Persist in and Carry Forward the Integrative Medical Research——Speech at the 6th National General Congress of Chinese Association of Integrative Medicine by Academician CHEN Zhu,Minister of Ministry of Health

The 6th National General Congress of Chinese Association of Integrative Medicine （CALM） was convened at 19-20, April 2008 in Beijing. Academician CHEN Zhu, the minister of Ministry of Health indicated at the congress that the integration of Chinese and Western medicine is very well in keeping with the situation of our country and the general rule of development in medical science; and as a good integration of Chinese medicine and Western medicine, it is mutually beneficial and advantageous to both of them. Seeing the creativity shown in integrative medical investigation in theoretic and methodological sides, we should and must persist in and develop it.     

The state of the Integrative Medicine in the U.S. and Western World

Before I talk to you about the field of integrative medicine(IM),I’d like to tell you a story about how I became interested in China and Chinese medicine.In 1959,when I was 17 years old,I joined an experimental school,the International School of America,just after I graduated from high school. Our class consisted of 22 American students and 6 faculty members.For 9 months,we travelled around     

Parallel Subgroup Design of a Randomized Controlled Clinical Trial——Comparing the Approaches of Chinese Medicine and Western Medicine

A new method for the comparison of the treatment efficacy for specific diseases or conditions between Chinese medicine and Western medicine, which serve the same medical aim but are based on substantially different theoretical systems, was identified. Abiding by the principle of parallel subgroup design of a randomized controlled trial （PSD-RCT）, participants were recruited following identical inclusion and exclusion criteria and were randomly allocated into two groups to receive treatment using the respective approaches of Chinese medicine and Western medicine. The Chinese medicine group was divided into subgroups according to the theory of Chinese medicine and the Western medicine group was also divided into subgroups according to the theory of Western medicine. The treatment for each subgroup was well defined in the protocol, including major formulae and principles for individualized modifications. The primary outcome measure was ascertained to be directly related to the patients＇ status but independent from both theories of Chinese medicine and Western medicine, while the secondary outcomes were represented by the patient-reported outcomes and some laboratory tests commonly accepted by Chinese medicine and Western medicine. Then, taking functional dyspepsia as an example, the authors explain the framework of the PSD-RCT for efficacy comparisons between Chinese medicine and Western medicine, and recommend that the PSD-RCT can be used to compare treatment efficacy for a specific disease or condition between Chinese medicine and Western medicine, and the comparison among subgroups can provide valuable clues for further studies.     

Experience in a Chinese Conference on Integrative Medicine

At the 3rd World Integrative Medicine Congress in Guangzhou,China,September 22-24,2007,I had a lucky opportunity to be invited to give a talk.The topic of my talk was'How to write and submit scientific papers for publication:guidance for Chinese scholars in the field of integrative medicine'.My primary purpose for accepting the invitation to speak at the conference was educational, that of delivering scientific writing guidelines,but my personal reasons included my interest in learning about the Chinese version of integrating Traditional Chinese Medicine and Western Medicine.In addition,I was making first trip to mainland China.In this brief report,I would like to share my sketch of the conference and my impressions.     

Other The Model of Traditional Chinese Medicine

Medical model, which guides medical practice, belongs to the field of philosophy. It is retrospectivecognition in medicine abroad and changes with the conditions of medical practice. The biologicalmedical model came out in the 15th century. Since then, it has made a great deal of contributions tothe development of medicine. In the late years of the 19th century, biological medical model showedinadequate in some aspects. It was not replaced by biopsychosocial medical model until the 20thcentury. The model of traditional Chinese medicine is prospective. Its formula is Time-Space-Social-Psychological-Biological, which includes more elements than the model of modernmedicine, guiding the practice and development of traditional Chinese medicine for more than twothousand years     

Inaugural Meeting of World Federation of Chinese Medicine Societies Specialty Committee of Translation and the First International Conference on Chinese Medicine and Chinese Culture Translation： first announcement and call for presentations

The Inaugural Meeting of World Federation of Chinese Medicine Societies （WFCMS） Specialty Committee of Translation and the First International Conference on Translation of Chinese Medicine and Chinese Culture （including English, French, Spanish, Portuguese, Russian, Japanese, Korean and Arabian etc.） will be held in July 2008 in Shanghai, P. R. China （the specific date will be decided in the second announcement）. The aim of the Specialty Committee of Translation is to unite translators of Chinese medicine and Chinese culture in the world to promote international dissemination, exchange and development of Chinese medicine and Chinese culture. For more information, please send an e-mail to the address below.     

Herbal Medicine in the Treatment of Alzheimer’s Disease

Associated with the aging of our world population is a sharp increase in the incidence of Alzheimer’s disease,which not only poses a significant health issue but also presents a serious social problem.Although pharmacological treatments were developed based on existing hypotheses,the disease pathogenesis remains to be fully elucidated.Given the complexity of Alzheimer’s disease,Chinese herbal medicine appears to have therapeutic potential for Alzheimer’s disease through multi-target and multi-pathway approach at cellular and molecular levels and holistic adjustment of the body at organ system levels.Recently,a significant breakthrough has been made in the research of Chinese medicine for Alzheimer’s disease.In this article,we review the experimental research progress in understanding how Chinese medicine could be used for the treatment of Alzheimer’s disease.     

Abstracts from the first annual conference of the Chinese Society of Medicine in Germany.

The Chinese Society of Medicine (Gesellschat Chinescher Mediziner in Deutschland) in Germany was founded and held its first annual scientific conference on 5th-6th August. 1994 in University Clinic Essen. About 30 researchers from different cities of Germany attended the conference. The conference received more than 70 papers , and 22 papers were selected for oral presentation, reporting the latest research results in the fields of basic and clinical medicine followed by discussion. It is of greal help for obtaining new inspirations in the corresponding fields. The participants wish to establish close relationship and utilize their own superiority, to cooperate each other and to obtain new achievements in the fields of medicine.     

Promoting the Development of Traditional Chinese Medicine in the New Century

Reviewing the past,traditional Chinesemedicine(TCM)in the 20th century experiencedvicissitude.Since the founding the People's Republicof China,especially for the past twenty years,traditional Chinese medicine undertaking,full ofvigor and vitality,has made an unprecedenteddevelopment in China.The legal status and scientificstatus of traditional Chinese medicine and     

Discussion about the Prognoses of Wilson＇s Disease with Severe Cortex Structure Impairment--A Case Report of Wilson＇s Disease （WD） Treated by the Traditional Chinese Medicine and Western Medicine

Introduction： As we know, Wilson＇s disease（WD） patient with severe structure and function impairment will have a poor prognosis. We met an exceptional case and madea report, then discussed some viewpoints about prognosis of WD patients. Case report： A WD patient presenting with severe cortex structure and cerebral function impairment was followed up for 5 years, including his therapeutic regiment-the combined treatment of traditional Chinese medicine and western medicine, clinical manifestation, the 24-hr urine copper output and brain MRI. By effective copper-excluding therapy, his clinical manifestation went on worse I st year after diagnosis, and then was improved in the following years. The patient＇s symptoms almost complete recover 3 years afterward. During 5 years, the 24-hr urine copper excreted is tapered, but it was still higher than normal. The cerebral MR image of the patient was getting worse at 1^st year, then began to recover, and improved markedly 5 years after. Conclusion： For WD patients, treated with the traditional Chinese medicine and western medicine, even therapy start in serious conditions and in late adolescent, clinical manifestation may get striking improvement.     

Terminology Standardization in Chinese Medicine： The Perspective from UCLA Center for East-West Medicine（Ⅰ）

INTRODUCTION by Ka-kit Hui, M.D. Because we recognize the clinical, educational, and cultural importance of translation and terminology in Chinese medicine, we feel that it is imperative to understand the perspectives of all concerned parties. This article thus addresses the issue of terminology standardization in English language Chinese medical publications from the point of view of multiple stakeholders in this field at the UCLA Center for East-West Medicine. A great deal of discussion about the issue has arisen among faculty and staff at the Center, prompted especially by my invitation by the World Health Organization （W.H.O.） Western Pacific Region to review the draft document of English terminology standards in Chinese medicine. As the discussion within the Center reflects the wider debates within the field, we would like to address the topic by inviting seven Center staff and faculty, all of whom have been trained as clinicians and teachers rather than translators or linguistic scholars, to formally provide their insights into the matter. Sonya Pritzker, M.S., M.A., L.Ac. will first offer a brief background derived from her presentation at the original Grand Rounds at the Center upon which the current article is based. Staff and faculty from the Center then offer their contributions to the discussion, after which I discuss participants＇ views and conclude by suggesting that a biomedical interface syste in combination with a system of open standards offers a possible solution to the several divergent views brought up by the terminology debates.     

HIV/AIDS, Gender Equality and Reproductive Health

At the beginning of my speech, I would like to thank the Partners in Population and Devel- opment for offering us an ideal forum to share experience and discuss ways to move forward concepts prompted by ICPD Cairo conference. I would like to talk specifically about the threat from HIV/AIDS. First, I want to stress the importance of gender issues. All my experience shows me the vital contribution of women to development, and the importance of gender equality for ending the HIV/AIDS pa…     

From Chinese Version of Integrative Medicine to Globalized Integrative Medicine： Impression on the 3rd World Integrative Medicine Congress

In the 1950's,Chinese medical scientists were trying to take advantage of both Western medicine and traditional Chinese medicine in clinical practice.The integrated traditional Chinese medicine and Western medicine became an academic branch in medical sciences.As more and more medical doctors were     

Abstract of Systematic Review of Randomized Controlled Trial of Traditional Chinese Medicine for the Treatment of Depression

In order to investigate the efficacious Chinese medicine for depression, 6 studies according with criteria and 367 randomized patients were included in this review. Compared with western medicine or western medicine plus other therapies or blank control, Chinese medicine can＇t lower the scores of self-rating depression scale （-1.58, 95%CI-3.39- -0.23, p=0.09）; but it is likely to lower the scores of Hamilton depression scale （-0.91, 95%CI-1.97-4）.15, p〈0.00001, 0 was included in the 95% CI）. Although the scores of Hamilton depression scale are possibly lowered, reviewer thinks that more proof is needed to authenticate the above-noted conclusion. The prospect of Chinese medicine for depression is promising; more qualified randomized controlled clinical trials are warranted to assure its efficacy.     

Treatise of Acupunture and Chinese Medicine published in Italy

The publishing house UTET of Turin in Italy editedthe“Trattato di Agopuntura e Medicina Cinese”-“Treatise of Acupuncture and Chinese Medicine”:the outcome of a long work of preparation.It's the most ponderous work about acupuncture andChinese medicine that has been written hitherto in theWest:2 volumes of more than 1268 pages,more than351 plates (pictures),66 schedules and 36 colouredtables explaining the exame of the tongue.The treatise diffusely deals with all the Chineseknowledge proposing to the Italian medical public as     

A Re-understanding on the Safety Matters of Chinese Herbal Medicine

Traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) plays a very important role in Chinese people ' s health-keeping, enjoying an position of the same significance with Western medicine and drugs. Entering into the 21 century, and due to the swift and drastic development in economy and elevation in living quality, the public have come to pay much more     

Comparative study on WHO Western Pacific Region and World Federation of Chinese Medicine Societies international standard terminologies on traditional medicine： Diseases in External Medicine （Part 2）

This is a continued study about how to understand and translate the names of diseases in the external medicine of TCM included in the WPRO Standard[1] and the WFCMS Standard[2] according to the discussion made in the book entitled International Standardization of English Translation of Traditional Chinese Medicine:Study of Theory,Summarization of Practice and Exploration of Methods[3],the explanation made in A Concise Dictionary of Traditional Chinese Medicine[4],and the approaches advocated in ChineseEnglish Dictionary of Traditional Chinese Medicine[5] and English Translation of Common Terms in Traditional Chinese Medicine[6].     

Comparative study on WHO Western Pacific Region and World Federation of Chinese Medicine Societies international standard terminologies on traditional medicine： Diseases of Gynecology and Obstetrics （Part 2）

The following is the second discussion about how to understand and translate the names of diseases in tradi- tional Chinese medicine （TCM） gynecology and obstetrics included in WHO International Standard Terminologies on Traditional Medicine in the Western Pacific Region （abbreviated as the WPRO Standard） and the International Standard Chinese-English Basic Nomenclature of Chinese Medicine compiled by World Federation of Chinese Medicine Societies （abbreviated as the WFCM Standard） , according to explanations made in the book entitled A Concise Dictionary of Traditional Chinese Medicine and the studies made in the book entitled International Standardization of English Translation of Traditional Chinese Medicine： Study of Theory, Summarization of Practice and Exploration of Methods.