0000000000368486
AUTHOR
An-long Xu
Can eastern wisdom resolve western epidemics? Traditional Chinese medicine therapies and the opioid crisis.
The widespread use of opioids to treat chronic pain led to a nation-wide crisis in the United States. Tens of thousands of deaths annually occur mainly due to respiratory depression, the most dangerous side effect of opioids. Non-opioid drugs and non-pharmacological treatments without addictive potential are urgently required. Traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) is based on a completely different medical theory than academic Western medicine. The scientific basis of acupuncture and herbal treatments as main TCM practices has been considerably improved during the past two decades, and large meta-analyses with thousands of patients provide evidence for their efficacy. Furthermore, opinion lead…
Combining the wisdoms of traditional medicine with cutting-edge science and technology at the forefront of medical sciences
Abstract Background A central topic is to bring traditional medicine to a new horizon by integrating the latest advances in genomic, metabolomic, and system biological approaches, in order to re-examine the wisdom and knowledge of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) and other traditional medicines. Purpose A new consortium has been formed at a conference of the Harvard Medical School, Boston, on October 29–30, 2018. The main goal was to build a collaborative platform for the scientific investigation of traditional medicine with cutting edge sciences and technologies at the forefront of biomedicine. Results Traditional medicines are largely experience-based, but the scientific basis is largel…