Newsletter | Traditional Chinese Medicine Brings Health and Well-being to the German People
2024-08-20
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In the suburbs of Nuremberg in Bavaria, southern Germany, workers at Dezhongtang, Germany's largest supplier of Chinese herbal medicines, are busy selecting Chinese herbal medicine slices for orders from the shelves. Here, more than 200 kinds of Chinese herbal medicines commonly used in Europe are packaged into bags and sold throughout Germany and other European countries.
Since the end of the last century, Germany has been experiencing a "Chinese medicine fever", and the Chinese herbal medicine slice market has developed rapidly. Zhong Wenjun, founder of Dezhongtang, said that at that time, many old German herbal medicine companies were eager to enter the Chinese herbal medicine slice market. "Many Germans are very fond of traditional Chinese medicine. Many tourists were cured by Chinese medicine when traveling in China. After returning home, they also began to introduce the benefits of Chinese medicine to people around them."
As one of the advanced countries in the field of modern biomedicine and life science research, Germany is also representative in the practice and research of traditional and complementary medicine in Europe. Data show that the proportion of Germans using traditional and complementary medicine ranks first among European countries. The German medical community generally believes that Chinese medicine has become an important part of traditional and complementary medicine in Germany. At present, acupuncture treatment projects for waist and knee joints have been included in the reimbursement scope of German public medical insurance, and some commercial insurance companies have also begun to reimburse Chinese medicine diagnosis and treatment projects.
At the same time, Germany is also exploring the localization of traditional Chinese medicine plants. The Bavarian Agricultural Research Institute has conducted field cultivation trials on more than 20 Chinese medicinal plants. At present, there are 11 varieties with mature planting technology suitable for large-scale promotion, including Angelica dahurica, Artemisia capillaris, and Astragalus membranaceus.
Bad Quetzting, a small town in Bavaria, has become more and more well-known to Germans and even Europeans in recent years because of a Chinese medicine hospital. On the road in the center of the town, two majestic Chinese stone lions squat outside the gate of a German-style building. The bronze plaque on the outer wall reads "Beijing University of Chinese Medicine Quetzting Hospital, the first Chinese medicine hospital in Germany" in Chinese and German. 33 years after its establishment, the hospital is still the only Chinese medicine hospital in Europe that is paid by medical insurance and accepts inpatients.
On July 11, in Bad Quetzting, Bavaria, Germany, a Chinese medicine doctor from the Quetzting Hospital of Beijing University of Chinese Medicine recorded patient information. Photo by Xinhua News Agency reporter Jia Jinming
Dai Jingzhang, consultant of Quetzin Hospital and former vice president of Dongzhimen Hospital of Beijing University of Chinese Medicine, witnessed the development and growth of the hospital. "At the beginning of the hospital's establishment, we focused on clinical medicine. Based on the characteristics of most patients suffering from painful diseases, we gave full play to the advantages of traditional Chinese medicine in medical treatment and health care, and won praise from patients, Western medicine doctors and other people from all walks of life." Dai Jingzhang told reporters that at present, Quetzin Hospital mainly treats inpatients, and all patients will receive Chinese medicine and acupuncture treatment, accompanied by massage or qigong treatment. After an average of 4 weeks of hospitalization, the total effective rate of treatment reached 70%.
Since its establishment, Quetzting Hospital has continued to provide training in Tai Chi and Qigong health-preserving exercises, with two sessions every morning and evening. In July this year alone, more than 1,200 people participated in the health-preserving exercises.
Yang Likun, the Chinese management director of Quetztin Hospital, once treated a patient from Serbia with an acute attack of a chronic skin disease. The patient had skin erythema, small blisters and papules in many places, and also had pain in both knees and elbows. Yang Likun used acupuncture to clear away dampness, heat and blood stasis, soothe the liver and strengthen the spleen, and added calming acupoints. The patient's eczema and dermatitis improved significantly after treatment, and he was very happy and expressed gratitude many times.
"Only when the efficacy is recognized can we better establish the German people's trust in traditional Chinese medicine and effectively promote traditional Chinese medicine and Chinese culture," said Yang Likun.
The efforts of Chinese doctors of traditional Chinese medicine and the efficacy of traditional Chinese medicine have also attracted German doctors to join. Steven Hegel, the German director of Quetzalcoatl Hospital, said that he has been working at the Quetzalcoatl Hospital since its establishment. He originally wanted to work here for one to two years, but he was deeply impressed by the efficacy of Chinese herbal medicine and acupuncture, so he decided to stay here.
In Brandenburg, Germany, there is also a German Massage College that has trained more than 10,000 German medical workers. Under the guidance of the founder of the college, Dr. Sun Weizhong, German doctors and rehabilitation therapists learn Chinese massage techniques and apply them to daily treatment after graduation to relieve patients' pain.
"Western medicine has few means to relieve pain. In addition to taking medicine, it can only be treated through surgery, but it does not investigate the root cause, and the treatment effect is limited." Sun Weizhong said that Chinese massage emphasizes holistic treatment and uses different massage techniques for different parts of the body, which is welcomed by many German patients. So far, this 18-year-old college has cooperated with 15 Western medicine training centers in Germany.
On July 11, in Bad Quetzting, Bavaria, Germany, a Chinese medicine doctor from the Quetzting Hospital of Beijing University of Chinese Medicine performed massage treatment on a patient. Photo by Xinhua News Agency reporter Jia Jinming
Marie-Louise Muller, president of the German-Chinese Nursing Association, has been working with relevant Chinese departments and institutions for more than 30 years. While studying and communicating in China, she discovered that Chinese acupoint massage is beneficial to the human body, and she taught this method to German nurses. She believes that Chinese medicine and Western academic medicine can form a good complement.
Zhang Liping, executive vice president of the Graduate School of Beijing University of Chinese Medicine, said that medicine has no borders. We will develop traditional Chinese medicine better and spread it overseas. Traditional Chinese medicine will make greater contributions to the health of all mankind on behalf of the Chinese nation.
Source: Xinhuanet
