A Comprehensive Guide to Chinese Medicine

The following sections are included:

• Contents

• Contributors

• Foreword

• Preface

The following sections are included:

• Introduction

• The Successes of Modern Medicine

• Traditional Chinese Medicine
  • When should the modern clinician consider using Chinese medicine?
  • When should the patient consider alternative medicine?
  • What does Chinese medicine offer?

• Conclusion

• Limitations of Chinese Medicine Research

• Reference

The following sections are included:

• Introduction

• Chinese Herbal Medicine
  • How is Chinese herbal medicine understood?
  • How are the herbs used?
  • How are Chinese herbal medicinal formulae developed?
  • What are the forms of herbal medicine?
  • What types of conditions are herbs used for?
  • What are the benefits of Chinese herbal medicine?
  • Cautions and contraindications
  • What issues need to be addressed in the future?

• Acupuncture
  • What theory guides acupuncture practice?
  • How is acupuncture performed?
  • What kinds of conditions is acupuncture used for?
  • What are the benefits of using acupuncture?
  • What are the risks of using acupuncture?
  • Precautions/contraindications

• Electro-Acupuncture

• Magnetic Therapy

• Ear Acupuncture

• Scalp Acupuncture

• Moxibustion

• Cupping

• Tuina (Chinese Massage)

• Diet Therapy

• Exercise Therapy

• Conclusion

• References

The following sections are included:

• Introduction

• Features of Chinese Medicine
  • Holistic ideology
  • The mind-body continuum
  • Concept of health and illness
  • Other key features of the Chinese medicine system

• What Thinking Underpins Chinese Medicine?
  • Yin-Yang Theory
  • The Five Element Theory

• How Does Chinese Medicine Understand Human Physiology?
  • The vital substances: essence, qi, blood and body fluids
  • The vital organs: Zang-Fu Theory
  • The connecting system: Meridian Theory

• How Does Chinese Medicine Understand the Occurrence of Diseases?
  • Cause of disease (aetiology)
  • Mechanism(s) of disease (pathogenesis)

• Clinical Decision Making: Diagnosis
  • Data collection
  • Data analysis: differentiation of syndromes
  • Diagnosis and treatment principles

• Prevention

• Conclusion

• References

The following sections are included:

• Introduction

• The Trends

• The Gaps

• The Problems
  • Efficacy — level of evidence
  • Quality
  • Adverse reactions
  • Drug-herb interactions
  • Other issues

• The Challenges
  • Policies and regulations
  • Assessment and research
  • Health economics and development issues
  • Education

• Conclusion

• References

The following sections are included:

• Introduction

• Purity Test for Herbs and Herbal Products
  • Heavy metal
  • Pesticides
  • Microbiology

• Safety Test for Herbs and Herbal Products
  • Acute and chronic toxicity tests
  • Genotoxicity and carcinogenesis tests
  • Developmental and reproductive toxicity tests

• Tests for Quality Control of Herbs and Herbal Products
  • Chemical markers
  • High performance liquid chromatography (HPLC)
  • DNA fingerprinting technology
  • DNA microarray
  • Stability test

• Biochemical Assay of Active Components in Herbs and Herbal Products
  • Antioxidant
  • Anti-hyperlipidaemia and anti-atherosclerosis
  • Cardio-tonic
  • Anti-diabetics
  • Anti-tumour
  • Immuno-modulatory
  • Anti-inflammation
  • Anti-osteoporosis
  • Anti-SARS associated coronavirus

• Conclusion

• References

The following sections are included:

• Introduction

• Prevalent Theories on Acupuncture

• Placebo

• Suggestibility (Hypnosis)

• Stress

• Neurophysiology of Acupuncture Effects

• Clinical Cases
  • Case 1
  • Case 2
  • Case 3

• The Points Selection Explained by Chinese Medicine Theory

• Which Types of Afferent Fibres Transmit De Qi Sensation?

• Local and Remote Points
  • How do local points work — Segmental inhibition and descending inhibition
  • How do remote points work — Diffuse noxious inhibition control and neuroiumoral theory

• How Does Acupuncture Regulate Viscera — Somatovisceral Reflex

• Calming Effect — Effect on the Limbic System

• Specific Effect of Acupuncture Points

• Time Course of Acupuncture Effect

• Individual Response to Acupuncture

• Work in the Future — What We Do Not Know

• Acknowledgements

• References

The following sections are included:

• Introduction

• Neurological Reasoning Theory

• Peripheral Pain Receptors and Afferent Fibres

• Pain and Acupuncture Signals Pathway

• Acupuncture Analgesia Mechanism Inside the Three Centres

• Acupuncture Analgesia and Opioid and Antiopioid Peptides
  • Opiate receptors
  • Opioid peptides
  • Neural pathways for opioid peptides
  • Antiopioid peptide-CCK-8

• What is the Nature of the Acupuncture Point and Meridian?

• Auricular Acupuncture — What is Its Mechanism?

• Modern Technologies Involved in Acupuncture Research

• Some Issues in Acupuncture Clinical Trials
  • The BRITS method
  • The adapted FDA approach

• Some Indications for Acupuncture Treatment in Clinic

• Conclusion

• References

The following sections are included:

• Introduction

• Chinese Medicine in the People's Republic During the Early Days

• Chinese Medicine in China Today
  • Education in Chinese medicine
  • Chinese medicine services
  • Research in Chinese medicine
  • Overall situation
  • The changing trend
  • Effects of modern economic development on Chinese medicine
  • Drug development
  • Will Chinese medicine continue to play an important role in modern medical practice in China?

• Conclusion

• References

During the past century, Western medicine has made major advances in treating and controlling many human diseases. In recent years, the development of new technologies, including genomics, proteomics, combinatorial chemistry, high throughput chemistry, computational chemistry, bioinformatics and a more profound understanding of human biology has accelerated the discovery and development of new medicines. The scope of medicine is also rapidly changing. Today, the emphasis includes the treatment, prevention of chronic and age-associated disease, e.g. metabolic disorders, neurodegenerative disease and cancer, as well as improvement of quality of life. The paradigm of mainstream pharmaceutical discovery is to identify single compounds that can regulate a given target associated with a disease. Such compounds are expected to have potency and selectivity for the treatment of the disease targeted. This reductionist approach is good if the targeted diseases are the result of one aetiological factor. However, it may not be the ideal approach in trying to find drugs for the treatment and prevention of chronic and age-associated diseases since the aetiology of those diseases may be multifactorial and hence more complex. This is recognised, an integrated and systematic approach should be taken.

Chinese medicine and Chinese medicine theories have evolved over the past 4000 years. The approach taken is an integrated and systematic approach. Although there is a scientific basic, due to the limitation of technologies and scientific knowledge in the past to verify its claim, Chinese medicine has not made major advances during the past 400 years. As a result, Chinese medicine has had only a relatively minor impact on mainstream medicine, and while in current use around the world, is not globally accepted.

One claimed usage of Chinese medicine is for the treatment and prevention of chronic and age-associated diseases. Some of the botanical formulas used for this purpose were discovered thousands of years ago and continue to be used today in China, Korea, Japan and Chinese predominant areas. There are indications that these formulas may indeed be helpful in the treatment or prevention of chronic diseases. It could be very useful today in meeting clinical needs for which there are inadequate mainstream medicine approaches. The potential usefulness of Chinese medicine embodies the belief of maintaining healthy homeostasis of the body through the balance of a mixture of chemicals at different organs or tissues. This integrative concept is different from Western medicine and inplies that multiple compounds may act on multiple mechanisms of action to maintain the balance of the complex web of biology. This is very important in view of our current direction to integrate fragmented information to develop future medicines. If the effectiveness of the botanical formulas proves to be true, the scientific basis of the mechanism of action of these formulas could be very powerful in advancing the basic knowledge of medical science and developing more effective treatments.

While there is a different emphasis on how to treat human disease, the science behind mainstream medicine and Chinese medicine could in fact be very complementary. To integrate these two apparent different approaches in medicine could be the most efficient way to develop new medicines for the treatment and prevention of diseases in this new century. In order to achieve this, modern science and technology has to be utilised to address the efficiency and to study the action of Chinese medicine and botanicals. The following is suggested

• Botanicals should be cultivated under defined conditions, authenticated and certified including sources, chemical composition, and conditions of their cultivation.

• The manufacturing and preparation process of Chinese medicine or individual botanicals should be carefully monitored and standardised employing modern methodologies for quality assurance.

• Methodologies for quality control should be further improved for a given botanical of formula employing modern technologies.

• Rigorous clinical trials of quality assured Chinese medicines should be used to verify the claims of Chinese medicine.

• Methodologies used for individualisation of botanical prescriptions used by Chinese medicine practitioners should be examined and the scientific basis of those methodologies should be studied.

• Pharmacological interactions of Western single-compound medicines and Chinese medicines should be carefully studied.

• The mechanism of action of Chinese medicine needs to be addressed and an explanation of the principles of Chinese medicine using modern scientific terminology should be attempted.

• The philosophy, principles and practices of Chinese medicine should be introduced to the medical establishment using concepts and language of modern science.

• A comprehensive, accessible-related database should be established to include chemical composition and biological activity of herbs, chemical and biological properties of the chemicals in herbs and the growth conditions and storage of each herb. The composition, preparation and potential indication and toxicity of different formula, etc.

• The number of herbs used for preparing Chinese medicine formula could be decreased to avoid redundancy of their biological activity.

• A simplified, more efficacious and friendly version of formula based on scientific investigation should be developed.

This will be a major undertaking requiring international collaboration and participation. For areas of the world that do have a strong focus on using Chinese medicines or botanicals, it is the moral obligation of the government and private enterprise to take steps to ensure the health of their population by improving Chinese medicine. In those areas that are not familiar with Chinese medicine, they should take advantage of the knowledge accumulated, through many centuries, by the Chinese in order to fulfill the clinical needs that remain poorly treated. There are a growing number of patients using Chinese medicine or botanicals for various reasons in Western societies. A joint effort among different governments and enterprises across the international borders should be strongly encouraged to insure the safety and efficacy of botanical pharmaceuticals. It is believed that a convergence of Western and Chinese traditional medicines, may evolve into a greatly improved method of human health care in the coming century.

The following sections are included:

• Introduction

• The United States
  • What is the prevalence of CAM in the U.S.?
  • What can CAM treat?
  • What CAM research is being done in the U.S.?

• Australia

• Singapore

• Japan

• Canada

• France

• Germany

• The United Kingdom

• References

The following sections are included:

• Introduction

• Fundamental Considerations
  • Where are the deficiencies?
  • How does herbal medicine really work?
  • How does the individual overcome its own pathological problems?

• General Considerations for Clinical Trials on Chinese Medicine

• How Do Concepts of Traditional Healing Affect Clinical Trials on Chinese Medicine?
  • Adverse effects
  • Quality of life

• A Complex Trial of Chinese Medicine

• Conclusion

• References

The following sections are included:

• Introduction

• Modernisation of Chinese Society: Cultural Background

• Understanding Chinese Medicine Through an Anthropological Approach

• Medicines and Science

• Panorama of the Modernisation of Chinese Medicine
  • Medical techniques
  • Pathways of practice
  • Teaching and training
  • Scientific research

• Evaluation of the Modernisation of Chinese Medicine
  • Modernisation expressed by "cultural taste"
  • Modernisation as realised by the new technology
  • Modernisation attempted by scientific rationalization

• Conclusion

• Acknowledgements

The following sections are included:

• Introduction

• New Breed of Clinics, New Breed of Patients

• Scope and Components of Information Systems in Chinese Medicine

• Why Implement an Information System?

• Information Systems to Preserve Logic of Chinese Medicine

• Information Systems for Prescriptions in Chinese Medicine

• Interacting with Robotics

• Obtaining Knowledge from the Internet

• Net-teaching and E-Iearning in Traditional Chinese Medicine

• The Net-teaching and E-learning Environment in Hong Kong

• The E-learning Course Series of Chinese Medicine

• Interactive Knowledge Bases — Making Syndrome Diagnosis Based on Symptoms and Signs

• System Description and Screen Shots
  • Availability

• Conclusion

• References

The following sections are included:

• Introduction

• Healing Services

• Education

• Research

• Drugs

• Recognition

• References

The following sections are included:

• Index