TCM Breaks New Ground

Traditional Chinese medicine （TCM）， along with Chinese kungfu and Peking Opera， is one of Chinas cultural symbols recognized worldwide.

There used to be a debate in China about whether TCM or Western medicine was better， and arguments can still be heard today. But actually， TCM and Western medicine are two different medical theoretical systems that cannot replace each other. In some aspects such as surgery， Western medicine is better than TCM， but in other areas， such as recovery after surgery and treatment of chronic diseases， TCM is more effective. This is why some Chinese hospitals provide both TCM and Western medicine treatments. A combination of both has been accepted by many Chinese people as the most effective treatment.

TCM is a gem of Chinese civilization， and it has also made great contributions to world civilization by improving peoples health and promoting social progress.

Today， promoting and innovating TCM has become a consensus in Chinese society.

The government has formulated policies to support the development and innovation of TCM， with a view to establishing a Chinese healthcare development model paying equal attention to both.

The supportive policies of the Chinese Government will focus on three aspects. The fi rst is the strengthening of TCM services in medical institutions. By 2022， TCM hospitals will be established in all Chinese counties， and if possible， there will be TCM departments or doctors in all community medical centers and township health centers. The second is to apply Internet technology to TCM management， including setting up a database containing TCM electronic medical records and prescriptions. The third is to give better play to the advantages of TCM， especially acupuncture and naprapathy in the treatment of anorectal， pediatric， dermatologic， gynecological， cardia-cerebrovascular， kidney and peripheral vascular diseases and bone fractures. The function of TCM in disease prevention and rehabilitation will also be enhanced.

For further development， TCM must give full play to its advantages， draw inspiration from Western medicine and use more modern science and technology. In contrast to Western medicine， which has a well-developed modern education system， TCM relies more on experience and personal instruction. TCM education should also be strengthened and innovated.

As long as it keeps its core strengths and respects the rules of development and innovation， TCM will surely be able to maintain its vitality and bring more benefi ts to people in China and the world.