TCM Chat ⁽⁹⁶⁾

The COVID-19 pandemic has accelerated the development of online medical consultation. While the volume of online medical inquiries has surged, outpatient visits at tertiary hospitals have dropped by more than half. So how reliable is online medical diagnosis, really? There are as yet no large-scale…

Understanding others and understanding oneself are neither easy things; there are not many people in this world who have self-awareness. Anthropologists hold that people tend to believe the civilization of their own society is the most advanced in the world; even backward cannibals believe their…

The authoritative textbook used in Western medical schools, Harrison's Principles of Internal Medicine, 19th edition, contains the following definition: "Medicine is a humane profession that demands broad learning." This definition highly encapsulates the character of medicine. Western medical schools hold that physicians must possess not…

In 1940, Chen Gaonong published A Table of Natural Disasters and Calamities Through China Dynasties. From ancient works such as the Zizhi Tongjian and the Gujin Tushu Jicheng, Chen Gaonong compiled a chronicle of plagues in China. Drawing on his compilation, this article lists the…

At present, many Chinese-medicine enthusiasts are very enthusiastic about TCM; many like to make their own formulas to treat themselves or their relatives, which is a good thing. But we must also remind everyone that, while it is fine to use Chinese patent medicines or…

This winter, various infectious diseases have come on rather fiercely. First sporadic cases of plague appeared in Inner Mongolia; then there was a brucellosis outbreak in Lanzhou; recently, the unexplained pneumonia in Wuhan has also set people on edge. And then there is the African…

Medicine is the most difficult discipline to study; harder than studying Chinese medicine alone or Western medicine alone is mastering both. Although many medical universities now offer a clinical program in integrated Chinese-Western medicine, teaching both, this program is not yet mature. Most hospitals do…

On the last day of 2019, I decided to take stock of my own gains in medicine over the year. I want to write this article in two parts: one on my gains in medical research, and the other on my findings from studying China's…

After every incident of violence against doctors, physicians ought to draw lessons from these bloody experiences and reflect on how to change the current medical system, improve the quality of service, and raise their own professional safety. Healthcare in China is spinning out of control,…

A couple of days ago a patient came to see me. She is from Liaoning, and her whole family are intellectuals. After developing lung cancer, through an acquaintance she met a mysterious TCM doctor said to hold the status of a Tibetan-Buddhist lama. A web…