Integrative Treatment for Covid-19 (Coronavirus and MTC)
INTEGRATIVE TREATMENT FOR COVID-19 (CORONAVIRUS AND TCM)
INTEGRATIVE TREATMENT FOR COVID-19 (CORONAVIRUS AND TCM)
By Acupuncture Wu Wei Posted February 28, 2020 In Acupuncture, Scientific studies
This is a translation of an article published on Globaltimes.cn
China's efforts to mobilize traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) practitioners to find a cure for COVID-19 have yielded optimistic results in the fight against the virus that originated in Wuhan, central China's Hubei province. . Treatment with TCM has helped stabilize the conditions, despite the doubt of some skeptics.
Clinical treatment and recovery by TCM were included in the latest version of the COVID-19 diagnosis and treatment scheme published by the National Health Commission on Wednesday.
The central government group that guides the epidemic control work called for increased treatment efforts integrating traditional Chinese medicine and Western medicine on February 13.
Echoing the call, provincial regions such as eastern China's Zhejiang and Shandong, southern China's Guangdong, and northwestern China's Gansu and Qinghai announced more TCM practices in treating COVID-19 on Wednesday.
Doctors and TCM experts said that a positive combination of TCM with Western medicine has shown the ability to shorten the treatment process. Amid the COVID-19 epidemic, experts call for a deeper understanding of traditional Chinese medicine.
Renowned Chinese respiratory expert Zhong Nanshan said at a press conference in Guangdong on Tuesday that he values the positive effectiveness of TCM in treating patients in their early and middle stages, including the death of the virus, reducing opportunities of the virus entering bodies and the emergence of a cytokine storm, the Shenzhen Economic Daily reported on Wednesday.
Widely practiced
The fifth pulmonary department was temporarily formed at Hubei TCM Hospital in the wake of the epidemic. From the beginning, the department combined Chinese and Western medicines to save lives.
“Traditional Chinese medicine and Western medicine are equally important in treating COVID-19. The combination could shorten the treatment process and alleviate symptoms quickly, "Feng Yi, chief physician of pulmonary medicine at Hubei TCM Hospital, told Global Times.
The department received patients with mild or severe symptoms and kept them in stable condition. A total of 26 patients from the department have been discharged and 36 are still under treatment.
Feng said that apart from the respiratory tract, traditional Chinese medicine works well to treat symptoms such as diarrhea or constipation. It can also make it difficult for the disease to develop at a critical stage.
TCM has been employed in treating more than 85.2 percent of confirmed COVID-19 cases nationwide as of Monday, Jiang Jian, an official with the National TCM Administration, said on Monday. Outside of Hubei, 87 percent of patients have been cured or their conditions improved thanks to traditional Chinese medicine.
As of Monday, more than 3,100 medical personnel from more than 630 Chinese medicine hospitals across the country have been dispatched to assist Hubei province in fighting the epidemic, Jiang said.
Ma Xiaowei, director of the National Health Commission, also reiterated the importance of combining traditional Chinese medicine and Western medicine on Wednesday during his visit to Leishenshan Hospital, the second specialized emergency hospital built in response to the novel coronavirus outbreak in Wuhan. .
Dr. Wen Minyong is now in charge of a 70-bed hospitalization area at the Hubei Provincial Hospital for Integrated Medicines of China and the West, which treats patients in serious and critical conditions.
"Current TCM therapies have been successful as most patients have relieved pain, cough, sputum and shortness of breath, and have had a better appetite," Wen, Captain of a medical support team from Guangzhou First Affiliated Hospital University of Chinese Medicine sent to Wuhan, told the Global Times.
Wang Zhen, chief physician of the respiratory department of the Chiense Medical Hospital of Zhejiang Province, told the Global Times that 95.83 percent of COVID-19 patients in Zhejiang have received TCM treatment.
"Whether it's for COVID-19 pneumonia, SARS, H1N1 flu, or bird flu, TCM has shown pretty good treatment effectiveness," he noted.
The makeshift Jiangxia Hospital in Wuhan has been taken over by the national team of traditional Chinese medicine. The team uses methods such as acupuncture, massage, and tai chi to treat patients and makes sure that each patient has a TCM decoction specifically prescribed according to their symptoms.
Healing tradition
Over thousands of years, TCM has accumulated rich experience in treating epidemics, and it has developed through curing epidemics, Liu Jinmin, director of Dongfang Hospital at Beijing University of Chinese Medicine, told the Global Times.
TCM treatment plans recommended by the National Health Commission include multiple herbal recipes that target fever, severe cough, loss of appetite, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, shortness of breath and tiredness, according to the Xinhua News Agency. .
The prescriptions cover five stages of treatment with medical observation, early, intermediate, critical and later recovery.
Wen said that since no specific drugs for COVID-19 have been found in Western medicine so far, so Western medicine plays a supporting role in the hospital where Wen works.
He said that traditional Chinese medicine believes that the disease is caused by the malfunction of one or multiple organs influenced by factors such as humidity or internal heat. The concept of Chinese medicine is to restore the functions of the organs through specific therapies. A healthy and functional organ helps disperse these external factors known as viruses in Western medicine and called "demons" in traditional Chinese medicine classics, Wen said.
For mild and moderate cases, traditional Chinese medicine has been found to have significant effects, while Western medicine lags behind in these areas. For critically ill patients, some antiviral and hormone medications will be used in conjunction with TCM.
Lei Genping, deputy director of Shaanxi University of Chinese Medicine Affiliated Hospital, told the Global Times that Western medicine requires scientific explanations about the working mechanisms of medicine, and that this is an area in which TCM must further improve. However, it cannot be ignored that traditional Chinese medicine does solve problems.
"After days of ward visits, we found that almost all patients have a shiny coating on their tongue, which means they are affected by moisture," Lei told the Global Times.
“Some patients have a cough and a bitter, dry mouth along with a fever. We think patients lack yang, so we add bupleurum root and cassia sprig to their recipes, ”Lei said.
Handling doubts
Doubts have always been raised about traditional Chinese medicine, even some doctors have raised criticism.
A drug has to pass at least three phases of clinical trials before it can be applied, Tao Lina, a former fellow at the Shanghai Center for Disease Control and Prevention, told the Global Times on Monday. It is strange logic to say that TCM can prevent and cure coronavirus since TCM does not have the concept of microorganisms, Tao said.
Treatment during emergency epidemic control must be results-oriented, said Cao Hongxin, former head of science and technology at the State TCM Administration.
"Western medicine intervenes after classifying the characteristic maps and pathogenesis of a virus, while traditional Chinese medicine interprets a pandemic from the outset of how humans adapt to alternating seasons and natural changes," Cao said.
Wen believes that the doubts regarding traditional Chinese medicine are due to the lack of indicators that show that it can kill the virus.
He said that both Chinese and Western medicines have advantages and disadvantages. "I think the best way is to integrate them and make the most of their advantages," Wen said.
"In modern society, traditional Chinese medicine should not be limited," said Wang Tong, chief physician of the ICU at Dong Fang Hospital in Beijing. “Today it is more than a decoction. Decoction is a method in Chinese medicine, so it uses breathing machines, blood purification meters and all kinds of imaging equipment, ”he said, noting that traditional Chinese medicine should be combined with modern medicine to get the best results.
"The doubts and protests stem from misunderstanding," said Liu Qingquan, director of the Beijing TCM Hospital and Jiangxia makeshift hospital, calling for a deeper understanding of the ancient wisdom.
Common sense
Despite those who doubt TCM, others trust it deeply.
People flocked to pharmacies in late January after some reports indicated that the proprietary Chinese medicine, Shuanghuanglian oral liquid, which contains three herbal ingredients, is effective in containing the new coronavirus infection. Some even queued outside pharmacies late into the night.
Some "doctors" or "experts" are also promoting strange methods of treatment in the name of Chinese medicine. One man claimed that he cured several patients by using bees to sting patients.
Doctors said that those who are not infected with the virus should use common sense.
Wang Zhen said that his hospital has promoted TCM therapy to prevent COVID-19, mainly targeting people such as medical personnel and public security officials who are at increased risk of infection.
“According to the Chinese classics, all drugs have some toxic elements. If you stay home all day, I don't recommend taking medication. "
Feng said that some herbs could serve as nutrition or food, so people who are not patients could also take some simple recipes to strengthen immunity.
** Appendix: TCM prescription for intermediate stage patients **
Clinical symptoms: fever, cold, dry cough, expectoration of yellow sputum, bloating and constipation, chest difficulty, shortness of breath, red tongue with yellow, thick and greasy coating
Recommended prescription: Almond 10 grams, Gypsum Fibrosum 30 grams, Fructus Trichosanthis 30 grams, Radix Et Rhizoma Rhei 6 grams, Herba Ephefrae 6 grams, Roasted Herba Ephefrae 6 grams, Semen Lepidii 10 grams, Semen Persicae 10 grams, Fructus Tsaoko 6 grams, Semen Arecae 10 grams, Rhizoma Attractiveylodis 10 grams.
* Attention: Chinese herbal medicine should not be self-administered by anyone who does not have deep knowledge of the subject. This "formula" is here only as a matter of course. If you show these symptoms, we recommend you contact the health services.
Source: https://www.globaltimes.cn/content/1180276.shtml
Acupuncture, Coronavirus, Integrative Traditional Chinese Medicine, Mtc
