TCM Success Against SARS

[Guest guest]

International Conference on TCM Against SARS

 

China Daily

Beijing, 05/26/2003

 

Chinese scientists across the world have taken a united front to

find an effective way of containing SARS epidemic.

 

A total of 86 overseas Chinese experts in 14 countries participated

in an online meeting Sunday, exchanging ideas about how to treat

SARS (severe acute respiratory syndrome).

 

The Internet meeting lasted a whole day and at least 170 suggestions

on three topics were gathered -- SARS diagnosis in the initial

period, vaccines and anti-SARS drugs.

 

Li Xueyong, vice-minister of science and technology, expressed

gratitude to all the participants.

 

A cross-Straits symposium in the form of a videoconference was also

held Sunday on how to prevent and treat SARS with traditional

Chinese medicine (TCM).

 

Scores of TCM experts from the mainland and Taiwan attended the

three-party event organized by the China Association of Chinese

Medicine, with separate meeting rooms in Beijing, Guangzhou and

Taipei.

 

The move followed a similar symposium between Western medicine

experts from the three cities and aimed to push ahead with joint

efforts by both sides of the Taiwan Straits to fight the SARS

outbreak.

 

Li Junde, secretary-general of the association, said mainland

people, especially medical workers, are deeply concerned with the

worsening SARS situation on the island.

 

" We hope TCM experts from across the Straits can share their

experience in applying TCM treatment to combat SARS to bring this

epidemic under control at an early date,'' he told the two-hour

meeting.

 

Li said mainland health care workers have achieved initial success

in treating SARS through TCM treatment, which may help their Taiwan

counterparts make better use of such therapy.

 

Taiwan Sunday reported 22 new SARS cases, 12 deaths and 20 suspected

SARS cases. The number of SARS cases in Taiwan has grown to 570,

with 72 deaths, and is expected to rise further.

 

Cao Hongxin, president of the Chinese Academy of Traditional Chinese

Medicine, said TCM treatment has proved effective in curing SARS in

clinical practice in Beijing and Guangzhou -- the two worst-affected

cities on the mainland.

 

In Beijing, more than 1,800 TCM medical workers have joined the

frontline battle against SARS, with up to 1,000 SARS patients being

treated with pure TCM therapy or combined use of TCM and western

medicine.

 

In a keynote speech at the symposium, Cao said TCM treatment can

play an important role in reducing the death rate among SARS

patients, alleviating their symptoms, improving results of treatment

and speeding up their recovery.

 

After hundreds of clinical tests, about 150 TCM researchers have

chosen a total of eight TCM medicines with good curative effects and

recommended them for use in treating SARS, according to Cao.

 

Tong Xiaolin, a TCM doctor from the Sino-Japanese Friendship

Hospital, revealed the State Administration of TCM is applying a

research programme from the World Health Organization for the

systematic use of TCM to help prevent and treat the highly

infectious disease.

 

Upon its completion, the programme involving policy-making, clinical

treatment, technical support and medicine research will help promote

the value of TCM in combating the disease outbreak, Tong said.

 

China Daily, 05-26-2003

 

Kindly emailed to me by another list member.

 

Attilio