When the East meets the West: the future of traditional Chinese medicine in the 21st century

Abstract

Abstract Traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) has been practiced in China for thousands of years. In the past decade, there have been intensive debates in China about the nature of this ancient practice and its future development. Some critics argue that TCM theories are inaccurate descriptions of the human body that verge on imagination, and so have no place in modern healthcare systems. Other, however, say that TCM has a lot to offer to Western science and medicine and that emerging analytical tools hold great potentials in bridging the gap between the two worlds with contrasting philosophy and approaches. In a forum chaired by National Science Review's Executive Associate Editor Mu-ming Poo, five panelists from diverse backgrounds discussed the differences between TCM and Western science and medicine, recent progress in TCM research, and key challenges in modernizing this ancient practice. Hongxin Cao Director of Science and Technology Bureau, State Administration of Traditional Chinese Medicine of the People's Republic of China Aiping Lu Dean of the School of Chinese Medicine at Hong Kong Baptist University Yiling Wu President of Hebei Academy of Integrative Chinese and Western Medicine Boli Zhang President of Tianjin University of Traditional Chinese Medicine and President of the Chinese Academy of Traditional Chinese Medicine Liping Zhao Professor and former deputy director of the Shanghai Center for System Biology at Shanghai Jiao Tong University Mu-ming Poo (Chair) Neuroscientist and Director of Chinese Academy of Sciences’ Institute of Neurosciences in Shanghai