Houston Community News >> Yao Ming to Seek Traditional Chinese Medicine to Recovery

4/4/2008-- Yao Ming will seek traditional Chinese medicine to help heal a stress fracture in his left foot after opting for surgery last month.

The Rockets center was back in China to consult with traditional medicine practitioners about his season-ending injury. Yao said yesterday he also plans to see players on the Chinese national team and talk with Coach Jonas Kazlauskas about strategy for the Beijing Olympics in August.

He hasn't decided on a treatment to heal the stress fracture in his left foot, but said he probably would meet with the country's top traditional doctors early next week. Traditional Chinese medicine can range from acupuncture to herbal teas, and usually is less invasive and slower acting than Western medicine.

"Traditional Chinese medicine has a history of thousands of years in our country, so there must be something to it," Yao said.

Yao, who arrived in Beijing late Thursday, hobbled into a news conference on crutches, his injured foot sheathed in a protective guard. He said his recovery was going "pretty well," but he wasn't likely to be back at his best until late June or early July.

His injury had sparked a near panic in China, where huge hopes are riding on the Olympics. China's other big man, former NBA C Wang Zhizhi, also recently had knee surgery and Bucks rookie F Yi Jianlian was scheduled for a scan on his sprained left knee.

Despite the setbacks, Yao warned against counting China out, saying the team would finish 12th in a worst-case scenario, but was poised for a "historic breakthrough." 

(Contributed by AP)