BEIJING: The use of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) and Western medicine side by side has been under spotlight during China’s battle against COVID-19.
Chinese doctors suggested an open exchange of knowledge and ideas between TCM and Western medicine could be beneficial as no certain remedies have been found to cure the disease.
“I never thought TCM needed to show its wisdom by making an exclusive claim to cure COVID-19,” said Liu Qingquan, president of Beijing Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine and head of the first temporary hospital fully supported by TCM doctors and medical workers in Wuhan.
Both Western medicine and TCM doctors monitor vital signs of patients.
At the hospital run by Liu, every patient had tests like CT scans, blood counts and throat swabs.
The diagnostic tests can help in diagnosis and it would be great if some chemical compounds could precisely strike the pathogen, said Liu. But with no certain cure, TCM and Western medicine need to work to their strengths.
For prevention and mild cases, doctors around the world have been noting that immunity is the best guard against the novel coronavirus. Boosting the immune system or restoring internal balance to drive the virus away is TCM’s theory to deal with the disease.\ Western medicine is more disease and symptom-centric while TCM tends to be more patient-centric. – Agencies
