Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) Discussion

LANZHOU/BEIJING – A local official in Northwest China’s Gansu province has triggered a furious dispute among the public after promoting traditional Chinese medicine on his microblog.

Liu Weizhong, 54, director of the Gansu provincial Department of Health, was given the nickname “pig foot director” by netizens after advocating the medical benefits of pig feet on multiple microblog accounts.

His microblog posts wouldn’t necessarily draw criticism on their own, but a recent report by the China Youth Daily stated that a local government website posted Liu’s medical articles on its own website.

“These articles might possibly mislead the public, as they may believe that the Gansu provincial government is supporting Liu’s recommendations. Liu Weizhong should be responsible for this,” said Wang Yukai, a professor at the Chinese Academy of Governance.

Social networking sites, including microblogs, have become increasingly popular in China in recent years. Government officials have also taken to using the sites, many of whom have come under scrutiny for controversial posts.

“Government officials need to behave themselves on the Internet because of their position. Their words are more powerful than those of ordinary citizens,” according to Zhu Lijia, another professor from the Chinese Academy of Governance.

Liu said that he was prepared to deal with possible controversies as a result of his blogging.

“Before I started to microblog, I heard from experts in Beijing that you need to be prepared to do so,” Liu said.

“I did not expect that so many people would curse me. I am clean in my position and I seldom hear curses. But on the microblogs, people do not know the “real me.” They just thought I was saying nonsense,” he said.

For his part, Liu did gain some support by answering questions from his online followers, many of them related to medicine.

“We had 340 patients here after the fatal landslide in Zhouqu (in Gansu province) and the fatal earthquake in Yushu (in Qinghai province). All of them had my pig foot soup and recovered soon,” said Liu, who has a medical license and studied medicine at the Lanzhou Medicine College in Lanzhou, capital of Gansu, from 1978 to 1982.

“Patients with serious ailments need nutritious food like pig foot soup. I never said that the soup was a type of medicine, only that it enhanced the effect of medicine,” Liu said.

However, Liu’s recommendations have been disparaged by others, including Xiao Ji, a postgraduate student of clinical medicine at Shanghai Communication University’s School of Medicine.

“It is dangerous to feed pig foot soup to patients. The soup can easily cause stress ulcers in their digestive systems,” Xiao said.

Liu was quick to apologize after the China Youth Daily report came out, stating on his microblog that it was “improper” for his articles to be published on the local government’s website.

“I lack experience. Netizens are welcome to raise suggestions regarding the local health department’s work, as well as questions about the development of traditional Chinese medicine,” he wrote.

“Liu Weizhong has maintained a positive attitude during the disputes, which has helped him a lot. Maybe other officials will learn from him,” said Nie Hualin, a professor at Lanzhou University.

“Officials who are used to hearing only praise instead of criticism will have to learn how to speak in front of the public. In a country with the world’s largest number of Internet users, it will be a long road for them,” Nie said.

BEIJING – ACUPUNCTURE and Peking Opera have been selected as candidates for Unesco intangible cultural heritage status.

‘That’s significant, particularly for acupuncture, which is widely practiced in more than 160 countries and regions worldwide,’ said Huang Jianyin, deputy secretary-general with the World Federation of Chinese Medicine Societies, a non-governmental organisation based in Beijing.

China filed the application last year.

‘Landing the status would help improve and secure the notion across the world that acupuncture and other traditional Chinese medical procedures were created in China by the Chinese,’ he told China Daily on Thursday.

Meanwhile, Chinese printing with wooden movable type, the technique for leak-proof partitions of Chinese junks and the Uygur folk performance Meshrep were also proposed for intangible cultural heritage status as they are in need of urgent safeguarding, the Paris-based organization said on Wednesday.

On November 4, 2010 Hong Kong Department of Health (DH) today urged members of the public not to buy or use a proprietary Chinese medicine (pCm) called “Cousedin Cold & Cough Relief Cap”, as it was found to exceed the permitted microbial limit. The product is manufactured by a local licensed pCm manufacturer,Merika Medicine Factory Limited, and is indicated for cough relief. Initially, on October 29, the Macao Health Bureau (MHB) detected excessive amounts of microorganisms in “Cousedin Cold & Cough Relief Cap” (batch number: 724345) during a surveillance exercise.The Bureau then instructed the local wholesaler to initiate a recall and also notified DH about the findings. Upon receiving the notification, DH mounted an investigation immediately.It was revealed that the concerned batch was manufactured in 2008 and was for export to Macao only. During inspection and examination of the plant, DH obtained samples of different batches of the same product along with other products made by the manufacturer for laboratory analyses. Results available today showed that the only other batch of “Cousedin Cold & Cough Relief Cap” ever produced (batch no. 927111) also exceeded the microbial limit.So far, no report has been received of consumers feeling unwell after having taken the product. Records indicated that there were a total of 2, 230 boxes in the affected batch, of which 853 had been sent to the Hong Kong market.While investigation will continue to ascertain the cause of contamination, DH has instructed the manufacturer to recall all of the “Cousedin Cold & Cough Relief Cap” (batch no. 927111) still in the local market. The manufacturer has already set up a hotline (2691 6631) to answer public enquiries about the recall. Consumers may also choose to submit the recalled products to DH’s Chinese Medicines Section at 2/F, Public Health Laboratory Centre, 382 Nam Cheong Street, Kowloon during office hours or to destroy them before disposal.

A DH spokesman remarked that the MHB has also been notified.He reminded any member of the public who has the product in hand to stop using it immediately and seek advice from healthcare professionals if they feel unwell.

Source: HKSAR Government

A leading pharmaceutical firm that produces traditional Chinese medicine in the northwestern Gansu Province is hoping to make Sweden its gateway to the European Union market after a landmark EU directive on herbal drugs takes effect in 15 months.

    ”We have applied to export our medicine to Sweden and eventually other EU markets,” said Sun Yu, deputy general manager of Foci Pharmaceuticals based in Lanzhou, the provincial capital.

    Sun said Friday he saw a ray of hope in a two-hour visit by Dr. Magnus Breidne, science counselor of the Swedish Embassy in China and Christina Chuck, general manager of the Stockholm-based Wilkris & Co, to his workshops on Thursday.

    Foci Pharmaceuticals, founded in 1929, has been selling herb extracted pills to 27 countries and regions including the United States, Canada, Japan, Germany, the Netherlands and Australia.

    It is China’s largest exporter of herbal products in terms of volume and number of destinations. But like all other Chinese herbal exporters, its pills are categorized as “food” or “healthcare products” instead of “drug” in the international market.

    EU’s Traditional Herbal Medicinal Products Directive, issued in2004, however, requires all herbal medicine products to obtain an authorization to market within the EU starting in April 2011.

    The directive requires evidence proving 30 years’ use — of which 15 years must be in the EU community, to ensure safety.

    ”If we cannot obtain the authorization, our products will be taken off the shelves in EU next year,” said Sun Yu. “It’ll be a great loss for the Chinese industry as well as our European buyers who are relying on Chinese herbal medicine to keep fit.”

    As the only herbal pharmacy in China to have 15 years of presence in the EU, Sun said his company was still the most hopeful to cross the barrier. “There’s a technical, as well as a cultural, barrier to get over.”

    Foci failed to be accredited for sale in Britain in 2006. “We are hoping to enter the Swedish market, where the accreditation procedures are less strict,” said Sun.

    His company has applied for authorization of 10 product categories to be sold to Sweden. “We hope one or two will make it in the coming 15 months.”

    Dr. Breidne said the Swedes were not very familiar with herbal medicine. “But I suppose they will be quite interested.”

    Twenty years ago the Europeans had no idea about Chinese acupuncture. “Today, it’s popular among many women,” she said.

    While most Swedish thought herbal medicine might, to some extent, prevent illnesses, it still needed time and research to prove that the herbs were really effective and safe, she added.

    Chuck, from an industry insider’s perspective, suggested Chinese companies should study the international market from the westerners’ standpoint. “It’s also necessary to mark clearly the products’ ingredients and side effects, which are sometimes not listed properly in herbal medicine from China.”

    China exported 193 million U.S. dollars worth of herbal medicine to the EU in 2008, the most recent data available from the General Administration of Customs.

    The State Food and Drug Administration is working to enhance foreign exchanges and cooperation in the accreditation and authorization of traditional Chinese medicine in other countries, said Zhang Wei, an official in charge of drug accreditation.

    ”We’ll try to build a platform for traditional herbal medicine to enter the EU market,” he said.

SINGAPORE: The number of complaints against practitioners of Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) has been falling.

    In reply to a question in parliament from Ang Mo Kio GRC MP Lam Pin Min, Health Minister Khaw Boon Wan said there were six complaints last year, seven in 2008 and ten in 2007.

The complaints were mainly related to allegations of professional negligence, misconduct and the misuse of Western medicine.

    Dr Lam also asked if TCM practitioners need to be covered by professional indemnity against costs and damages in clinical negligence cases.

    To this, Mr Khaw replied that the TCM Practitioners Board encourages all registered TCM practitioners to be covered by professional indemnity insurance on a voluntary basis.

SINGAPORE : Prices of some Chinese herbs have shot up by some three times over the past six months, on the back of rising demand.

    Traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) practitioners said concerns over H1N1 in China and poor harvest due to bad weather, have unexpectedly spurred domestic sales, resulting in a dip in export volume.

    Herbs like honeysuckle flowers were selling for about S$50 a kilogramme half a year ago. Today, you would have to fork out a whopping S$135 for them.

    The same goes for chrysanthemum flowers – they used to sell for S$8 for half a kilogramme. Now, the price is about twice that – at S$15.

    On average, prices for most herbs have gone up by about 20 per cent. But TCM practitioners said they are absorbing the costs for now.

    They said they are not raising their fees yet because they have stocked up on their processed herbal medications. Orders were made long before prices went up.

    The practitioners also advise customers not to purchase herbs in bulk because that will only push up prices and most herbs do not store well for long.

   As 2010 dawns, the turning of a decade gives people a great opportunity to get their affairs in order – and for some, fengshui too.

    The streets to the west of Yonghegong, or Lama Temple, are lined with shops selling new fengshui calendars and books, along with the usual incense. And traders say it is not just elderly people snapping them up.

    “We get all kinds of customers here,” said a shopkeeper surnamed Wang, who has the exclusive rights to sell fengshui calendars whose covers sport a smiling Li Juming, a Hong Kong practitioner.

    “Young tourists are always buying calendars for themselves or their parents.”

    The peak time for sales is the Spring Festival. The trader said she will buy in a large amount of stock for the rush.

    Fengshui is gaining interest among young people in China. An online survey of about 600 people conducted by METRO on social networking website Renren.com last week found that around 70 percent said they, more or less, believe in fengshui.

    Pang Bo, a 24-year-old university student in Beijing, is a believer despite an education background of computer science.

    Pang thinks fengshui arrangements of interior design helps visitors feel comfortable.

   Pang said he felt uneasy when he stepped into a hotel room he had booked in Shenzhen, Guangdong province, last month.

    “It was the interior decoration,” he said. “The dressing mirror on the wall faced the bed, which made me feel uncomfortable.”

    But some of his friends said Pang was superstitious.

    Pang admitted that most of the time he didn’t know how to explain it.

    Wang Haohua, a fengshui practitioner in Beijing, told METRO that young people, especially white-collar workers, are now his biggest clients, along with executives with large enterprises.

    “The most frequent questions asked by young people are about their career paths and their relationships,” Wang said. 

    Wang said fengshui, which translates as “wind water”, is a set of knowledge that people use to improve their living environment in ancient China. Fengshui knowledge could be dated back to 3,000 years ago.

    He said it still cannot be explained by science but that does not mean it is wrong.

    “It is just like traditional Chinese medicine; sometimes difficult to illustrate but effective,” he said.

    Wang added that there were also people who followed the advice of fengshui masters just for psychological comfort.

     Zhang Xixi, 23, is a Beijing office worker born in the year of the tiger.

    As 2010 sees the return of the tiger, Zhang said she was told by a fengshui practitioner to visit a temple to avoid bad luck.

    “I don’t know much about fengshui but after going to the temple I feel safe and comfortable about the new year,” she told METRO. “Everyone needs good luck, right?”

Although fengshui has enjoyed somewhat of a comeback across the world in recent years, the argument between science and superstition has raged for decades.

In late 2008, the University of Science and Technology in Wuhan, Hubei province, offered a course covering the “architecture of fengshui”.

However, it was cancelled after criticism on campus and in the media.

Tao Shilong, a famous geologist in his 80s, said fengshui is superstition in an article posted online.

“For me, a fengshui practitioner is no different from a fortuneteller or palm reader,” said one college student on an online forum.

Hou Wenxia, who opened a consultancy firm close to the Confucius Temple, said it is hard to reason with.

“It is not easy for young people to understand its philosophical foundation,” he said. “Fengshui is closely associated with ancient Chinese culture and philosophy.

“Some people say it is superstitious. I think at its core, fengshui calls for harmony between human beings and nature.”

Source: China Daily

Some Chinese remedies have been recommended by the government in the fight against human swine flu.

The Chinese Medicine Department of the Hospital Authority Friday announced five Chinese remedies believed to help prevent infection by influenza, including human swine flu – especially for the populace of Hong Kong.

“Considering the environment of Hong Kong, the five remedies are medically tailored to Hong Kong people with reference to Hong Kong’s circumstances and the physical condition of Hong Kong people,” said assistant professor Cao Kejian from the School of Chinese Medicine, the University of Hong Kong.

Cao, in addition to three other Chinese medicine practitioners, was invited by the Hospital Authority in May this year to formulate influenza preventatives. They have also been to Beijing to have further discussions with the State Administration of Traditional Chinese Medicine and came back to Hong Kong with a set of suggested Chinese medicine remedies from Beijing which were then refined to meet the specific needs of Hong Kong people.

One of the remedies said to be especially appropriate and effective for the winter-spring season in Hong Kong is reportedly able to prevent both colds and influenza. It contains su ye, jing jie, sang ye, and ju hua, 10g each plus 3g gan cao.

“Su ye and jing jie can prevent cold while sang ye and ju hua can help prevent influenza,” Cho said, adding, “Thus, this remedy can help people avoid both cold and influenza.”

Another Chinese medicine practitioner, Wang Yongqin, senior lecturer of the Clinical Division, School of Chinese Medicine, Hong Kong Baptist University, recommended that Hong Kong people have lighter meals instead of having an excessive fatty and oily diet in the winter, for a healthier body and prevention of flu. Spicy foods, he advises, should also be avoided as they may create too much heat in the lung and lead to flu.

“More vegetables and fruits are recommended, but avoid deep fried and spicy foods,” said Wang.

There have recently been claims that chili and garlic can help prevent flu, but Cho said they were just rumors and there was not any official proof of such efficacy.

The 14 Chinese medicine clinics under the Hospital Authority are providing information about the five remedies concerned on the Authority’s website at http://www.ha.org.hk/chinesemedicine. Different people with different physical constitutions and conditions should choose different remedies, and are strongly advised to seek a physician’s advice on selecting the best remedy for themselves.

Specific medical prevention and remedies aside, maintaining good health and a strong immune system through good health practices and diet are crucial, according to the Hospital Authority.
[HONG KONG]

Children suffering A(H1N1) influenza could benefit from taking Traditional Chinese Medicine, the Beijing traditional Chinese medicine bureau said.

Tu Zhitao, vice-director of the bureau, claimed that children sickened with the flu should be cured within three days.

“Some children will be cured with only one dose (of No 2 Cold Medicine), while others might need two,” Tu said.
As the number of H1N1 sufferers reached 6,196 in Beijing as of Monday, 20 traditional Chinese medicine hospitals opened 24-hour anti-H1N1 departments.

Tamiflu and Relenza are the two approved antiviral drugs that are available for treatment of H1N1. The World Health Organization recommends that all patients (including pregnant women) and all age groups (including young children and infants) should be treated with Tamiflu in the event of severe or deteriorating illness.

The WHO said it was not familiar with the TCM recommended for children and could not comment.

A woman who didn’t provide her name and was in charge of the health policy division of the bureau, told METRO: “This medicine is very effective. Our director’s son has tried it.”

“Western medicines might harm the stomachs of children. Chinese medicine does not have this side effect. This No 2 cold medicine is an upgrade of former anti-flu medicine,” she added.

Cui Xianyu, director of the Korean International School in Beijing said: “We haven’t heard about No 2 cold medicine but we have faith in Chinese medicine.”

“About one month ago, we provided our students with some Chinese medicine to protect them from H1N1 following a requirement from the municipal education commission. They didn’t suffer from any side effects but we did have to close the school for a week after some students were infected,” Cui said.

An employee of the pediatrics department in Xiyuan Hospital at the China Academy of Chinese Medical Sciences said it would open a special anti-H1N1 department today.

The woman, who also did not want to be named, told METRO: “We haven’t received many patients these days. The No 2 cold medicine is basically the same as the ordinary anti-flu Chinese medicine. You can buy it for around 6 yuan.”

Professor Zhai Huaqiang from the School of Chinese Pharmacy at the Beijing University of Chinese Medicine believed Chinese medicine might be a cure for H1N1, but it isn’t suitable for everyone.

Sales of a traditional Chinese medicine against swine flu, which its producer says is especially effective for children, have been launched in China, a local newspaper said on Tuesday.

The China Daily quoted the deputy head of the Beijing traditional Chinese medicine bureau as saying that children with the flu should be cured with “No 2 Cold Medicine” within three days.

“Some children will be cured with only one dose, while others might need two,” Tu Zhitao said.

The World Health Organization said it was not familiar with the traditional Chinese medicine recommended for children and could not comment, the paper said.

Tamiflu and Relenza are so far the only two approved antiviral drugs that are available for treatment of the H1N1 virus.

As the number of H1N1 cases reached 6,196 in Beijing as of Monday, 20 traditional Chinese medical hospitals opened 24-hour anti-H1N1 departments, the paper said.

An unidentified bureau official said the traditional Chinese medicine is very effective and does not harm the stomach, unlike western medicines. “Chinese medicine does not have this side effect. This No 2 cold medicine is an upgrade of former anti-flu medicines,” the paper quoted her as saying.

Other experts said the medicine is basically the same as an ordinary Chinese anti-flu drug.

Nearly 50,000 confirmed swine flu cases have been reported in China. Seven people have died of the disease and 118 are in critical condition.

China was the first country to complete tests of a swine flu vaccine and started the vaccination campaign in September. The country plans to produce up to 360 million doses of the vaccine, and is set to allocate a total of $725 million on efforts to curb the disease.