2003-10-10
http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2003-10/10/content_1118098.htm
BEIJING,
Oct. 10 (Xinhuanet) -- The combination of Western medicine and
traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) is a safe treatment method for severe
acute respiratory syndrome (SARS), according to medical experts
attending an international seminar here Friday.
The
experts hold the combination method can alleviate the breathing
difficulties of SARS patients and help reduce inflammation, said Deputy
Director Li Zhenji of the State Administration of Traditional Chinese
Medicine at a press conference.
According
research reports submitted to the seminar, which focuses on treating
SARS with the combination of Western medicine and TCM, SARS patients of
identical age and physical condition enjoy higher survival chances using
the combination method compared with those just receiving Western
medicine alone.
The
cost of the combination method, experts say, is also lower compared with
the purely Western medicine method.
Research
findings also show that of doctors and nurses attending to SARS
patients, those that had taken Chinese herbal medicine as prevention
were all free from SARS infection during the SARS outbreak in parts of
China in the first half of this year.
The
experts suggested administering the combination method in the early
stages as well as the full process of SARS treatment, and called for
including TCM in the clinical treatment link of China's public health
emergency response mechanism.
Preliminary statistics show that of the 195 hospitals in China designated for SARS treatment, 102 had sent medical staff trained in TCM to participate in SARS treatment. TCM was used in treating 3,104 confirmed SARS cases.