Modern medicine can learn from traditional practices
TCM is based on an individual and holistic approach to health and disease, with an emphasis on harmony between bodily functions. Although it is generally thought to be at odds with the reductionist approach of western medicine, both systems can learn from one another. The EU-funded ‘Good practice in traditional Chinese medicine research in the post-genomic era’ (GP-TCM) project was set up to assess TCM research in Europe. The aim was to inform best practices for the safety and efficacy of TCM, particularly when it comes to herbal medicines and acupuncture. In order to identify potential problems, GP-TCM investigated practices and other issues in the research being done in a number of EU Member States. Two hundred scientists, clinicians and practitioners of TCM, from 110 institutions in 24 countries, participated in the study. Based on its findings, GP-TCM was able to propose standard methodological protocols and identify priority areas for future research. Project partners also succeeded in developing a European–Chinese network for collaboration on functional genomics research. Furthermore, guidelines for harmonising research across the EU were published in the Journal of Ethnopharmacology. Another important milestone was the founding of the GP-TCM Research Association, which will continue to promote the sustainable development of TCM research worldwide. The expertise of the project consortium and the ideas garnered from new members will enable researchers to develop and implement good practices in an integrated way. Due to its function-oriented features and its holistic and pre-emptive approaches, TCM is actually complementary to the current model of western medicine. The application of emerging technologies to TCM, like functional genomics and systems biology, might even help EU pharmaceutical companies to create new types of modern medicines.
