[Top: Thai monk Archan Numdit uses a syringe to help him insert a gold talisman under the skin.]

THE area over his left nipple turned an ugly purple in April last year.

The pain and discoloration subsided only after more than a week.

Mr J Tan, 22, suspects that the sore was caused by one of two badly inserted gold needles in his chest.

He declined to give his full name as his family is unaware of what had happened.

He said the insertions were done in Singapore by a Thai 'spiritual teacher' who is not a monk.

Mr Tan, a human resource officer, said: 'I got the needles inserted out of curiosity.

'But I regretted it as it only caused me pain and misery.'

Despite the bad reaction to the insertion, he did not see a doctor.

Two months ago, when he went for a checkup after recovering from dengue fever, the needles showed up in his X-ray.

Mr Tan said: 'The doctors thought the needles had been left inside by accident in some previous surgery.

'When I told them why the needles were there, it raised quite a few eyebrows.'

He said he did not get the needles removed surgically as it was 'quite costly', though he could not remember exactly how much he was told it would cost.

But his unpleasant experience did not deter him from visiting Archan Numdit, a Thai monk who was here to perform the procedure on about 50 people, on 3Nov. Indeed, he seems to have become more of a believer in the spiritual power of the needles.

He had two of them inserted in his calves this time, one in his stomach and another in his face.

Mr Tan said: 'I'm not scared. I still believe that the gold needles will work.

'I hope the insertions will improve my charisma and help me deal with office politics and my workload.'

He was told by Archan Numdit that he lacked willpower and the needles in his calves would address that problem.

Again, the procedure was not easy for him. He said he was in such pain after the insertion in his calves that he could not walk.

'But Archan Numdit asked me to concentrate and chant and the pain subsided almost instantly,' said Mr Tan.

'If the pain returns, I have to chant again and use that concentration in my daily life.'

Mr Tan also asked the monk to remove the two needles in his chest.

But Archan Numdit wrote spiritual characters in oil on his back and said the needles would exit his body on their own.

This story was first published in The New Paper on Nov 13, 2008.

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