WHO Recognition for Chinese Medicine
This year saw the inclusion of Traditional Chinese medicine in the WHO’s guide for diagnosing and classifying diesease. This is the first time WHO recognition for Chinese Medicine has been made official. It takes effect in 2022. The decision has sparked debate between practitioners of Chinese medicine and Western medical doctors.
The reaction of European doctors is not surprising and has been described as alarmist and exaggerated. It is hoped that it will create a healthy debate about TCM, what it is and how it works.
Professer Song Xuan Ke has contributed to the debate generated by the WHO recognition for Chinese Medicine. He gave an interview to internet radio show The World and provided his thoughts on the issue.
The reaction of doctors highlights that more needs to be done to improve peoples understanding of Chinese medicine, however, this is not an easy task. More research must be done to ensure that as practitioners of Chinese medicine, we are pursuing the highest levels of knowledge and understanding. The fact that Chinese medicine has been safely used for more than 2000 years should stand as testament to it effectiveness.
Update
Since the announcment of WHO recognition for Chinese Medicine was made, there has been a considerable media response. Some of it has sadly been negative and probably alarmist, while some if not all has been mainly positive. We wish to draw attention to the work of the British Acupuncture Council in their efforts to combat the negative and erroneous publicity.
Without efforts such as theirs, life for TCM practitioners and acupuncturists would be made all the more difficult.