From 26 to 27 August, the World Federation of Acupuncture-Moxibustion Societies (WFAS) joined hands with the School of Chinese medicine (SCM) at Hong Kong Baptist University (HKBU) to host The 1st International Conference on Traditional Chinese Medicine Tele-healthcare (ICTCMT) . The officiating party of the opening ceremony consists of Professor Liu Baoyan, President of WFAS; Professor Lyu Aiping, Dean of Chinese Medicine of HKBU; Professor Charlie Xue, Associate Vice-Chancellor (International) of RMIT University, Australia; Professor Lao Lixing, President of Virginia University of Integrative Medicine, USA; and Dr. Zhang Shi-ping, Chair of the Organising Committee of ICTCMT and Associate Professor of SCM.

The online event brought together a total of 50 scholars, industry leaders and practitioners from 10 countries to speak on topics such as the treatment of COVID-19 symptoms and post-COVID syndromes, the use of big data and evidence-based practice, quality control and supply chain of herbal products, application of information technology in tele-healthcare, regulatory framework for telemedicine, as well as ethical concerns relating to the practice of telemedicine in Hong Kong and overseas. The webinar attracted more than 5,000 participants online.

Professor Liu Baoyan, President of WFAS, said in his opening remarks: “As a national treasure, Chinese medicine has been introduced to 196 countries and regions. The rapid advancement of wireless communication technology in the 5G era has opened up even more opportunities for Chinese medicine.  As telemedicine takes centre stage during the COVID-19 pandemic, Chinese medicine has been able to reach more people in a cost-effective and efficient manner.”

Professor Lyu Aiping, Dean of Chinese medicine at HKBU, recalled a series of tele-healthcare initiatives launched by the University earlier this year to circumvent the challenges presented by the fifth wave of the pandemic. Apart from rolling out the “Free Online Consultation Service for COVID-19 Patients” which has benefitted over 41,000 people, the University established the “HKBU Chinese Medicine Telemedicine Centre Against COVID-19” to provide a one-stop medical service to the public, and teamed up with the Hospital Authority and Hong Kong Association of Gerontology under a special scheme to offer remote consultation and medicine delivery services to residents and staff members of elderly homes. 

Professor Liu Baoyan had his keynote speech after the opening ceremony. In the presentation entitled The use of Big Data, Internet, Cloud Platform in fighting against COVID-19 with Chinese Medicine, he introduced the practice of Wuchang Mode in Wuhan, 2020. Based on the internet and the organization of communities, it provided a general prescription to the public. He also introduced plenty of online lectures and medical consultations, and used real-world clinical studies to demonstrate the practical effects of acupuncture on COVID-19. Academician of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, Chief Researcher of China Academy of Chinese Medical Sciences, Prof. Tong Xiaolin also gave a keynote speech titled State target differentiation and treatment, strategic opportunities of TCM.

With the theme of “Developing traditional Chinese medicine telemedicine strategies to deal with COVID-19 and its sequelae”, the webinar covered many topics, including the application of telemedicine to treat COVID-19, the application of telemedicine to control COVID-19 sequelae, technology and organizational management in telemedicine, legal, ethical and psychological exploration of telemedicine, big data and evidence-based practice, providing a good platform and exchange opportunities for experts and scholars.

Watch playback on: https://wx.vzan.com/live/pc/channel-detail?liveId=1896490570&cid=253655

Students from the University of Johannesburg treat a patient using China's acupuncture in the teaching clinic of the school in Johannesburg, South Africa, Sept. 17, 2021. (Xinhua)

BEIJING, June 30 (Xinhua) -- China's acupuncture is enjoying growing popularity in BRICS countries. "Acupuncture has become a common medical treatment and is regarded as the 'Oriental magic needle,'" said Hui Qing, vice president of the World Federation of Acupuncture-Moxibustion Societies.

Hui runs a clinic in downtown Sao Paulo, Brazil. Alici, 50, is one of the regular visitors to the clinic, who has made the 30 minute-acupuncture a part of her life. Every month, she takes an eight-hour night-bus ride from her home in Minas Gerais to Sao Paulo to attend the clinic.

She was first hit with rheumatoid arthritis a decade ago, resulting in severe joint pain and difficulty walking. A friend recommended she try acupuncture at Hui's clinic. She followed the friend's advice and found her pain was gradually eased, an outcome she wasn't expecting.

"This kind of story happens every day in Brazil," Hui said.

The treatment is not only gaining popularity in Brazil.

Since 1998, more than 300 cerebral palsy patients from Russia have been treated at the Shanxi Cerebral Palsy Rehabilitation Hospital, according to Guo Xinzhi, former president of the hospital.

More than 10 doctors have also been sent by the hospital to aid the Republic of Dagestan and the Chechen Republic, curing more than 4,000 cerebral palsy patients, Guo added.

At the University of Johannesburg in South Africa, acupuncture has become one of the top 15 most popular courses since it started in 2020. More than 1,000 students applied for courses related to acupuncture that year, but only 45 were admitted. In 2022, of 7,000 applicants, only 58 students won places.

Saurabh Sinha, vice president of University of Johannesburg, said that traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) and acupuncture are important components of complementary medicine that can improve health-care in South Africa.

For students from remote and underprivileged areas of South Africa, these medical skills will play a positive role in improving local health services when they return home to work, he added.

Acupuncture not only helps improve local health services in South Africa, but also plays an important role in strengthening the relationship between China and India.

In the heart of Ludhiana, India, lies the Dr. Dwarkanath Kotnis Health and Education Center, a hospital dedicated to acupuncture treatment. The hospital dean, Dr. Inderjit Singh, has been practicing acupuncture for more than 48 years.

Dr. Singh said that, in the 1930s, Indian doctors Dr. Dwarkanath Kotnis and Dr. B.K. Basu joined the Indian medical team to aid China in the Chinese People's War of Resistance against Japanese Aggression. Dr. Kotnis died on the mission, aged 32.

In 1957, Dr. Basu visited China again. Troubled by sinusitis for a long time, he experienced acupuncture treatment and received obvious therapeutic effects.

Dr. Basu decided to study acupuncture and bring the ancient Chinese medical treatment back to his country. After returning to India, he used acupuncture to treat patients and at the same time trained more acupuncturists.

"I was one of his students at the time," Dr. Singh said.

The hospital has now grown from a small clinic with only one room and two beds to a prestigious hospital with more than 200 doctors and 39 acupuncture beds. Almost 2,000 patients receive acupuncture treatment there every year.

The hospital won its fame by word of mouth, for it charges low fees and often conducts free medical-treatment activities. Many patients from New Delhi, Bangalore and other places visit the hospital for treatment.

Dr. Singh's two daughters and one of his sons-in-law are now also acupuncturists. He said he would carry forward the work of Kotnis and Basu through acupuncture to bring together the people of India and China.

"Acupuncture has become an important bridge between China and India," he said.

Dr. Singh is not alone in believing in the power of acupuncture to join nations in a common endeavor of great value.

Liu Baoyan, president of the World Federation of Acupuncture-Moxibustion Societies, said, "Acupuncture has gradually gained recognition in more countries, and some BRICS countries have incorporated acupuncture into their national medical systems. In the future, acupuncture is bound to make greater contributions to the construction of a community of common health for mankind."