2007年7月21日 星期六

Trick or Treatment? Westerners encounter Chinese Medicine

Trick or Treatment? Westerners encounter Chinese Medicine



The author in his with his teacher Senator Dr. Chang in the office of the National Health Administration 1999, in Taipei, Taiwan.



Kevin Cuffrey, an American student of the MTC, was hit by a car last year. The driver did not bother to stop, so Kevin got up and went straight to the next clinic, which happened to be a TCM (Traditional Chinese Medicine) clinic. After he was treated with acupuncture he went home almost as if nothing had happened. "It works," he later commented, "it didn't hurt any more."

Edward Grulich, another student from the US, had seen a western doctor several times to cure painful, swollen tendons of his arm, injured when lifting heavy weights; but all injections were in vain, so he went to a specialist who combined western diagnosis with Chinese acupuncture. This herbalist and acupuncturist treated him three times; after one week the swelling was gone, after one month so was the pain.
Jay O'Neil had caught a serious flu which turned chronic and resulted in pleurisy with severe coughing symptoms. The inflammation was cured by a western doctor, but the coughing persisted.

A friend recommended to see a Chinese doctor who took his pulse, listened to his coughing and breathing and prescribed an infusion of herbs to be taken twice daily during a period of four days. "It was the worst thing I have ever tasted in my whole life," said Jay, "he also gave me some advice; to avoid cold and sweet drinks and exhausting exercises and so on."


However, within a week the cough was almost gone and after two more weeks he felt completely sound and sane again.


Asked about TCM, he said that although there were certainly psychological effects (the taste and the price) involved, the wholesome treatment and helpful advice of this "folk wisdom" are effective beyond doubt.

Vincent Bertino, a former student of the MTC, has been treated for high altitude-headaches with the application of two needles, each on one side of the head, and later learned to apply acupressure himself, which almost immediately gave as he put it "much quick relief." He also cured a sore throat with Chinese herbs, which are "in the short term effective," as he said.

Johan Andreu, a student from Sweden, had been guiding tourists in mainland China for a longtime. When they went to visit the hospital for TCM in Guilin, a 65 or 70 year old man asked the doctor on duty for help with his severe arthritis. The doctor was a specialist in "Qi Gong" (bioenergetic treatment), who applied his Qi by hand two times, after which the old man was both relieved and excited, stating that his pain was gone; he could move stiff joints again and felt "better than I have felt in years." But two times is usually not enough for a complete recovery, the specialist noted.

Laura Burian, an American student, had sprained her wrist when she fell down. An acupuncturist placed two needles for five minutes, causing a sore, burning sensation. Afterwards the wrist itself was still in pain, but the spreading of the pain which had begun after the accident was arrested. She noted that she is not sure how effective the treatment was, but "although scientific research hasn't found any concrete Qi (internal energy) that can be seen under the microscope, I'd rather trust a 3000 year old tradition than drugs with known and unknown side effects."

As for myself, I never doubted the effticiency of traditional Chinese medicine, since I came to China specifically to study it here. Yet — perhaps it was me, who was most astounded after Dr. Pai Wen-chiang from the Veterans Hospital's Research Centre for Traditional Medicine inserted one single needle between two of my fingers to treat a literal "pain in my neck" that had bothered me for two months, keeping me from turning my head. After less than three minutes he removed the needle and simply said "Now- turn your head" I turned it to the farthest natural extent and there was no pain anymore!

Later, after carrying heavy furniture when moving, the pain returned, so I pressed the point and exorcised the stiffness again.

No matter if one comes to a TCM clinic for studies or treatment, for non-Chinese it is a completely new field; and while such clinics are common in all Chinese countries, to foreign visitors they are quite a new phenomenon the R.O.C.

Hoping to explore this new phenomenon, I spoke with an expert who has treated several hundred foreign patients in his East -West Clinic in Shih-p'ai (a suburb of Taipei), Prof. Chang Chung-Kwo, M.D., Ph.D., D.Sc. (a specialist trained in both western clinical and Chinese traditional medicine), who is also teaching in the China Medical College in Taichung.

Dr. Chang came in contact with TCM in his childhood when he helped his grandfather picking medical herbs. Later his career included working in the Veteran's General Hospital, being the director of China Medical College's research centre and acupuncture centre as well as director of the Kaohsiung Municipal Chinese Medicine Hospital, always trying to combine the "best of two different medical worlds" into one.

In addition to his Chinese patients, he has many patients from Germany, Japan, the US, Switzerland, and several other counties. He says that the most common complaints he treats are spine problems and backaches, joint-and arthritic diseases and asthma. Some also come for infertility or quit-smoking cures. Why do they try Chinese medicine? Most of them come with a friend's recommendation after being treated with western medicine in vain or without satisfaction. His Chinese patients have slightly different reasons; they come because they have:

1. had no success with or been diagnosed uncurable by clinical medicine;
2. Multiple complaints which cannot be verified by clinical techniques; 3.Allergic reactions to or fear of side-effects from chemical based medicaments,
4.religious (Buddhists) or habitual reasons (family always sees a herbal doctor), or
5. a disease which is known to be especially responsive toTCM.

Comparing differences in curative effects on western and Chinese patients, he explained that TCM on western patients usually works even better for obvious reasons: their physiological constitution is generally better for reasons of nutrition and upbringing; they do not take any additional unprescribed medicine to interfere with the treatment, like many Chinese patients may do (often and in large amounts), and they adhere to the therapists advices which achieves a much higher compliance.

But for what reasons does it work ? In the PR China, Japan, Hong Kong and lately in the ROC (Taiwan), too, some research has been done to prove the concepts and effects of TCM by applying western science to it.

Nevertheless, while some part of it are already verified, like the existence of acupuncture points, others still remain a puzzle, like the acupuncture channels. All in all it might be doubtful that all concepts once will be verified, since TCM has a completely different historical background than western science. Hence, using the one to verify the other is like verifying the esthetic quality of art through mathematics; and TCM somehow is a kind of art.


Being a new viewpoint to western medicine, TCM might be a wellspring of new information, especially if eastern experience and western skill can be combined. The East-West Medicine Newsletter expresses this in the following way:

"The 21st century will be the century of bioenergetic medicine, and traditional medicines...(which) represent an intensive and deep understanding of energy in the human body. All who are associated with the department (of the Veteran Hospital's TCM Research Centre) feel the need to work hard and ready themselves for the arrival of the new century."
TCM and Western Medicine – a metaphoric comparison.

A disease does not come out of the blue. We slowly build it up in our bodies by gradual, constant misbehavior which transgresses the laws of health, somewhat like heaping garbage on alleys and lanes that by and by spreads, congesting bigger roads and ending in blocked major roads and a collapse of the entire traffic system. It is at this point, when increasing symptoms cause the patient to pay attention, that most people decide to see a doctor; the situation (like through pain) has become unbearable.


Now a western doctor solves the problem by moving the garbage to the side with a bulldozer, sometimes blocking other roads (side-effects), or justby blowing the way free with a grenade (surgery).

The effect is, immediate: traffic can go on, albeit the process often begins anew; smaller streets are disturbed and constant bombing worsens the smooth surface of the roads as well. If the doctor is a good one, he also tries to treat the garbage's origin (i.e.stressful lifestyle, poor diet, etc.) with some good advice.

This is actually where TCM starts, eliminating the disease's foundation (dietetic advice) and simultaneously collecting the garbage piece by piece (slow herbal treatment) away from the roads, sending it to a dump (urine-bladder, large intestine) or an incinerator (liver). Obviously, this is a procedure that takes time.

For immediate help there is a ch'i kung or acupuncture application which reduces pain, cramps and other symptoms, like a traffic policeman directing cars to unblocked roads or like building a bridge over the garbage heap. But these treatments are seldom used as a single therapy. One can say that western medicine pushes forward to overcome the obstruction, whereas TCM reverses the process that lead to the disease.

2007年7月20日 星期五

Chinese medicine gains support

Chinese medicine gains support

To advance biotechnology in Taiwan, the Department of Health yesterday officially certified seven hospitals to operate as the nation's first centers for clinical experimentation in Chinese medicine.

"It is a milestone for Taiwan in developing biotechnology in the field of Chinese medicine," according to the department's Committee on Chinese Medicine and Pharmacy (中醫藥委員會).

The committee said the establishment of the seven centers was part of an Executive Yuan objective to capitalize on ancient Chinese medical knowledge and export related products to the global market.

"Research and development in Chinese medicine is crucial to maintaining Taiwan's position in the biotech industry, and this is especially important while the nation's high-tech sector is in a slump," said Chang Chung-Gwo (張成國), chairman of the committee.

The Ministry of Economic Affairs has produced a five-year blueprint for the development of the Chinese medicine industry and has earmarked NT$3.5 billion for the project.

"Hong Kong has aimed at developing itself into a major center for Chinese medicine. Taiwan is now also ready to turn itself into a nation distinguished for its use of technology in the field of Chinese medicine," Chang said. He added that that China had also set up several centers for clinical trials.

"We also want to attract European and US consumers, but we must adopt scientific methods, such as clinical trials, to prove to the West that our traditional medicine products work."

Chang Chung-kwo, chairman of the health department's Committee on Chinese Medicine and Pharmacy

Worldwide phenomena

Many other countries, such as Germany, Japan, Britain and the US have committed themselves to the development and research of natural medicines using modern scientific methods.

"Taiwan has an advantage in competing with its foreign counterparts, in its inheritance of the traditional practice of Chinese medicine and a wealth of experience derived from that," said Yang Han-chuan (楊漢泉), deputy director- general of the health department.

Chang said that Western pharmacology had "drawn blanks" in seeking cures for certain diseases such as AIDS, cancer and hepatitis B. That, he said, was why many medical and pharmaceutical professionals have sought alternative remedies and brought Chinese medicines, which use natural ingredients, to a wider market.

"Great profits are expected by businesses involved in Chinese medicinal biotechnology. Three years ago, Taiwan had no more than five companies involved in that area. Now there are over 300 companies of this kind sharing the market," Chang said.

He said that a huge market for such businesses exists in the two billion-strong ethnic Chinese population worldwide.

"We also want to attract European and US consumers," Chang said, "but we must adopt scientific methods, such as clinical trials, to prove to the West that our traditional medicine products work."

"Otherwise such products will only be able to be sold as health foods, rather than medicines claiming curative effects," he added.

According to the committee, these centers would operate in accordance with standards laid down by the US Food and Drug Administration.

New approach

The development of Chinese medicine in Taiwan has always been based on written documentation of the longstanding practice and clinical experiences of Chinese physicians from ancient times, but not on proven science, he said.

The seven centers that have been named the Chimei Foundation Medical Center (奇美醫院), the Veterans General Hospitals (榮總) in Taipei and Taichung, National Taiwan University Hospital (台大) in Taipei, Taipei Show-chwan Hospital (秀傳醫院), China Medical College Hospital (中國醫藥學院附設醫院) in Kaohsiung and the Linkou Chang-Gung Memorial Hospital (長庚) in Taoyuan.

The centers must conduct at least one clinical trial in Chinese medicine per year in order to continue to receive funding from the health department.

2007年7月19日 星期四

ACUPUNCTURE & ELECTRO-THERAPEUTICS RESEARCH The International Journal

ABSTRACTS Volume 29, Numbers 1/2

Acupuncture & Electro-Therapeutics Res., Int. J., Vol. 29, pp. 1-42, 2004 0360-1293/04 $20.00 + .00
Copyright © 2004 Cognizant Communication Corp. Printed in the USA
Chung-Gwo Chang, M.D., Professor of Acupuncture1, 2

1 Department of Acupuncture, China Medical University Hospital 2 Yuh-Der Road, Taichung 402, Taiwan, R.O.C.

2 School of Chinese Medicine, China Medical University 91 Hseuh-Shin Road, Taichung402, Taiwan, R.O.C

3 Institute of Chinese Medical Science, China Medical University 91 Hseuh-Shin Road, Taichung402, Taiwan, R.O.C

4 Institute of Biochemistry, Chung-Shen Medical University 110 Section 1, Chien Kuo N. Rd., Taichung402, Taiwan, R.O.C

5 Meridian Medical Centre 1606 High Street, Glen Iris, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, 3146

6 Department of Medicine and Division of Cardiology 110 Section 1, Chien Kuo N. Rd., Taichung402, Taiwan, R.O.C.

7 Department of Veterinary Medicine, National Chung-Hsing University 250 Kuo Kwang Road, Taichung402, Taiwan, R.O.C.

If acupuncture is able to prevent hypertrophy of the heart, it could therefore prevent the heart from overloading and thus prevent heart failure or sudden death. We therefore studied the effects of acupuncture on blood pressure and cardiac muscle cells. Rats with spontaneous hypertension were divided into three acupuncture treatment groups and one non-treatment group.

The treatment groups were classified as sham acupoint, Yanglingquan (GB. 34) and Quchi (LI. 11) groups. The measurements recorded included changes in tail pressure, femoral arterial pressure, left ventricular weight (LVW), whole heart weight (WHW), body weight (BW), LVW/BW and WHW/BW ratios and the size of the cardiac muscle cells. The results showed that femoral arterial pressure of subjects which were needled on the selected points for 3 days dropped.

Acupuncture at these two acupoints seemed to improve the condition of hypertension in a short period of time. Significant changes in the femoral arterial pressure were observed in all subjects when they were treated for 6 days. In the two acupoint groups, the LVW/BW and the WHW/BW ratios did not change significantly.

Cardiac muscle cells reduced in size in the Yanglingquan (GB. 34) treatment groups. This indicates that the Yanglingquan (GB. 34) points not only can lower blood pressure, but also prevent hypertrophy of cardiac muscle cells in spontaneous hypertensive rats (SHR).
Therefore, acupuncture could be a good treatment modality for hypertension and hypertrophy of the heart.

Key Words: Acupuncture; Yanglingquan (GB. 34); Quchi (LI. 11); Hypertension; Cardiac Muscle Cell Hypertrophy

Playing catch up to strides in Korea, Japan

Playing catch up to strides in Korea, Japan (2001-09-02)

TCM industry in Taiwan must go international, says Dr Chang.

TRADITIONAL Chinese medicine may have begun in China, but it is in Korea and Japan that it has blossomed.

Both Japan's Kanbo and Korea's traditional medicine, which are closely related to Chinese medicine, are modernised way ahead of TCM, according to Dr Chang Chung-gwo, chairman of the Committee on Chinese Medicine and Pharmacy in the Department of Health, Taiwan's top government authority on TCM.

He has visited both countries and is impressed by how well the quality control issue is tackled there and how their products are marketed abroad.
'The development of Western medicine now faces some bottlenecks, that is why scientists everywhere are turning to traditional medicine for clues to a breakthrough. How can one still lag behind in developing one's own treasure!' he tells Sunday Review.

After two years on the job, he has earned grudging admiration from even the most sceptical Western doctors for his fight for the rights of practitioners and his ambitious vision for TCM development.

It was Dr Chang who set the government's NT$3.5 billion (S$200 million) TCM Five-Year Plan in motion this year to transform Taiwan into a TCM Technology Island by 2006.

As a licensed doctor in Western and Chinese medicine, he is very blunt in pointing out that the laws are unfair in forbidding people like him to practise both disciplines.

In his view, the integration of Western and Chinese medicine, which is the accepted status quo in China, provides better patient care than either.
Dr Chang, who is in his late 50s, was professor at Taiwan's prestigious China Medical College in Taichung before he came to his current position.
He says his most immediate concern now is the setting up of standards and specifications for tighter quality control.

Next is pushing for clinical trials that meet the strict standards of the US Food and Drug Administration to settle the issue of the efficacy of TCM once and for all.

He makes no bones about the fact that Taiwan's TCM industry must go international. Most of the funds in the TCM five-year plan, he says, will support the development to the clinical trial stage of between 30 and 50 new TCM drugs, which are targeted at the international market.

The game plan, he says, is for the drug formulations to be patented in the US for protection, and for the early phase of clinical trials to be done in Taiwan, as it is cheaper and subsidised by the government. But the international marketing rights will be licensed to global pharmaceutical giants.

He has set a target of NT$40 billion for Taiwan's TCM industry in 2006, both from the international sales of new TCM drugs and the development of related industries, such as new health food products, medical plasters, herbal skin care products, medicinal wines and so on.

Taiwan's TCM drugs market was NT$4.1 billion in 1999.

'It is embarrassing to see TCM lagging behind. China, Hongkong and Taiwan should cooperate closely for a stronger push to catch up. Singapore should hop on the wagon, too.'
>>海峡时报<<

2007年7月18日 星期三

什麼人較容易得癌症?

一個人身體要健康,需具備四種基本條件:
一、規律的生活
二、適量的運動
三、均衡的營養
四、修身養性
如不遵守這四個基本條件,慢慢的人就會得病,更加嚴重者,會因得癌症而結束他的生命。據統計目前的台灣每四個人就有一個人會得癌,30~59歲的壯年人得癌的人數成長81%,為什麼得癌的人數會逐漸增加。
經本人三十年的臨床觀察,得癌的人大部分皆有以下共同生活習性的特徵,今提供給大家參考。
1.從小就有過敏體質的人:
有過敏體質的人,比無過敏者較容易患癌。據臨床觀察,有過敏史的女性,罹患乳腺癌的危險比正常人高。有過敏病史的男性,罹患前列腺癌的機率比正常人高。
2.經常熬夜者:
雖然癌症的發病原因至今尚未清楚,但可以確定的是,睡眠不好是一個危險的因素。因為癌細胞是在正常細胞分裂過程中發生突變而形成的,而夜間又是細胞分裂最旺盛的時期(尤其晚上11點到凌晨3點,如睡眠不好或因工作而無法睡眠者得癌症的機率比一般人高出很多),人體很難控制細胞發生異常變化而成為癌細胞。熬夜者為提神而吸煙、喝咖啡,更會提升得癌的機率。
3.過度肥胖者:
據統計,肥胖女性發生結腸癌的危險性比一般女性高兩倍。
營養不良及維他命缺乏者:
營養不良,抵抗力減退,尤其是人體內保護性維生素低的人易患癌症。如維生素A缺乏者罹患胃癌的危險增加;維生素C缺乏者易罹患膀胱癌、食道癌、腎上腺癌的危險增加兩倍;在維生素E不足的人群中,唇癌、口腔癌、咽癌、皮膚癌、宮頸癌、胃癌、腸癌、肺癌等患病率均增高。
4.經常飲高溫熱濃茶的人:
醫學研究發現,經常飲用高溫(80℃以上)茶水有可能燙傷食道,而茶中的鞣酸可在損傷部位沉積,不斷刺激食道上皮細胞,使之發生突變,而突變細胞大量增殖後即可變成癌組織。可考慮改飲冷泡茶。
5.長期高血壓患者:
據臨床統計,高血壓病人的癌症罹患率和死亡率為血壓正常者的兩倍多,且肥胖、嗜酒、吃鹽過多者既可促使血壓升高,也可誘發癌症。
6.經常憋大小便的人:
尿液中有一種可以致癌的物質,會侵害膀胱的肌肉纖維,促發癌變;故專家們主張每小時排尿一次。大便有害物質多,如:硫化氫及其它致癌物,經常刺激腸黏膜會導致癌變。預防的方法就是養成每天定時排便的習慣。
7.平常喜愛肉食者:
過多的動物脂肪乃是誘發某些癌症的主要原因。經臨床觀察,每天以豬、牛、羊等畜肉為主食的女性,患腸癌的比例比那些每月只吃幾次肉者高出2.5倍。
8.常吃焦烤食物及過期食物(含黃鞠毒素) 的人
如烤肉、烤香腸,吃長霉的花生、烤焦的玉米等,都有很多得癌的病例被發現。
9.酸性體質的人
依據600位癌症患者的體液研究,85%的癌症患者屬於酸性體質。酸性體質的人較易患高血壓、高脂血症、痛風、糖尿病等症。如何維持體液為弱鹼性是一種值得探討的養生保健方法。

2007年7月17日 星期二

Prospects and Strategies for Chinese Herbal Medicine

Chang Chung-Gwo(張成國)

China Medical College Taichung, Taiwan

According to World Health Organization’s statistics report, about 60% to 80% of world population use herbal medicine for health care. Just now, chemical drugs face some bottlenecks in the process of development. Therefore, a lot of scientists in many countries turn to study deeply in traditional medicine and hope to find some valuable leads to overcome some problems with chemical drugs.
The market of herbal medicine in USA has increased annually by over 20% in recent years. In this context, the US FDA announced“The Draft of Guidance for industry Botanical Drug Products”on August 10th 2000. With this announcement, it is much easier to develop drugs from dietary supplements. At the same time, this step also pushes forward research and development in herbal medicine.

On May 2nd 2002.the WHO announced“WHO Traditional Medicine Strategy 2002-2005”. It includes objective, strategic components and expected outcomes. It highlights the importance of internationalization of traditional medicine. Business companies across the straits must push through the upgrading and transformation of the manufacturing processes and other related work vigorously.

Herbal medicine is a traditional treasure of Chinese medicine. It is not an easy task to promote the internationalization of traditional Chinese medicine. Herbal medicine is made from natural plants, animals or minerals. There are many factors affecting its quality such as place of origin, cultivation, harvest time, methods of processing and storage, etc. Therefore, we must rectify the weaknesses of insufficient quantitative data in basic and clinical research of herbal medicine and aim at several important tasks such as:
(1) to strengthen the education of Chinese medicine and cultivate biotechnological talents,
(2) to strengthen the quality control of Chinese herbs,
(3) to innovate and develop new extraction procedures and formulations, (4) to conduct clinical efficacy assessment of Chinese medicine,
(5) to cultivate herb-planting bases without pollution,
(6) to comprehensively set up GMP and cGMP factories,
(7) to edit the pharmacopoeia and monographs of Chinese herbs,
(8) to develop and apply microchips for therapy or diagnosis in Chinese medicine,
(9) to seek alternatives to endangered species used in Chinese medicine, (10) to develop health-promoting products,
(11) to revise the regulatory and collect marketing information,
(12) to conduct risk assessment and strategic alliance.

We must overcome all these problems to develop safe and efficacious new herbal medicine, with standardized and reproducible quality. In this way, herbal medicine can fulfill criteria of international standards, and the developed products can enter the global market to create a great profit.

中草藥未來的發展與策略
張成國

根據世界衛生組織(WHO)的統計,全球有六~八成的人口採用草藥作為某種程度的保健醫療,目前,西方醫藥在很多方面的進展已面臨瓶頸,使得各科學家均已逐漸向傳統醫藥領域,以期能從中發掘寶藏,以突破西方醫藥所面臨的問題。在鑒于中草藥產品在市場之銷受額每年成長率超過20%,所以美國食品與藥品管理局(FDA)在2000年8月10日公佈“植物性藥品準則草案(The Draft of Guidance for Industry Botanical Drug products)”,此舉使得美國市場銷售的膳食補充品更容易發展成藥品,帶動中草藥新藥的研發。
另WHO在2002~2005年傳統醫藥策略“(WHO Traditional Medicine Strategy 2002-2005)”內容包括實施目標、具體措施、期望產值,顯示了中草藥國際化將是必然的趨勢,海峽兩岸業界必須積極推動中草藥產業升級及轉型的相關工作。

中草藥是我國固有傳統,欲將我國民族醫藥發揚光大,並達到國際化之目標,實非憑空可得。由於中草藥主要來自天然的動、植、礦物,其產地、栽種、採收時間、炮製方法及貯存等是否適宜,均會影響藥材的品質,所以必須針對過去中醫藥在基礎與臨床上研究數據化之不足等問題,如
1.中草藥之教育及培育生物科技人才;
2.加強中藥品質管制;
3.製程、劑型的創新研發;
4.推動中草藥臨床療效評估;
5.中草藥綠色基地的發展;
6.全面實施GMP及推動GMP中藥廠;
7.編輯中藥典與藥品專論(Monographs);
8.中醫藥診斷、治療芯片之開發及其應用;
9.保育類中藥材替代品之研究;
10.保健產品的開發;
11.中草醫藥相關法規的制訂與信息搜集;
12.風險評估與策略聯盟等各方面加以努力,力求突破,才能發展出安全、有效且品質達到均一性與再現性的中草藥新藥,使中草藥早日達到國際所要求的標準,而使所研發的產品能進軍市場,為業界創造商機。

2007年7月16日 星期一

中西醫結合治療腫瘤的可行性?

一、治療腫瘤,中醫西醫各有局限

中醫治療腫瘤是中醫的特色,中西醫結合治療腫瘤是中華民族的優勢。但長期以來,在這一領域尚未令國際醫學界公認,無論學術界和民眾對中醫和西醫結合治療腫瘤都有不乏爭論和誤解,甚至有西醫批評今西醫治療癌症之有效率不如國外,是因為病人亂服中藥所造成的。為何中醫藥到現在還不能被接受?最大的挑戰就事怎麼能證明中醫所使用的藥每一次做出來都是性質一樣的?即是所謂的均一性及再現性的問題一直尚待解決的課題。
有的否定和貶低,有的則過分誇張,同時對其作用機理也缺乏清晰的認識。因此,正確理解和科學認識中醫治療腫瘤的科學原理,實事求是評估其作用和效果,才是當下最重要的課題。

腫瘤治療,已進入綜合治療時期

由於腫瘤的確切病因和發病學機理不明,目前現代醫學主要採取手術、放療、化療、鐳射治療和射頻治療(Radiofrequency Tumor Ablation;RFA)等方法。臨床實踐表明,採用任何單一的治療方法都難以取得佳的效果。中醫治療腫瘤主要是採用辨證治療與辨病治療兩種模式,兩者的治療作用和效果有較大差別。
辨證治療是根據望、聞、問、切得出的證型進行治療,常用治療原則有滋陰、益氣、補陽、養血、清熱解毒、活血化瘀、軟堅散結和化痰祛濕等。辨證治療腫瘤是使用中藥調節腫瘤病人體液酸鹼度的平衡狀態,以及由此引起的各種繼發性病理生理學變化,糾正腫瘤發展過程中引起的各種異常病理過程,恢復機體的陰陽平衡狀態,從而起到緩解症狀、提高生活品質、延長壽命的效果。辨證治療與其他治療方法配合使用可產生協調作用,如手術後可促進病人術後的恢復過程,放療和化療過程中使用可增強解毒效果。

將中醫辨證治療結合西醫治療,具有明顯學科優勢。其基本原理是:西醫使用手術、放療、化療等治療方法以消滅腫瘤細胞,可取得治療腫瘤的近期和遠期療效;中醫以辨證治療糾正腫瘤發展過程中人體出現的各種病理過程、以恢復陰陽平衡狀態,而提高生活品質。二者相加,不僅改善了病人的症狀,也提高了腫瘤治療的整體效果。

三、建立每一種腫瘤的臨床療效評估技術平台,以證實中西醫結合的優勢

癌症的治療過去都是針對癌細胞下手但現的新趨勢則不只要針對癌細胞同時也要考慮其他的免疫系統等等,原因是我們現在是要治病而不是只有治癌因為過去用藥物把癌細胞給殺了而人也沒有活很久就死了,而失去真正治癌目的。為了要證明中醫藥的療效,一定要有科學的數據來證實。由於中醫藥的治療,目前仍難找出單一有效成分,皆以很多味中草藥組成的方劑及飲食療法配合治療,為了證明西醫配合中醫的治療,其療效優於單獨的西醫或中醫療法,可在已被國際認可的腫瘤臨床療效評估技術平台上,證明其療效,如肺癌(小細胞癌或腺癌)
在目前被公認最有效的IRESSA(艾瑞沙)再加上中藥(尤其針對IRESSA的副作用,如皮膚紅、癢、乾燥),同時服用,再評估其療效,是否其治療效果能比單獨使用IRESSA的療效更好,副作用減少,其療程可以縮短,可降低治療成本,如經評估後,真有加分作用,即可推廣。
治療腫瘤中西結合的研究工作,需藉由中央研究院及學術單位結合臨床教學醫院等相關單位的學者專家,共同努力研發,才可能有突破性的成果發現。

2007年7月15日 星期日

針灸治療急性腰扭傷其效果顯著

急性腰扭傷是日常生活中常見的一種急性病,其造成原因甚多,其中以腰部肌肉之過度伸張為最常見。現代西醫療法係以臥床為主,並輔以藥物治療如肌肉鬆弛劑、鎮痛劑等,必要時並輔以物理治療或局部鎮痛藥物注射等療法,傳統的西醫療法,一般說來相當費時且治療費用相當昂貴。

本文報告以針灸治療急性腰扭傷既快速又簡單、經濟,痊癒率達百分之九十二,多數病人在針刺三次後疼痛消失無不良的副作用,實為一種值得推薦的治療方法。據吾人資料分析統計,針灸療效雖然顯著,然臨床上,需特別強調者,是經過多次治療仍無明顯進步時,須進一步的詳查病因,以免延誤病情。

對於多方反覆出現腰扭傷的病患,筆者認為除施以針灸療法外應輔以下腰部之運動以及服用強健腰脊的中草藥,以加強療效,亦為一值得研究之課題。扭傷的針灸治療,一般只要一次馬上就可以見效。如不能有顯著的改善,應該馬上送醫院作進一步的檢查。
我針灸30年,只碰到2個病例針灸之後其腰痛毫無改善,最後送榮總檢查,才發現其中一位因腎臟長腫瘤而突然破裂,另外一位是腰椎長腫瘤因突然腰椎骨折而造成類似腰扭傷的腰部疼痛。
像這樣有潛在性病因所造成的腰痛,針灸的治療只能得到暫時性的緩解,但基本上經過數分鐘後,其疼痛又和原來一樣。特將此經驗提醒各位,如腰痛的病人,尤其是急性發作,經針灸治療後而沒有顯著療效者,應立刻建議病人至醫學中心作進一步的檢查。
Summary

A report of 800 cases of acute lumbosacral strain treated by acupuncture

Acute lumbosacral strain
is a frequent acute disease in daily life. It has many causes. Most of all it is caused by over stretch of the lumbar muscle. Modern western medicine therapy is bed rest, muscle relaxant, analgesia etc…It is also combined with physiotherapy and local injection of analgesia. Generally speaking, the traditional western medicine and therapy takes much longer time and is expensive.

This report of acute lumbosacral strain treated by acupuncture is fast, simple, economical, and the recovery rate is up to 92%. Most of the patients are relieved from pain after 3 acupuncture treatments. There are no side effects.

According to my clinical research, acupuncture therapy is effective, but the patients should be thoroughly checked if improvement is not obvious after several treatments.

Further research is necessary for the effects of acupuncture treatment for the relapse patients and the strengthen the muscle of lumbar spine by taking low back exercise or Chinese herbal medicine.