Mankind Needs TCM in the Era of Chronic Diseases
!!Academic
Report on the First Zhongfang International TCM Forum
Peng Jian, Professor of Hunan University of
Chinese Medicine
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Distinguished guests, ladies and gentlemen, good afternoon!
This is my first time to attend an international forum on TCM
organized by a county-level hospital. The reason that I am
pleased to participate in this forum is that the inviter is my
student, Doctor Zhu Ming. Four years ago, he sent me a letter,
hoping to translate my book I Am a Loyal TCM Doctor into
English. Searching on the internet, I found that on the basis of
his solid English foundation and extensive TCM knowledge, he has
translated the TCM Classic The Medical
Classic of the Yellow Emperor into English in the year
of 2000. His English edition, published by Beijing Foreign
Languages Press has made special contribution for the spreading
of TCM around the whole world. It is a marvelous achievement. A
great job that so many famous TCM masters dream to accomplish,
while being difficult to finish, in the end was conquered by a
younger TCM doctor. Even though he did not fulfill his promise
to me, but I know that during the past few years, he put all his
efforts into the research and treatment of chronic and difficult
diseases and the foundation of Red Cross Hospital concerning
internationalization of traditional Chinese medicine. This is a
career deserving our life-long sacrifice. No matter to translate
the TCM Classic The Medical Classic of the Yellow Emperor
or to establish a hospital serving foreigners for the treatment
of chronic and difficult diseases, not only unimaginable
difficulties need to be tackled, but great love and persistent
pursuit for the TCM career are also needed. We could see that
Doctor Zhu Ming is an ambitious and brave young man, who is
surpassing himself and fighting against difficulties all the
time. He is the chief cornerstone of TCM career.
There is something that pleased me. A student of mine, named
Henry, an American acupuncturist, he has signed a preliminary
contract with Eastland Press of the United State. They will sort
out and adapt some parts of the content in my book. The English
edition will be published in America next year. The title of the
English edition will be Compilation on Peng Jian¨s Clinical
Experience on the Treatment of Chronic Diseases. It is a
common aspiration of me, Doctor Zhu Ming and his team to take
the method of TCM to help patients reduce pains, and to make new
breakthroughs in the treatment of chronic and difficult
diseases, making necessary contributions to the health care
service of mankind.
Most of us
live in two centuries. Diseases threatening our health in the
20th century were acute diseases, such as fulminant infectious
diseases, epidemic diseases, neonatal pneumonia, infections of
postpartum women, etc. With high fatality rate, these diseases
are ranking at the front part of all the diseases. With the
invention of immunomodulators, antibiotics, hormones and
vitamins, acute diseases have been effectively controlled. With
the improvement of surgical operation and first-aid skills, some
emergent and severe diseases that could not be treated in the
past have been effectively helped. Therefore, general lifespan
of mankind has been prolonged for 20 years in the 20th century,
which was the most glorious achievement of modern medical
science in the last century. Feature of medical science in the
20th century was disease-oriented, taking the treatment as its
core.
Since
entering into the 21st century, human being has been in the era
of chronic diseases. The diseases we are facing are not those
acute communicable diseases and infectious diseases any more but
various chronic diseases, such as cardiovascular diseases,
diabetics, cancers, chronic obstructive respiratory diseases,
liver diseases, nephrosis, nerve system diseases and
osteoarthrosis, etc. I think we all remember clearly in our
minds with SARS happened in the year of 2003. All together only
919 people all around the world died from SARS, while in China,
only 349 people died. Only 10,000 people lost their lives during
the outbreak of swine flu several years ago. According to the
survey of WHO and the Ministry of Public Health of China, the
average annual death toll is 10.30 million in recent three years
in China, among that number, about 8 million people died from
chronic diseases. 64% of China¨s medical resources are being
used for treatment of chronic diseases. It is a huge number.
Other countries around the world almost have the same situation.
The
formation of all the chronic diseases needs long time, and most
have no clear causes. During the process of quantitative change
to qualitative changes of chronic diseases, patients often feel
pains and discomforts, while with the detection of equipments,
we cannot get positive index or find pathogenic changes, so the
problems lack of surgical indications. However, when the disease
comes in the end, not only the treatment cost is high, but the
curative effect is also not satisfied. Modern medical science,
with the characters of surgical operation, allopathy, targeted
therapy, lesions-elimination and quick curative effect, often
lacks of effective treatment methods for most chronic diseases,
including functional diseases, sub-health diseases and senile
diseases, etc. Meanwhile, western drugs for these diseases have
strong side effects to our health. With the comprehensive
treatment thought of adjusting balance and strengthening the
body resistance to eliminate pathogenic factors, Chinese herbal
medicine, food therapy, acupuncture, massage and other external
treatment are becoming the main treatment approaches. Also,
combining the traditional health-preserving with the treatment
of diseases, Chinese medicine (TCM) benefits the treatment
result of chronic diseases. Features of medical science in 21st
century are people-oriented, with health as its core, which is
an advantage that traditional Chinese medicine science has for a
long time. Therefore, someone predicted that 21st century
belongs to TCM, and traditional Chinese medicine will play a key
role in the future.
In the past 12 years, Doctor Zhu Ming and his team did not care
too much about wealth or fame, and took their hometown Zhongfang
County as a base. Based upon the clinical treatment for chronic
diseases, they have introduced TCM to the whole world. Since
2004, during the process of the establishment of Zhongfang Red
Cross International Hospital, with the approach of traditional
Chinese medicine, Dr. Zhu Ming and his team have provided good
services for more than a thousand patients with chronic
diseases, who come from the USA, Germany, England, Bahrain,
Canada, France, etc. Meanwhile, they provide International TCM
training programs with pure English teaching style. Such chronic
diseases as ALS, scleroderma, deafness, and post encephalitis
pertain to world unconquered medical problems, but Doctor Zhu
Ming and his team have achieved preliminary curative effects in
these fields. These positive results are not easy and very
precious.
On the occasion of the opening of the First Zhongfang
International TCM Forum, a famous poem of Li Bai, one of China¨s
greatest poets comes to my mind. It goes like this, ^A time is
coming to ride the wind and waves, and I will set my cloudlike
sail to cross the sea. ̄ Congratulations on Doctor Zhu Ming and
his team members! Congratulations on
Zhongfang Red Cross
International Hospital. Through years of your hard work, you have walked out
your first step and the cloudlike sail has been set up. Wish you
drive the boat of TCM, ride the wind and wave of traditional
Chinese culture, start from Zhongfang County to the whole world,
and bring health and happiness to patients of the world!A
time will come to ride the wind and cleave the waves, I'll set
my cloudlike sail to cross the sea which raves.
Thank you!
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