Combined Treatment Yields Better Results

2004-06-13 15:07

Since the SARS viruses began to widely spread in the nation, the Chinese Ministry of Scienceand Technology has initiated a major clinical study for treating the SARS disease with combined traditional and western medicines. Through the concerted efforts of more than 400 medical researchers, the study has achieved good progress in the clinical treatment of SARS patients.

As of June 6, 2003, the study had collected 1.5 million items of data on 562 SARS patients, about 2000 chest images and 500 digital tongue pictures. The study team also distributed more than 100 questionnaires among the doctors who were involved in the clinical treatment of SARS patients, soliciting their comments on the typical SARS symptoms and their treatment experience. In addition, the team analyzed and evaluated the data of 222 SARS cases.

The research results have shown that treating SARS patients with combined traditional and western medicines apparently has more sustained and stable effects on reducing the fever and better results in alleviating the major clinical symptoms such as labored and short breath, dry cough, and fatigue. The combined method also functions well in improving the patients' oxygen deprivation symptoms and in maintaining the performance of their organs. When the method was applied in treating advanced cases, it was found that the approach might reduce the in - take volume of hormones and thus avoid side effects.

At the same time, the study of the SARS symptoms for traditional medical diagnosis and dialectic treatment has also seen progress. While analyzing the clinical data, the study team collected and consolidated the clinical reports and experiences provided by the doctors who were treating SARS patients. From them the SARS symptoms have been summarized and analyzed for traditional medical diagnosis and dialectic treatment. Preliminary research results indicate that this disease falls into the category of "plague" using traditional Chinese medical theory. The Beijing area is characterized with diagnostic symptoms of heavy fever and toxicity supported by "damp and evil air". As a result, the corresponding clinical treatment will be applied with traditional drugs to expel fever, toxicity, dampness, and congestion and to aid in lung recovery. To cope with the fast changing toxicity of the SARS viruses, the dialectic clinical treatment will be applied in order to offset the variations seen in SARS patients at different phases of the disease.

The conditional results of the study have fully demonstrated the advantages and uniqueness of the combined treatment approach as well as showing proven treatment effects. These will become a stimulus to further improve the treatment effects of the traditional Chinese medicine, to deepen the theoretical study of traditional Chinese medical science, and to enhance the capacity to fight against major epidemic disasters.