Local TCM University Pushes Integrative Medicine Development

To boost the integration of Western and traditional Chinese medicine and push the internationalization of TCM, Shanghai University of Traditional Chinese Medicine has joined hands with a world-leading research facility to introduce a high-end evaluation system and set up a joint laboratory to spread TCM education and speed up the development of integrative medicine.

The university signed a cooperation agreement with research publisher and information analytics company Elsevier to establish an integrative medicine evaluation framework, which will study the research environment, productivity and impact to guide TCM universities and analyze the global research in integrative medicine, a hot topic with strong development potential, officials told a forum on future of integrative medicine in Shanghai on Friday.

Integrative medicine combines modern science and technology with TCM, leading to a multidisciplinary, new medical science system.

During the forum, officials released an evaluation report on global research and development in integrative medicine, which disclosed the global research trends, focus areas and institutional research innovative ability in integrative medicine.

Cancer, digestive system disorders, cardiovascular diseases, inflammation and immunology disorders are the major disease areas of integrative medicine, while cancer and metabolic diseases as well as cardiovascular diseases have the highest scholarly impact, the report said.

Ji Guang, president of Shanghai University of TCM, said Shanghai is a birthplace and leader of integration of Western medicine and TCM and the university is a key center for integrative medicine talent training and clinical practice. Local hospitals are also developing an innovative health care system, better integrating Western medicine and TCM.

Shanghai Yueyang Hospital, which ranks No. 1 in terms of integration of Western medicine and TCM in the nation, said construction of its new branch in suburban Songjiang District started in May and it will be built into a model for integrative medicine with more focus on research, innovation and practice of integrative medicine.

Dr Zhou Jia, Yueyang's chief scientist, introduced acupuncture anesthesia, a combination of Western and TCM medicine, at the forum.

With the help of acupuncture, doctors can perform surgery without conducting tracheal intubation, and use a much smaller dose of anesthesia. The tubeless practice helps patients better endure surgery, suffer less trauma, have fewer complications related to anesthesia, and make a quicker recovery.

The hospital has set up China's largest clinical training center on acupuncture anesthesia and some overseas hospitals have contacted Yueyang for academic exchanges on the special technique.