Hongkong CM Doctors

[Guest guest]

April 23, 2003

 

I have translated the following article from the Hongkong-based Chinese newspaper Takung Pao first of all to update everyone on the role of CM in the fight against SARS. I have no specific backgrounder on Prof. Li Zhi Zhong except the ones mentioned in the article . However, some of issues he has raised resonates with those we are encountering ,encountered or about to encounter in our CM practice in the West i.e. relatioship between Western science and other non-science traditions i.e, CM and WM; interactions between herbal preparations and Western pharaceuticals; the notion of Wen Bing and other WM defined infectious and contagious diseases, the role of the international agencies such as the WHO and CDC vis-a-vis a disease entities which are dealt with simultaneously by a medical tradition other than the Western biomedical tradition , etc.

 

Regards,

 

Rey Tiquia

Phd Candidate

Dept. of History and Philosophy of Science

Unversity of Melbourne

 

Within the Medical System in Hongkong

TCM is Restricted in Fight Against SARS

 

Takung Pao Zhang Mei Lun Reporting Aporil 23,2003-

 

In the face of SARS does the Honkong city residents have the freedom (right ) to choose Chinese medicine or Western medicine ? Of course, CM practitioners have already achieved legal status . However, here in our locality, we still have the old medical system which limits the use of Chinese medicine. Many Western medical practitioners xi yi still do not understand some basic concepts in Chinese medicine. With SARS wreaking havoc si nue in the whole of Hongkong, atypical pneumonia (SAR) patients can only receive Western medical treatment. The present medical system still refuses to accept the plan to use medical treatments other than Western medicine and drugs xi yi xi yao yi wai.

 

Li Zhi Zhong a visiting fellow at the Hongkong Baptist University and an expert on TCM internal medicine nei ke stated that in the face of science ke xue , there is no such thing as ' one country with two systems' yi guo liang zhi . Medicine is science. All medical practitioners must diligently look for all solutions to treat the patients of their illness. At the sametime, they have to understand the needs of the city residents.

 

Chinese medicine and Yao Takes The Person As The Root yi ren wei ven

 

Li pointed out that atypical pneumonia and influenza liu xing xing gan mao both belong to the general caterogy of ' External pathogenic factor' diseases wai gan bing . The way to treat both are one. At present, the number of people affected by the epidemic vis-a- vis the whole population are still in the minority. Hence, I propose that the Hongkong Government put the emphasis upon the majority of the Hongkong population who have not been infected and affected by the epidemic. They have to take an active preventative attitude and pay attention to Chinese medicine's philosophy of

" Unity between heaven and humanity " tian ren he Yi ; 'balance between Yin and Yang ying ping yang mi and' take preventative measures before the illness strikes' fang bing wei ran .

 

Originally, these are very simple principles . However, certain government officials do not see things in this way. They only look for the 'pathogen' bing yuan and concentrate their focus upon cohorts of infected people. However, in the face of the virus bing du we have to see humanity as the root. We have to put the life and health of the city residents as the first priority. Government policies must proceed from this line of thinking.

 

Put Emphasis Upon CM's 'Prevention First before Illness Strikes ' fang bing wei ran

 

Li stated that Western medicine pays less attention to changes in the four seasons, individual differences among people and their natural capacity to resist diseases. Almost all the world's Western medical scholars put their sights upon the pathogen- the virus- the hot spot. However, in reality, virus will never disappear from this planet. They also will never become extinct. How much humanity knows about viruses , we still do not know. Hence it is an objective fact to realize that humanity can only co-exists with viruses. In other words, all living organisms live together with viruses which includes the current atypical pneumonia virus, different bacteria, and other pathogenic parasites .

 

Under favourable weather conditions tian Qi , a person's defense immune system can be weakened which Chinese medicine refers to as ' Deficiency of the Zheng Qi (natural medicine ) ' Zheng Qi bu zu . Under this condition, illnesses steps in and affects him/her. From the point of view of TCM, although the virus is really very frightening, however, viruses also are frightened of people. In the course of this process, only if one achieves a state of 'correnspondence between Heaven and person' tian ren xiang ying , and maintain Yin and Yang balance yin ping yang mi , we can then prevent being afflicted by the disease before it strikes ' fang bing wei ran .

 

At present, the Hongkong government puts the emphasis upon ' positivism or proof as the root' shi zheng wei ben as the orientation for Chinese medicine and Yao research. Everyone thinks that this is 'scientific'. However, what is science? What is 'experiential medicine' jing yan yi xue ?

 

Li zhi zhong's point of view is that : Experience jing yan is the foundation of technology and science. However, experience is not the same as science. Science is a knowledge system which explains the principles of a discipline ben ke . Technology is the concrete application under the guidance of science. Hence , Prof. Li absolutely does not agree with the thinking that TCM and yao are experiential medical science.

 

He stated that at present, the decision to use Western pharmaceuticals (from selection of drugs to the dose) to deal with atypical pneumonia are based upon the accumulation of experience. At present, we are still at the exploratory and experiential treatment stage under which the causal pathogenic virus have not been confirmed, and in addition, there are no specific drugs in the hands of Western medicine to deal with the treatment of atypical pneumonia and influenza.

 

As to drugs used which can have the side-effects of weakening the body's immune system, which in the future may lead to adverse reactions, we cannot belittle this possibility. On the contrary, Chinese medicine has thousands of years of history in the treatment of Wen Bing diseases. In different dynasties in China, they have been replicated and proven effective by various medical practitoners in history. In addition, this another type of science had been summed up and raised to the level of theory . Hence, no matter what virus it is, we must' treat the person as the root' yi zhi ren wei ben , and harmonize tiao jie the balance ping heng between humanity and nature. This is what a scientific attitude should be.