How Chinese medicine works
"Already some traditional Chinese herbs are having a major impact on world health _ the herb artemisia has been used to treat skin diseases and malaria in China for more than 1000 years, and has been recommended by the World Health Organisation as a treatment for malaria in the developing world. It is currently being used in combination with Western drugs, to combat rising drug resistance in Vietnam, China and other countries.
Other herbs are being looked at to help manage chronic diseases such as cancer, arthritis and diabetes. The entire philosophy behind Chinese medicine differs from Western medicine, says Paul Vanhoutte, president of the International Union of Pharmacology and a professor at the University of Hong Kong, who spoke at the symposium.
``Chinese medicine is preventive medicine _ the philosophy is that disease begins because there's a disequilibrium,'' he says. The herbal medicine ``helps the body find its own power''.
``So plants stimulate the immune system to kill the bug itself rather than using antibiotics,'' he says. But despite all the recent interest and breakthroughs, there is a long way to go.
Though traditional medicine has a long history stretching back more than 2500 years in China, there have been few major studies or clinical trials to prove the safety and efficacy of many of the remedies, and there is still a vast lack of information."
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