more and more people are using traditional Asian medicinal remedies, rather than prescription medications, while at the same time conventional medicine continues to make great strides.
The Massimov Health Centre has been actively engaged in both. The centre applies both traditional oriental remedies that address physical and spiritual well-being, while at the same time introducing the latest advances in medicine.
The centre was founded in 2003 and is led by Centre Director General Kazhimkan Massimov, who is a full-fledged member of the Academy of the Russian Federation, an honorary professor at the Department of Sports and Medicine of the Kazakh Academy of Tourism and Sports, as well as the President of the Kazakhstan Association of Yoga.
On July 1, in the framework of the Swiss Summit of Business Leaders, Massimov Health Centre was awarded as Best Enterprise and Massimov was awarded Manager of the Year. On Aug. 20, in the Celebration Hall of the Ukraine President’s Administration in Kyiv Massimov Health Centre was awarded a “olden Jaguar international award for excellence, professionalism and partner reliability.
Massimov recently discussed with The Astana Times the centre, its development and future plans.
Mr. Massimov, you are the head of the health centre, a scientist and a professor of the Academy of Sports and, as far as we can tell, you paved the way for the yoga movement in Kazakhstan. How and when did you get involved with yoga?
I heard about the idea of yoga for the first time in my life in 1963 in Omsk city where I studied at the Institute of Railway Transport Engineers. One cares for his health only when he suffers and feels sick. I used to catch cold very often and that affected my studies as I always felt discomfort. During my free time, I used to work to earn some money. Unfortunately, it was forbidden for me to do physical labor because of disorders I had in my cardiovascular system and I was mainly engaged in drawing and design work. I got a part-time job at the experimental group of the Institute of railway transport. Once Yekaterina Nikulina, the director of that institute, told me to start practicing yoga in order to improve my health. And I started to attend yoga classes taught by Anatoliy Shornikov. I remember I lost 30 kilograms just in four months. Upon completion of the course, Anatoliy Shornikov suggested opening a yoga group in Kazakhstan and that is how we arrived to former Tselinograd city, which now is the capital Astana. So, since 1965, I’ve been practicing yoga and later in 1991, I founded the Association of Yoga of the Kazakh SSR.
Since its foundation, the Massimov Health Centre has been actively engaged in using Asian medicine and improving the physical and mental health of citizens. Could you tell us about the combination of conventional and nontraditional medicine you use?
One must not separate conventional medicine from unconventional methods. These methods have to be combined. Conventional means cure with medical drugs and almost everybody is used to that. When one is ill, he hurries up to the doctor for drugs and medicine, while unconventional medicine considers acupuncture, massage, healthy diet, herbal medicine, physical education and yoga. Combining all the methods is the key, which speeds up the recovery process.
The Health Centre was founded as an enterprise, which sets up sport and health centres, as well as produces medicine. What other activities does the centre provide?
Having long, practical experience, I have always believed in my activities, but it was very difficult to prove the benefits of yoga for people. I’ve travelled a lot, visiting many countries to study and learn more about yoga. And once when I was in South Korea, I saw the rehabilitation of oncology patients in a hospital in Seoul. The patients were cured with the help of Asian medicine methods, i.e. a two-month hatha yoga course. I learnt that there was special equipment that showed the changes in internal organs before and after the course. I brought this equipment to Kazakhstan and presented it to the Ministry of Health. The ministry in its turn confirmed the effectiveness of such equipment that detects many diseases in their early stages, including oncologic disorders and tuberculosis.
Does the centre apply innovations or even produce innovations in its own work?
Sure, the centre has built a local factory in Almaty which produces test-strips for early detection of 19 diseases, and in cooperation with a German company, intends to build another factory that will produce dialyzers.
Also this year, we are going to deliver 16 Cell-Scan-200 liquid-based cytology diagnostic systems to oncologic clinics in the 16 regions of Kazakhstan on a free basis. The performance of this equipment is better than the previous one’s – Cytofast, and carries out 100 tests per hour. We think that this would be a great aid for our country that will improve the quality of cervical cancer screening.
Moreover, I would also note that centre funds have been used to train specialists at oncologic clinics on the use of this equipment. Thus, Kazakhstan specialists have a big opportunity to exchange their knowledge and experience with their Korean colleagues and improve their qualifications.
Are there any plans to further develop and expand the centre?
As the activity of our centre is expanding, we are inviting leading professors, doctors in medical sciences and others. We have various specialists, who intend to establish centre branches in different regions of Kazakhstan and Commonwealth of Independent States countries, and we have our branch in South Korea already.
