CNN Article on Chinese Medicine Research

[Guest guest]

Does Chinese medicine really work?

Wednesday, February 11, 2004 Posted: 4:03 AM EST (0903 GMT)

HONG KONG, China (CNN) -- For thousands of years, Chinese medicine

has been used to treat everything from broken bones to headaches.

Chinese doctors and many of their patients are convinced of its

effectiveness, but now scientists all over the world are joining

forces to establish its true worth.

In a laboratory at the Hong Kong Medical School, scientists are

trying to find out how the Thundergod Vine root that's been used for

centuries in Chinese medicine actually helps in the treatment of

rheumatoid arthritis.

Overseeing the experiments is rheumatologist, C.S. Lau who says that

as a Chinese doctor, he does believe that Chinese medicine helps and

can be very effective in certain conditions.

But the main problem with traditional treatments is that he doesn't

know how the medicine actually works, he says.

It is this lack of knowledge that is preventing Chinese remedies

from being taken more seriously by conventional medical

practitioners.

While there is a lot of anecdotal evidence supporting Chinese cures,

there is not enough scientific proof that the remedies are doing

what the doctor says they will.

Yale University's Dr. Tommy Cheng says that it's very difficult to

address the essence of Chinese medicine and so as a result, it is

very difficult to properly introduce Chinese medicine to the world.

There are several factors preventing Chinese medicine from being

taken more seriously.

Compared to conventional treatments, Chinese doctors often use

several different compounds to treat one problem. This raises

questions over exactly which chemical is doing what, and also brings

problems with maintaining quality control over the drugs being used.

These drawbacks have prompted the Hong Kong government to call for

the licensing of Chinese medicines in order to counter doctors who

are making claims about their remedies that can't be backed up.

In a bid to help bring Chinese medicine into the mainstream and to

help realize potential commercial gains, top scientists from

universities in the Unites States, the Chinese mainland, Taiwan and

Hong Kong are joining forces to collaborate research into the actual

effectiveness of Chinese medicine.

Yale's Dr. Cheng says the unified approach by the universities is an

exciting advancement in the field of research into Chinese medicine.

" I think we can make a very big development in the terms of future

medicine development, " he says.

But there is some pressure to carry out this verification process

quickly.

" We really have to work very closely with traditional Chinese

medicine doctors', says C.S. Lau.

" There must be hundreds, thousands, maybe more medicines that we

need to work on and prove. "

It is a process that will likely take many years. But the plan of

the global research group is to establish the credibility of Chinese

medicine to ensure its survival in the 21st century.