Original title: Taihu World Cultural Forum focuses on the new crown pneumonia epidemic and discusses the unique advantages of traditional Chinese medicine
The new crown pneumonia epidemic has had a profound impact on all aspects of society, has brought an unprecedented impact on the global economy, and has also triggered changes in people’s thinking.
At the sixth annual meeting of the Taihu World Cultural Forum, experts in the field of Chinese health and health introduced the unique advantages and role of traditional Chinese medicine in the prevention and control of the new crown epidemic, and discussed the cultural thinking brought by the epidemic prevention and control with domestic and foreign guests. Exchanges and discussions.
Traditional Chinese medicine has played a unique advantage and role in the prevention and control of the new crown pneumonia epidemic
According to Yu Wenming, director of the State Administration of Traditional Chinese Medicine, after the outbreak of the new crown pneumonia, traditional Chinese medicine has participated in the prevention and control of the epidemic. The use rate of traditional Chinese medicine in confirmed cases across the country has reached 90%, which has contributed to the decisive results of Wuhan and the country’s epidemic prevention and control. , China has formed an epidemic prevention and control plan that emphasizes both Chinese and Western medicine, combined Chinese and Western medicine, and combined use of Chinese and Western medicine.
Yu Wenming said that Chinese medicine intervened in key populations as early as possible and achieved good results, fully demonstrating the characteristic prevention and treatment strategies of traditional Chinese medicine for treating diseases. Traditional Chinese medicine treatment effectively slows down the transition of confirmed cases from mild to severe, and promotes the transformation of severe cases to mild and common types; it can promote recovery and prevent recurrence of cured patients; improve the cure rate and reduce the mortality rate. Since May 2021, in the face of Delta and Delta+ mutant strains, Guangdong Province, Yunnan Province, Jiangsu Province, Fujian Province and other places in China have adhered to Hubei Wuhan’s prevention and treatment experience in the new round of epidemic prevention and control, and insisted on The combination of Western medicine and the combination of Chinese and Western medicine has once again achieved good results.
“Traditional medicine is a great treasure house, and Chinese medicine is an outstanding representative of it.” said Professor An Youzhong, director of the Department of Critical Care Medicine, Peking University International Hospital. He shared his experience in leading the second batch of Peking University’s international medical team to the front line of the epidemic in Wuhan at the beginning of the outbreak. He said: “When I first arrived at the Sino-French New City campus in Wuhan, patients flocked to the hospital and everyone was very frustrated. At that time everyone brought a lot of medicines, including previous medications, antihypertensive drugs, antidiabetic drugs, and Reid. Sivir, there are also drugs for the treatment of AIDS, but no one knows which drugs are really useful. At this time, traditional medicine has given full play to its advantages.”
An Youzhong explained, “The characteristic of modern medicine is to prescribe the right medicine after understanding the cause of the disease, while traditional medicine treats people when they do not know the cause of the disease and when there is no clear and effective medicine. Chinese medicine is an outstanding representative of traditional medicine. Every critically ill patient in Wuhan is treated with traditional Chinese medicine, combined with ECMO and other life support technologies. This is a mutual learning between traditional medicine and modern medicine.”
TCM has a solid foundation in theory and practice for the treatment of epidemic diseases
Why can Chinese medicine treat new coronary pneumonia? Why is traditional Chinese medicine effective for mutated delta strains and various epidemic and sudden diseases? Professor Cao Hongxin, the first dean of the Chinese Academy of Chinese Medical Sciences, explained that Chinese medicine has a solid theoretical and practical basis for treating epidemics.
He introduced that Cao Zhi recorded the plague at the time in “Speaking of the Epidemic Qi”: “In the twenty-two years of Jian’an, the epidemic of furuncle, the pain of zombies in every family, and the wailing of weeping in every room. Or close the door. Death, or the death of the family.” This plague has a high mortality rate. At that time, Zhang Zhongjing’s “Treatise on Febrile and Miscellaneous Diseases” was published, which effectively cured the plague and ensured a stable population growth in the Han Dynasty.
At the end of the Ming Dynasty, the epidemic was widespread, and Wu Youxing’s “Plague Theory” came into being, which formed the theoretical basis for plague control and effectively guided the work of plague control.
The Spanish flu is a global pandemic, with a mortality rate of 10%, but it was quickly brought under control in China, relying on traditional Chinese medicine.
In Cao Hongxin’s view, the greater advantage of Chinese medicine in fighting epidemics is that the diagnosis mode of Chinese medicine can deal with sudden diseases. He said that the diagnosis model of Chinese medicine is to collect people’s health information according to time, place, person, and disease, and analyze the stage of the disease and how to effectively cure it. During the outbreak of the new crown pneumonia, China adopted a method of combining Chinese and Western medicine with equal emphasis, combining prevention and treatment, focusing on prevention, and complementing the advantages of Chinese and Western medicine, and achieved good results.
Prevention and treatment of infectious diseases is also a social and cultural issue
An Youzhong felt that Wuhan’s new crown pneumonia epidemic could be quickly controlled, thanks to the excellent development of critical care and the early isolation policy. “Wear a mask and maintain social distancing… When these problems are taken seriously, treatment becomes easier.” An Youzhong said, “Medical care is also a culture and civilization. You cannot leave the society or leave the government. The epidemic broke out suddenly. At that time, we need to be led by the government, mobilize the whole society to maintain social distancing, and temporarily restrict some activities. Because of this, our country is now the country with the best epidemic control in the world.”
“The prevention and control of infectious diseases is not only a technical issue, but also a social and cultural issue.” said Zhang Daqing, deputy director of the Department of Science, Technology and Medical History of Peking University. In his view, the reason why China has been so successful in the prevention and control of the new crown pneumonia epidemic is that in addition to medical technology, political and cultural factors also play an important role.
Zhang Daqing analyzed that the impact of infectious diseases on humans is not very large from a biological point of view, but the impact on human society, life and culture is very huge. With the development of science and technology, people invented vaccines, chemical drugs, and antibiotics. Infectious diseases were basically controlled in the 1960s. Especially in developed countries, many infectious disease hospitals have been transformed. There will be an epidemic of infectious diseases. But beginning in the 1980s, new infectious diseases such as AIDS and Ebola appeared suddenly. The emergence of these infectious diseases may be related to factors such as rapid population growth, rapid urbanization, deforestation, global travel, climate change, and political instability. In Zhang Daqing’s view, the prevention and control of infectious diseases is not only a medical issue, but involves all levels: the country should strengthen infrastructure construction and governance; the community should perform leadership and communication functions; the prevention and control of infectious diseases should be multidisciplinary.
“Humanity is entering a new era of high-impact epidemics. It can be predicted that the frequency of epidemics will not decrease, but will increase. When we know the transmission route of the virus and the susceptible population, we can find ways to prevent and control infectious diseases. , That is, the establishment of a public health system.” Zhang Daqing said.
Cao Hongxin said that in January 2020, the central government ordered the establishment of a public health system with complementary advantages of Chinese and Western medicine. Traditional Chinese medicine entered the public health system for the first time, and at the same time established a public health system of Chinese medicine institutions. He believes that infectious disease hospitals must also build a system of integrated Chinese and Western medicine.
“To fight the new crown pneumonia, the concept is the most important.” Cao Hongxin said, “In the future, we need to cultivate people’s health awareness, health ability, and health level to achieve everyone’s health. Chinese medicine should set a healthy demonstration.”
China Youth Daily·China Youth Daily reporter Xia Jin Source: China Youth Daily
November 02, 2021 10 edition
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