TCM guideline on Covid-19 ready

Engaging the experts: Some 50 TCM experts sharing their experiences during the online conference.

THE Chinese Medicine Task Force of Malaysia (Covid-19) and Beijing Tong Ren Tang Global Expert Group for Covid-19 Prevention and Treatment have come up with a guideline to fight the pandemic.

The ‘Malaysia Covid-19 Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) Practice Guideline’ which integrates Chinese medicine practitioners’ practical experience in using TCM in the prevention and treatment of suspected and confirmed cases can be downloaded from http://sg.mikecrm.com/xCqqC4w.

Universiti Tunku Abdul Rahman (UTAR) Department of Chinese Medicine head Assoc Prof Dr Te Kian Keong – who set up the task force on March 22 – said the guideline which was released on May 2, was developed based on the TCM knowledge of the clinical manifestations and disease progression of Covid-19.

It aims to serve as a reference for the TCM researchers who are participating in the anti-epidemic research, Dr Te, who is also the Centre for Research in TCM chairperson said.

He added that the guideline is possibly the first TCM prevention and treatment plan for Covid-19 released outside of China.

The task force and expert group completed this guideline with assistance from Dr Li Jun who headed the Anti-Covid-19 Medical Consultant Expert Team from China to Malaysia, and Wuhan Leishenshan Hospital deputy dean Prof Shang Dong.

On April 19, the task force in collaboration with the Institute of Integrative Medicine of Dalian Medical University, organised the China-Malaysia International Conference on Covid-19: Prevention and Treatment of Integrative Medicine.

Despite the travel ban and social distancing, knowledge exchange continued for 50 TCM experts from China and Malaysia who were engaged in a fruitful three-hour video conference to share Covid-19 prevention experiences in different countries and regions.

During the virtual session, the academics also discussed the role of TCM in aiding the treatment of the disease.

Prof Shang gave a detailed explanation on the characteristics, clinical manifestations and pathogenesis of a Covid-19 infection while touching on the range of treatment for mild to severe cases, presented research findings, and discussed the integration of TCM and western medicine in treating patients.

Beijing University of Chinese Medicine Malaysia Alumni Association president Dr Teo Chiah Shean and Dr Te explained the current situation of the pandemic and western medicine treatment for Covid-19, as well as the role and progress made by the Chinese Medicine Task Force of Malaysia (Covid-19) in the fight against the virus.

Methods to further strengthen cooperation were also discussed during the meeting.

The meeting was chaired by the Institute of Integrative Medicine Deputy Dean Prof Zhang Guixin and Education Association between Malaysia and China President Jiang Zhongqi.