TCM App for Beijingers
China.org.cn, 1 June 2014

Chaoyang District of Beijing has launched a TCM app, the “Chaoyang TCM” helps search for famous doctors, locations, health tips and interaction tools. It has a database of all the TCM doctors with associate chief physicians or above titles in the hospitals of Chaoyang District. The map can also provide information about hospitals, as well as nearby restaurants, hotels and pharmacies. The government of Chaoyang District is trying to improve the TCM services for local residents and to build a brand for TCM services.

Acupuncture & herbs relieve ulcerative colitis
HealthCMI, 3 June 2014

Researchers conclude that acupuncture combined with herbal medicine helps to eliminate ulcerative colitis. Researchers in China wanted to know if acupuncture and herbal medicine combined with pharmaceutical medications is more effective than using only drugs. The study group receiving acupuncture and herbs combined with drugs had a total effective rate of 93.1%. The group that only received drugs had a 75.86% total effective rate. The researchers concluded that acupuncture and herbal medicine consistently enhances clinical outcomes for patients with ulcerative colitis.

Qi Gong lowers blood pressure
Theepochtimes.com, 7 June 2014

Researchers concluded that Qi Gong is safe and has a “positive effect on blood pressure and health status in pre and mild hypertension patients.” 40 participants were randomized into a control group and a Qi Gong group. The Qi Gong group practiced for 5 times per week for a total of 8 weeks. Blood pressure reductions occurred in the Qi Gong group and not in the control group. Systolic blood pressure reduced significantly, but diastolic blood pressure was unaffected.

California Acupuncture Board Exam Stats 2014
HealthCMI, 7 June 2014

The American College of Traditional Chinese Medicine posted the highest pass rate of 79% for the February 2014 California Acupuncture Board exam in the large class size category. The Pacific College of Oriental Medicine, South Baylo University and Dong-guk University also posted some of the highest exam pass rates at 70%. Five Branches University had the third highest pass rate at 59%. The exam is required to become a licensed acupuncturist in California.

Elsevier and PMPH to co-publish China's former Minister of Health Chen Zhu's book on health reforms in China
Online.wsj.com, 9 June 2014

Elsevier and People's Medical Publishing House (PMPH) announced to jointly-publish the English edition of Healthy China 2020 Strategic Research Report by China's former Minister of Health, Chen Zhu. Published by PMPH in Chinese in August 2012, the book details health reforms in China over the last 60 years, the translated version is expected to be available by mid-2015.

Burning love is all the rage in China
Web.orange.co.uk, 11 June 2014

Men in China are using a massage technique which involves flaming towels being placed over their privates to enhance their love lives. Fire therapy, similar to cupping and acupuncture, has been used as a therapeutic method in TCM. After heating, a herbal medicine is used that helps promote blood circulation. A 33-year-old banker said he has tried all sorts of therapies in the past to keep my sexual performance up to speed but this was by far the best.

American ginseng is often made in China
Global Times, 11 June 2014

China has the largest consumer group of American ginseng roots in the world, but the Chinese market is now dominated by ginseng that falsely claimed coming from America. Much of the herb is grown in northeastern China, other batches are first sent to America and then imported back to China, which boosts the price using a legal loophole. There are more than 20,000 ginseng growers listed in the country and most are small or medium-sized farms with an arbitrary approach to the use of chemicals in agriculture.

Beijingers seek healthy holidays
Global Times, 12 June 2014

TCM tourism has been a significant part of domestic travel industry in China; more and more people are incorporating TCM as part of their travel plans, such as enjoying medicinal delicacies, herbal bathing, farming or collecting herbs. Since 2011, 21 locations for this purpose have been established in Beijing, integrating leisure travel and TCM services and education, within facilities like hospitals, museums and workshop, restaurants, and spots like herb planting parks.

Acupuncture & herbs reduce breast pain and nodules
HealthCMI, 11 June 2014

Acupuncture combined with supplemental TCM modalities is effective for the treatment of mammary gland hyperplasia. The added TCM modalities included moxibustion, herbal medicine and TCM style emotional and behavioral counseling. After three months of acupuncture/TCM care, the patients with mammary gland hyperplasia showed measurable signs of improvement including reductions in breast lump size and significant relief from breast pain.

Cantonese woman raises cockroaches
Womenofchina.cn, 12 June 2014

Yuan Meixia, a 37-year-old former pharmacy worker in Guangzhou, is becoming famous locally for raising more than 100,000 American cockroaches. She cleans up feces every day, collects the eggs, and feeds them a melon, an apple and 3 pounds of rice bran. Dried cockroaches have anti-cancer pharmaceutical effects she claimed, and can harvest once every two months and sell them at about 200 yuan (US$32) per kilogram.

Website to monitor drug-induced liver injury set up in Shanghai
Shanghai Daily, 16 June 2014

China's first online platform for collecting and studying drug-induced liver injury was established in Shanghai. The website will serve as a database for patients, doctors and pharmacists to report adverse reactions to the liver so that experts can weed out medicines that may damage the vital organ. So far, data on hundreds of medicines, TCM and health tonics known to damage the liver are available online for professionals and the public.

First intangible cultural heritage announced
Thestandard.com.hk, 17 June 2014

Cantonese opera, Dragon Boat Festival and traditional Chinese medicine together with more than 470 items are on the list of Hong Kong's first intangible cultural heritage inventory which was made public. The inventory is the result of over three years of a territory-wide research and data collection, as well as a public consultation held last year. Government of the Hong Kong will devise and implement a host of enhanced safeguarding measures, and will update the list of items regularly.

Migraine vanishes with acupuncture and tuina
HealthCMI, 19 June 2014

Acupuncture is more effective than medication for controlling migraines. Researchers compared a combination of acupuncture and tuina massage with the oral medication flunarizine hydrochloride. The TCM treatment was significantly more effective than the drug treatment for reducing pain frequency, intensity and duration due to migraines, with a total effective rate of 93.8%, and the medication group only achieved a 63%.

Rheuminations: Chinese Herb for RA Questioned
Medpagetoday.com, 20 June 2014

A randomized study showed that thunder god vine extract was found to be noninferior to methotrexate in patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA), but not everyone agrees that it is safe. A professor from Baylor College of Medicine mentioned that although its short-term immunosuppressive and anti-inflammatory properties may be similar to methotrexate, but shouldn't be thought of as a “safe alternative” until much more is known about long-term effects.

Compiled By:
Rose Tse, Integrated Chinese Medicine Holdings Ltd.