Traditional Medicine in Asia

in the treatment of many disorders besides
renal diseases, such as in aplastic anaemia,
osteoporosis, the menopausal syndrome,
anovulatory menstrual disorders, sexual
disturbances and certain geriatric diseases.
Why these seemingly unrelated
functional activities are lumped together in
one group is difficult to explain in terms of
modern physiology and pathology.
However, research using sophisticated
techniques and knowledge of molecular
biology and genetics has found a rational
basis for these traditional Chinese
concepts. Similarities have been found in
the abnormal changes occurring in the
various diseases clubbed into one category,
and the changes have been successfully
remedied with the administration of herbal
formulae according to this theory.
Discovering advantages of
traditional medicine through
comparison with modern
Western medicine
While modern Western medicine has made
rapid strides, particularly in the 20th
century, TCM evolved many centuries ago.
Whether the latter still has advantages over
modern Western medicine is a question that
is widely debated. It is the doctors proficient
in both traditional and modern medicine
who are best qualified to answer this.
Comparative clinical and experimental
studies have revealed the advantages of
traditional treatment in many diseases or
conditions. In many instances, traditional
treatment is more effective and has fewer
side-effects. It is also more affordable than
modern Western treatment. Acupuncture
analgesia is a good example. The analgesic
effect of acupuncture is comparable with
that of morphine or meperidine and, at the
same time, the process has minimal sideeffects
and no addiction-inducing
properties. It is hence recommended for
Harmonization of traditional and modern medicine
the treatment of various painful conditions,
as long as it does not interfere with the
treatment of the primary lesions.
Modern Western medicine still finds it
difficult to treat viral diseases, and interferon
is of limited clinical use in China due to its
high cost and side-effects. However,
controlled clinical studies have shown
many medicinal herbs and herbal formulae
to be effective in the treatment of viral
diseases such as influenza, viral hepatitis,
viral myocarditis and epidemic haemorrhagic
fever. Some herbal ingredients used
for treatment have also been demonstrated
to have antiviral effects in laboratory
experiments.
Combined treatment with
superior results
Both modern and traditional medicine have
their own strong points. It is but natural to
speculate that a combination of their strong
points may lead to better results.
Comparing the traditional and modern
treatment of bone fracture, Chinese
orthopaedic surgeons found that while the
use of modern technology and methodology
had many advantages, traditional
treatment, too, had its own advantages: it
often achieved more rapid union. Further
studies revealed that the traditional
approach advised only relative fixation, with
appropriate compression and stress on the
site of fracture, following manipulative
reduction and timely functional exercise.
They, therefore, designed a new method
of treatment based on the principle of
combining mobilization with immobilization,
instead of extensive immobilization
and complete rest. This method has resulted
in a marked reduction in the period for
clinical union and has minimized the
complications of fracture treatment.
The treatment of cancer poses a major
problem to modern medicine and the
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