The philosophy basis and methodology of Chinese and Western medicine are different. We believe that Chinese medicine and Western medicine are two major human health care systems which have their own advantages, complement each other and cannot be replaced. The advantages of Chinese medicine refer to which the other medicines cannot do by their own, or even they can do, Chinese medicine can do that much better. Chinese medicine has many advantages, merely from its longevity role in human health and the health economics point of view, including the following:
1.Predicting the outset, nature, and trends of diseases in future
The theory of five movements and six climates of Chinese medicine takes advantage of the basic principles of five movements and six climates to explain the annual temporal pattern of climate change and its impact on the incidence of human diseases. This is the soul of Chinese medicine that can predict the outset and nature of diseases in the coming years. During the outbreak of SARS, Professor Deng Tietao concluded that it was the year of Guiwei according to the five movements and six climates, “Lunar Wet Soil Directs Heaven, Solar Cold Water Exits in Spring”, so that the onset of this disease was normal in the spring season; with the arrival of summer and the rise of temperature, SARS would ease or even disappear. The SARS ended on May 21, 2003, and there was no new SARS patient since then.
2.Chinese medicine stress regimen and healthcare
Chinese medicine stress: "Best doctors treat the potential patients, moderate doctors treat the coming disease and inferior doctors treat the sick patients," not only to prevent disease in the first place, it’s also for health care to improve human health and longevity without disease and die without a sickness, which is the best way to " subduing the enemy without fighting".
There are many methods of Chinese medicine regimen, such as exercise regimen (guidance, Ba Duan Jin), diet regimen (diet), music regimen (Chinese zither, guqin), calligraphy regimen (calligraphy and painting). In addition, there are many other Chinese regimen methodologies, such as Sun Simiao advocate 13 regimens, e.g. often comb, knock teeth, keep ears open and rub abdomen, etc.
Chinese medicine regimen and healthcare are not equivalent to the precaution of modern medicine. It will tone the physical and mental status first, take five flavors with moderate work and rest, then use therapy of medicine or puncture to tone the viscera, meridians, vital energy, and blood, to solve the sub-health problems which Western medicine cannot solve.
3.Non-medicine therapy of Chinese medicine can be used for regimen, healthcare, and treatment
Chinese medicine not only uses medicine, but also all sorts of non-medicine therapy, such as span, needle, moxibustion, guided by lift, pull cans, scrapping, massage, and acupuncture, etc.
4.Chinese medicine is good at treating chronic disease, geriatrics, incurable diseases
Chinese medicine can not only treat the common diseases and frequently-occurring disease but also effective for chronic diseases, geriatrics, incurable diseases. Such as acupuncture treatment for postherpetic neuralgia, severe insomnia, idiopathic lips edema, eccentric ring erythema, eczema, acne, and limb body dysfunction after stroke, etc. Phoenix TV anchor Liu Hairuo got brain injury coma in a car accident in the UK, after treating with the hyperbaric chamber, electrical stimulation, neurotrophic, acupuncture and Chinese medicine, Liu Hairuo regained the consciousness and is able to speak.
5.The biggest advantage is for treatment of acute disease and precaution of exogenous febrile diseases
It has been a long time since Chinese medicine was used for the treatment of acute diseases. Professor Dong Jianhua said that the famous doctors in Chinese history are all experts in the treatment of acute diseases. Chinese medicine is fairly effective in the treatment of epidemic hemorrhagic fever, acute pneumonia, model renal failure, upper gastrointestinal bleeding, myocardial infarction, acute pancreatitis, epidemic encephalitis B and exogenous febrile diseases. It’s hard for Western medicine to find the appropriate medicine to kill the virus. The exogenous febrile diseases are the viral infectious diseases as said by modern medicine, such as SARS, AIDS and "bird flu", etc., of which modern medicine is ineffective by so far. The vaccine seems to be a good preventive method, unfortunately, the virus mutation is too fast in most cases, the vaccine development cannot keep up with the mutation of the virus, and the vaccine has Toxic side effects.
Chinese medicine does not advocate of killing the virus, but strengthening the right and expelling the evil, advocates the ability to mobilize the self-rehabilitation, and live in peace, the advantages of Chinese medicine are unique comparing the other medicines.
In 1956, epidemic encephalitis B out broke in Shijiazhuang, the curative effect of Zhongjing method with baihu decoction is higher than the world level; the following year, epidemic encephalitis B out broke in Tangshan and Beijing, Doctor Pu Fuzhou added atractylodes on the basis of baihu decoction, and the mortality decreased from 30 % to less than 10%; in 1958, epidemic encephalitis B out broke in Guangzhou, Chinese medicine efficacy has reached 90%, without sequelae.
During the SARS outbreak period, the global average mortality rate is 11%, while 7% in mainland China, 27% in Taiwan, 17% in Hong Kong and Singapore. Due to the intervention of Chinese medicine, SARS mortality in mainland China is much lower than the other countries and regions. As the Guangzhou intervention is the earliest, Guangzhou SARS mortality rate was only 3.4%. First Affiliated Hospital of Guangzhou University of Chinese Medicine has treated 48 cases of SARS patients with Chinese medicine until cured, without using breathing machine all along, created three "zero" miracles: zero death, zero hospital transfer, and zero medical staff infection.
As a result of extensive use of hormones and other drugs, SARS patients treated with Western medicine suffered from pulmonary fibrosis and osteonecrosis of at least 1/3 or more, patients treated with Chinese medicine has not found special sequelae yet.
6.Chinese medicine is simple, convenient, inexpensive and effective
Compared with Western medicine, another advantage of Chinese medicine is simple, convenient, inexpensive and effective. "Simple" means that Chinese medicine can be simplified, only requires to look, listen, question and feel the pulse to determine the state of illness, with syndrome differentiation and treatment, which is the so-called “Greatness in Simplicity”. "Convenient" means that local materials can be used and the methods applied are convenient, which is the so-called "Every creation can be used as medicine”. "Inexpensive" means that Chinese medicine treatment costs less, which is often one-tenth or even one percent of the cost of modern medical treatment. "Effective" means that the Chinese medicine is effective, Chinese medicine treatment for medical disturbance, epidemic hemorrhagic fever, SARS, AIDS for decades is a proof.
Tu Youyou is now the Chief Scientist of the China Academy Chinese Medical Science. She has been engaged in the study of Chinese medicine and its combination with Western medicine for many years. In October 2015, she was awarded the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine for her discovery of artemisinin, which can effectively reduce the mortality rate of malaria patients, the highest awards in medical achievements.