Research on New Methods of Oriental Traditional Medicine
Research on TCM Constitution: Using New Methods to Study Oriental Traditional Medicine
Wang Qi, a professor at Beijing University of Chinese Medicine, became interested in TCM constitution 30 years ago. Thousands of years of Chinese medicine have described the individual differences of the human body-physique. If people are classified in this way, a model suitable for large-scale people to see a doctor and prevent diseases can be established. First, make clear the types of physique, then link it with diseases, and carry out targeted treatment and prevention according to which types of people are prone to which diseases. "However, the description of physique in ancient books of traditional Chinese medicine in China has not formed a theoretical system, which is not convenient for clinical application." Wang Qi said. In modern times, many Chinese medicine practitioners want to study according to this idea, but they are not mature. According to the investigation of state administration of traditional chinese medicine Key Laboratory of Constitution Identification of Traditional Chinese Medicine, the previous researches on constitution types in the field of traditional Chinese medicine lacked methodological support, accurate and repeatable information and data, and related elements of standard setting, so there were many classifications, but it was difficult to standardize.
Wang Qi decided to use the methods commonly used in the west to study the physique of China people. He led the research group to adopt international advanced methods to study individual differences-single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) and copy number variation (CNV) to provide molecular biological explanations for the study of population physique. After 30 years of epidemiological investigation on 2 1948 cases of TCM constitution classification in China, the basic characteristics and distribution laws of people with different constitution types, ages, sexes and regions in China have been preliminarily mastered, and various diseases susceptible to constitution have been mastered. On this basis, the research group divided China people into nine basic physique types, namely, peace (type A), qi deficiency (type B), yang deficiency (type C), yin deficiency (type D), phlegm-dampness (type E), damp-heat (type F), blood stasis (type G), qi stagnation (type H) and intrinsic quality (type I).
This research was included in the National 973 Plan, and the research results won the second prize of the National Science and Technology Progress Award in 2007. In April, 2009, on this basis, the research group formulated the first criterion of TCM constitution classification in China, which has been recognized by the Chinese Medical Association as a standard, making constitution classification scientific and standardized, and providing theoretical and practical support for individualized diagnosis and treatment.
"Based on the theory of traditional Chinese medicine, we use modern scientific methods to investigate and demonstrate. Therefore, although physique studies the content of Chinese medicine, it can be recognized internationally. " Wang Qi, leader of the research group, said. Wang Qi, for example, said that we found that Yang deficiency, Yin deficiency, phlegm-dampness and equality have unique gene expression profiles. The down-regulation of the expression of thyroid hormone receptor β(TRβ) in yang deficiency provides a molecular biological explanation for cold intolerance due to yang deficiency, and also provides a biological basis for the objective classification of the population. Some people commented that Wang Qi's research used western expressions to tell the content of TCM. Many years ago, the World Health Organization proposed that the future development direction of medicine is individualized diagnosis and treatment, but the world medical community failed to find a way. Seeing the research of TCM constitution, a group of scholars such as Harvard University and Cornell University in the United States think: "Our western medicine has just begun to consider this issue ... and the TCM constitution pioneered by Professor Wang Qi can be used for the intervention, prevention and treatment of diseases, which will be beneficial to global public health." The World Health Organization believes that TCM constitution provides a research direction for individualized diagnosis and treatment.
Japan and South Korea have their own emphases.
However, some countries in Southeast Asia have increased their investment in physical fitness research, which poses a challenge to China. Four Elephant Medicine is the only national medicine in Korea. It divides people into four categories according to the content of yin and yang, which is similar to China's constitution. Its theory comes from Tian Tong, the spiritual pivot of traditional Chinese medicine. In 2006, the Korea Medical Research Institute launched the physical medicine research program, namely the Li Jima Program. So far, it has invested 66 million yuan in physics research, and plans to increase the investment to 600 million yuan. Its goal is to make Korean "four-image medicine" occupy 65,438+00% of the global alternative medicine field in 2065,438+05. At present, Li Jima has established a physique information database, developed a physique diagnosis and treatment instrument and studied the biological characteristics of physique. Korea Medical Research Institute hopes to make Korea "a country of personal health care center in 2 1 century" and "a world-class health care service country" through this plan. Japan has also established its own physical medicine system. 1950 Japan Institute of Physiology was established, and the Department of Disease-free Analysis and Application was established in 2008 to build a disease-free preventive medicine system. In 2003, the joint research team of Tokyo Women's Medical University and Nippon Electric Co., Ltd. started with the individual differences of genetic information, developed a system that can predict the efficacy of drugs, and helped patients get the most suitable treatment methods, making a new breakthrough in individualized medical care. At the same time, Japan is also the country with the most comprehensive research data on children's physique, and has accumulated more than 100 years of research data on children's physique.
The current situation of TCM constitution research is embarrassing.
There is not much research on TCM constitution in China, and the research group in Wang Qi is the largest in China, and the research results have been recognized by the state. However, their situation is very embarrassing. Wang Qi's research team spent less than 5 million yuan in 30 years. "Because many research funds are not in place, we still owe hundreds of thousands of yuan." Wang Qi said. At present, many countries want to gain international recognition and seize the opportunity to gain a dominant position in physical research. Wang Qi said that the establishment of status depends on the number of papers published in the world's authoritative academic journals. However, due to the lack of funds and platforms, the research group is unable to conduct large-scale and extensive local research and experiments. "Now we have many topics, and we could have produced results and published them in world authoritative magazines. But it is precisely because of this restriction that it cannot be completed. " Wang Qi is worried about being replaced by Japan and South Korea on the international stage. Chen Qiguang, head of the National TCM Research Group of China Academy of Social Sciences, believes that both Japan and South Korea have national support and have made long-term plans. Our country is alone, without a system and a complete plan. Chen Qiguang said: "Chinese medicine is a rich heritage of China. Don't wait for other countries to have an influence in the world before we begin to pay attention to it. Don't let other countries surpass you in this respect. " He hopes that the "Dragon Boat Festival" event will not be staged again.
Methods and approaches
Methods and approaches to provide "treatment before illness" for large-scale people.
Wang Qi said that Chinese medicine pays attention to individualized treatment based on syndrome differentiation, and it is difficult to popularize it on a large scale with one model. Physiology adopts the method of classified guidance, first determines the type of constitution, and then links it with diseases, and then carries out targeted treatment and prevention according to which types of people are prone to which diseases. The scale they developed and introduced was proved to be repeatable by a large number of experiments. Wang Yongyan, an academician of China Traditional Chinese Medicine and China Academy of Engineering, believes that this is the enrichment and development of the connotation of traditional Chinese medicine. "We used to let diseases lead us by the nose and didn't notice the same background of these diseases." Wang Qi said that if you grasp the constitution, you grasp the root cause. For example, hypertension, diabetes, hyperlipidemia and stroke all belong to phlegm-dampness multiple diseases. Knowing what kind of physique you belong to can prevent this kind of physique-prone diseases in advance, improve and adjust people's physical imbalance through intervention, and thus restore health. "Our Chinese medicine physique researchers put forward the theory of three-level prevention of physique, and formulated corresponding preventive and health care measures for different groups of people, providing ways and means for preventing diseases for a wide range of people." Wang Qi said. The first is the protection of early life, that is, when "disease prevention" is mentioned in the mother. The second is pre-clinical regulation, that is, the protection of sub-health population. Thirdly, in individualized health care, improve physical fitness and improve the adaptability of human body to the environment, so as to achieve the goal of health and longevity. Only in this way can we give full play to the advantages of Chinese medicine in "preventing diseases". At present, many countries are looking for ways to reduce the national medical economic burden by "preventing diseases". According to the data provided by the Constitution Branch of the Chinese Medical Association, the research by the Center for Disease Control of Harvard University School of Health shows that since the mid-1970s, the United States began to pay attention to the influence of behavior and environment on human health, and carried out health education based on "reasonable diet, moderate exercise, quitting smoking and drinking, and psychological balance", which reduced the incidence of hypertension by 55%, stroke by 75%, and diabetes by 50%. Tumors decreased by 1/3, which prolonged the average life expectancy in the United States by 10 years, while the expenditure in this area was only110 of the medical expenditure in the same period. At present, state administration of traditional chinese medicine No.465 and No.438+0 "Prevention and Treatment Centers" have all established physical identification centers and physical adjustment programs by using nine kinds of physical classification, and carried out physical identification, psychological evaluation and sub-health status evaluation by using TCM physical classification and judgment standards. In the general physical examination and in-hospital physical examination, the subjects were made to know their own physique types, susceptible diseases and health conditions, and the corresponding health care principles were put forward to realize the treatment of traditional Chinese medicine.