WHO InternatIOnal Standard termInOlOgIeS On tradItIOnal medIcIne

WHO INTERNATIONAL STANDARD TERMINOLOGIES ON TRADITIONAL MEDICINE IN THE WESTERN PACIFIC REGION 1INTRODUCTIONIn the Western Pacific Region, the major system of traditional medicine which originated from ancient Chinahas continued to develop not only in China but also in neighbouring countries and areas, particularly inJapan, the Republic of Korea and Viet Nam, with certain variations in accordance with local conditions,i.e. availability of natural resources, indigenous culture and political climate. Different names have beendesignated for this system of traditional medicine as it developed in various countries, such as Orientalmedicine, traditional Chinese medicine, traditional Korean medicine, Kampo medicine and traditionalVietnamese medicine. They are collectively called traditional medicine (TRM) in the Western Pacific Region.Traditional medicine is a comprehensive system of medicine characterized by its own theoretical basis andpractical experience. It includes herbal medicine, acupuncture and other non-medication therapies. Owingto its unique paradigm and remarkable efficacy with fewer adverse effects, this system of medicine has beenattracting more and more interest internationally. Considering the recent rapid increase in the worldwideuse of TRM, there is a pressing need for a common language, i.e. an international standard terminology.In 1981, the World Health Organization (WHO) Regional Office for the Western Pacific organized aWorking Group for the Standardization of Acupuncture Nomenclature. After 10 years of effort, a consensuson the proposed standard international acupuncture nomenclature was reached by the Regional Officefor the Western Pacific’s Working Group and then by the WHO Scientific Group in Geneva. In 1991,A Proposed Standard International Acupuncture Nomenclature was published by WHO in Geneva anda revised edition of Standard Acupuncture Nomenclature (Part 1 and 2) was published by the RegionalOffice for the Western Pacific in Manila. Practical use has proven these WHO publications to be invaluablecontributions to international information exchange on acupuncture. However, the publications are stillquite limited, only including nomenclature for the 14 meridians, 361 classical acupuncture points, 8 extrameridians, 48 extra points, 14 scalp acupuncture lines and a few terms related to acupuncture needles.Moreover, to meet the increasing demands of practice, education, research and exchange of information,there is an urgent need to develop standardized terminology and nomenclature for TRM as a whole.In 2004, recognizing that the main role of standards is for upgrading levels of quality, safety, reliability,efficiency and interchangeability, which are the most needed features in TRM, WHO Regional Office forthe Western Pacific initiated projects promoting the proper use of traditional medicine under the themeof “Standardization with evidence-based approaches.” Among the various standards in TRM, such asacupuncture point locations, information and clinical practice, the development of an international standardterminology (IST) is the very first step towards overall standardization of TRM.