SARS : Acupuncture

[Guest guest]

April 26,2003

Dear Listmembers,

 

I have translated the following article from the Takung Pao to update colleagues on the current quests of the HK TCM practitioners to actively participate in the battle against SARS. Recent reports from HK indicate that the predominantly Western medicine oriented Health system in Hongkong has encountered serious problems with the use of steroids and Ribavirin. Health officials are even investigating whether the use of the " cocktail of ribavirin and steriods was responsible for some of the coronavirus pneumonia deaths in hongkong " (HOngkong Standard 0n-line April 23,2003) . The newspaper quoted CDCP director Dr. Julie Gerberding today as saying that " Ribavirin is a drug that does have some serious side-effects , including hemolytic anaemia and other complications. " . It is in this context that TCM practitioners like Prof. Qin Hong below in HK are arguing that the time has come to include the traditional Chinese medicine approach in the fight against SARs.

 

Regards,

 

Rey Tiquia

Phd Candidate

Dept of History and Philosophy of Science

University of Melbourne

Australia

 

Acupuncture's Antipyretic Effects Can Help Treat SARS

 

Takung Pao 2003/4/24- The death rate from SARS in Hongkong is still soaring. One of the main reason for this is the not so ideal response to the (Western medicine ) pharmaceutical drug administered and the severe side-effects from . Today, many who died from SARS resulted from the cardiac, liver , kidneys etc. major organ failure . Registered TCM practitioners in Hongkong are thus proposing that the Hongkong authority allow them to participate in the treatment of SARS patients which will provide a wholisitc zheng ti perspective to the treatment measures vis-v-vis SARS patients.

 

The president of the International TCM Bian Stone Society who is also a Hongkong registered TCM practitoner Prof. Qin Hong yesterday stated that judging from the pathological profile of SARS, it looks like yi zheng ('epidemic clinical pattern ') which is one of the categories of Wen Bing diseases . At the initial stages of SARS , the symptoms are similar to Gan Mao (common cold ) or Severe Gan Mao (influenza) which include symptoms of fever, tiredness etc. TCM treatment administered at the early stages of the disease may prevent it from getting worse.

 

He stated that fever is one of the basic feature of SARS (Atypical Pneumonia) . If acupuncture in conjunction with TCM materia medica zhong yao ( which can 'clear the heat and detoxify ' qing re jie du as well as TCM materia medica which have anti-viral effects) are used, then a better therapeutic effect can be achieved.

 

In using acupuncture to achieve antypretic effects tui re , acupuncture needles with thicker gauge must be employed ( 26-28 gauge acupuncture needle). Alternatively, ' acupuncture scalpel needles " zhen dao can be used. Heavy and strong needle manipulation ( in and out manipulation ti cha) must be used combined with the rotation of the needle for a brief period of time. Acupuncture needles may not be left on the acupuncture points needled bu liu zhen . Acupuncture can be administered twice a day. This therapy can also be combined with cupping. The acupuncture points to use are Da Zhui (GV 14) , Feng Men (B12) , and the tip of the ear er jian .

 

Acupuncture's Two-Dimensional Balancing Effect Zhen Ci Shuang Xiang Tiao Jie Zuo Yong

 

Prof. Qin Hong stated that perhaps the current orientation and method used by the Hongkong Authorities in dealing with SARS need some improvement. For example, most patients are officially given the drug only after clear diagnosis is made. If this is the case, perhaps a window of opportunity xian ji for treatment is lost. In addition, the current therapeutic method mainly relies upon the administration of large dose of drugs that kills the virus (dealing with the target). However, due to the big quantities of drugs used, the side-effects are also huge which leads to some patients dying from cardiac, kidneys, and liver failures. On the otherhand, TCM treatment methods put the stress upon wholistic zheng ti treatment (dispelling the heteropathy qu xie) while putting equal stress upon supporting the body's 'natural medicine' fu zheng. At the same time, acupunctue and TCM materia medica has a two- dimensional balancing effect. With regards patients who have relatively weak immunity, they can boost it (patient's immunity ). While for those with an overactive immune response, acupuncture can inhibit it (overactive immunity) .

 

He stressed that TCM has a millennial historical experience in dealing with Wen Bing diseases. Added to this is the recent successful experience of medical personell in Mainland China (southern China) in using integrated Western Medicine and TCM in treating SARS. Hence the Hongkong authorities must not restrict the role of TCM to a mainly preventative role. They must give full play to the role of traditional Chinese medicine in all aspects of therapy against SARS .