Let's start with an example:

During the War of Resistance against Japan and the War of Liberation. In the regular army of the Kuomintang's forces, many of the senior officers were graduates of the Huangpu Military Academy or the Lecture Hall. Many of the Communist Party's commanders, on the other hand, were mudbloods or had a little bit of education and real-world experience. Why did the Communists eventually win?

This example is given only to show that when faced with real troubles and problems, how to get rid of them is more important than learning a bunch of theories.

Later, when New China was founded, we looked back on years of war experience, sorting out wars and theories. Analyzing the reasons for victory and defeat in every battle. Train a large number of high-level officers.

This example is given only to show that theory-guided problem solving may be the trend and inevitable.

So what exactly is the relationship between TCM and modern science?

In my opinion, Chinese medicine is like the commander of the communist army back then. As long as the general direction is correct and the problem can be solved, that is the best. These are the combat methods and combat theories established by the PLA using its own understanding and experience. These theories, however, did not work with the Kuomintang officers at that time.

And modern science? It's like the theories of war taught at the Whampoa Military Academy and the theories of combat later summarized by ourselves. These theories, that's science.

There is no contradiction between the two and there is no conflict.

One must use science to explain Chinese medicine, but not interfere with it, in order to allow Chinese medicine to flourish

The diagnosis and treatment under the guidance of Chinese medicine theory is indeed effective in curing diseases and saving lives. However, it is by no means a cure-all for all diseases, nor is Chinese medicine developed to the point where it does not need to be developed in an innovative manner. If modern science can be used to find out the mechanism of treatment in TCM, then the treatment can be made more efficient and more accurate. Just like artemisinin treatment of malaria, after in-depth research and application, so that the therapeutic effect of Chinese medicine is significantly improved. This research project is very huge.

In conclusion, the use of modern science, humility and prudence to explore the treasure trove of China's profound Chinese medicine is one of the directions for the development of modern medicine.

First of all, we have to understand what "science" is before we can discuss it. For example, if a theory, principle, concept, evidence, method, technique, etc. is preceded by the word "science", does it mean that it is correct? Otherwise, is it wrong?

To use science to prove Chinese medicine, we must first find out what Chinese medicine is. The classics of Chinese medicine are Huangdi Neijing, Shennong Ben Cao Jing, Typhoid Miscellaneous Diseases, Nanking, Jin Gui Yao Liao, Wen Diseases, Zhong Zang Jing, Acupuncture and Moxibustion A and B Jing, Thousand Gold Formula, and Typhoid Fever Treatise. The representatives of Chinese medicine are Shennong, Zhang Zhongjing, Hua Tuo, Bianqi, and Li Shizhen.

If one does not know these history and facts of Chinese medicine, if one does not understand the thousands of years of practical precipitation and accumulation in traditional Chinese medicine, and if one does not understand the vastness and depth of the Chinese way of healing, one is not qualified to mention any proof.

Chinese medicine has been practiced and summarized by countless forefathers for thousands of years, carefully configured by tasting all kinds of herbs, verified by the efficacy of countless generations, and formed into canonical books, medical books, and formulas containing precise pathologies. It is to treat both the symptoms and the root cause of the disease, consolidate the root cause and cultivate the vitality, cultivate both inside and outside, and save people without hurting the body of the great Tao of medicine. This is by no means comparable to the simplicity and brutality of Western medicine!

Therefore, true Chinese medicine needs no scientific explanation or proof; Chinese medicine itself is a kind of science!

Is it necessary to use science to explain or prove TCM?

Chinese medicine is the classic Chinese culture, Chinese people for generations only Chinese medicine to cure diseases, prevention, health care, to be able to flourish, countless prescription is really medicine to cure the disease.

Modern Western medicine into China, but also diluted the Chinese medicine, and even some laymen out of words to hit the Chinese medicine, in fact, regardless of Chinese and Western medicine, it can not cure all diseases. For example, chronic disease conditioning disease Chinese medicine has very good efficacy, physiological functional diseases, the use of traditional Chinese medicine, including massage massage acupuncture and other therapeutic effect is very good, the boxing ring on the clinical treatment of Chinese medicine. Advanced cancer, Western medicine can not cure, Chinese medicine can be dialectical treatment through the conditioning to improve the patient's antibodies, including spiritual therapy, can enhance the ability to resist disease, you can extend life. Those who deny Chinese medicine are one-sided and metaphysical!

With the continuous development of science and technology, we have to excavate and inherit to carry forward the motherland of Chinese medicine, on the former cure prescription can be proposed to decompose to find out the name of the elements in the medicine, through the synthesis, what reaction is produced, used in human experiments, to check the use of drugs before and after the use of drugs in the human blood of the different changes, to come up with theories, with a reasonable theory to verify the efficacy of traditional Chinese medicine.

The ancients did not have these conditions, only by tasting a hundred herbs to summarize the efficacy of contemporary people can through today's scientific research into the role of the theory of the Chinese pharmacopoeia, the future generations to learn the theory of Chinese medicine more convincing!

Thanks for reading 🙏!

First of all TCM is based on nature, Chinese medicine comes from nature. Science comes from the laboratory, western medicine is chemically synthesized. Compare and contrast to know whether to use science to prove Chinese medicine. Man is a product of nature and what he takes is nature for food, is it science to ask man to eat chemically synthesized or chemical extracts?

First of all, we must recognize that Chinese medicine is a science that has been gradually formed and developed over thousands of years of uninterrupted scientific testing and continues to make significant contributions to the health of mankind. Chinese medicine has not only been and is still being subjected to scientific tests, but will also be subjected to scientific tests consciously at all times and in all places in the future. Whoever suggests that Chinese medicine should or should not be subjected to scientific tests is either an idiot or at least a lunatic.

Chinese medicine is science, there are Chinese medicine specialties. Science, professional, that's all, don't mystify science, mystify into a magician, denying all Chinese civilization and culture, down with everything, see China will be anti-invasion for the purpose. Such as the Western theological row against all Chinese civilization and culture, hegemonic behavior. The word science is a tool. It has no substance, because everything has a name and a role, who does it represent? For example, nuclear weapons, aircraft carriers, spaceflight, medicine, airplanes, vehicles, electronics, machines, etc. all have their own names.

Chinese medicine has a long and profound history, and is itself an unfathomable science, so how can it be explained and proved by other sciences? Since it can't be explained or proved, why futile?

Thanks for the invitation to Wukong Q&A!

The concept of "Traditional Chinese Medicine" is a relative concept that came into being only after the entry of Western medicine into our country, which has not only been limited to the scope of medicine, but has been integrated with the culture and philosophy of our country, and is a cultural treasure of our country. Dr. Elf is studying Western medicine, but every domestic Western medical school will also set up a short-term Chinese medicine courses, remember also went to medical school when the Chinese medicine is very interested in, but also often want to with the question asked in the title. I believe that for this question, different people, different angles will have different answers, the following elf doctor from personal understanding to analyze the answer.

Let me start with Dr. Elf's answer, that is, at this stage, science cannot perfectly explain or prove Chinese medicine, but from the perspective of future development, with the continuous progress of science, as well as the continuous absorption of science and self-improvement of Chinese medicine, science can explain or prove Chinese medicine, and from the perspectives of the development of each of the two, this kind of proof is necessary, and from the perspective of the existence of Chinese medicine, it is not necessary. The reason why I say so is that both science and TCM are not the so-called truth, but only the understanding generated by people observing the world under different environments, concepts and backgrounds. Therefore, there is no such thing as a gold standard, and both are in fact in need of continuous development and improvement.

From the perspective of development, Chinese medicine has not been self-contained in recent decades. Instead, it has continued to introduce Western medicine and various scientific means and methods for self-development, for example, in the process of the development of evidence-based medicine, Chinese medicine has applied the scientific methods of evidence-based medicine and proved the validity of many treatment methods. In addition, Western medicine and science have encountered many bottlenecks in their further development, and some of the theories and methods of traditional Chinese medicine have also provided ideas for their development.

Since the Republic of China debating whether Chinese medicine is scientific or not, and whether there is a need for its existence, has become a topic of long-term hot debate. However, Dr. Elf believes that most of the views are argued from a static point of view, while few think from the perspective of long-term development. China's culture has an inherent inclusiveness, its existence is not due to the recognition of some external factors, but it has the internal factors of self-innovation and adapt to the development of human beings, Chinese medicine is no exception, perhaps in the near future, the concept of Western medicine and Chinese medicine will gradually fade out of people's sight, more integrated and perfect medicine will appear to serve everyone's health.

Chinese medicine is summarized from practical experience in the theory, withstand the test of practice and time, science is also constantly discovering some laws of nature, Chinese medicine is also the result of the practice of laws, so with the current science and technology to test the Chinese medicine, can not be tested at all, science is concerned about visible and tangible, and Chinese medicine of the yin and yang and the five elements, the use of the current science can not be explained at all, in the future, the further development of science, it may be possible to discover the Chinese medicine The further development of science in the future may lead to the discovery of the wonders of Chinese medicine.

The reality of visible things there, invisible things also exist, this dark matter, but also need the further development of science, yin and yang, five elements is the basis of the theory of traditional Chinese medicine, traditional Chinese medicine is a combination of a variety of ingredients, the current science and technology, but not up to the level of interpretation of traditional Chinese medicine.