Press Releases
Renowned experts gather in Traditional Chinese Medicine Workshop
Renowned world experts gather in Hong Kong for a two-day international workshop to address a diverse range of issues in research methodology and grantsmanship involving Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM).
Held between October 30 and 31, the "Enhancing the Evidence-base for Traditional Chinese Medicine Practice-Methodology and Grantsmanship" workshop was hosted by the Health, Welfare and Food Bureau in collaborative partnership with two premier American institutions - the National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine (NCCAM) and the University of Maryland, Baltimore.
Distinguished speakers included Dr Brian Berman, Director of Complementary Medicine Program, University of Maryland, Baltimore; Dr Richard Hammerschlag, Research Director of Oregon College of Oriental Medicine; and Dr Stephen Straus, Director of NCCAM.
In his opening remarks, the Secretary for Health, Welfare and Food, Dr Yeoh Eng-kiong, today (October 30) said the workshop had provided a forum for participants and speakers to exchange views on TCM research methodology and study designs, and share insights and success factors on grant applications.
Noting that TCM had a set of philosophies and a wide spectrum of practices which differed from conventional medicine, Dr Yeoh said: "TCM aims not only to relieve symptoms and cure diseases, but also to restore imbalance, bring back harmony to the body system and promote wellness."
He said the holistic nature of TCM had to be acknowledged or captured by the study designs which was one of the important challenges encountered by the research community.
Other challenges included standardised and individualised treatment, choice of controls and placebos, and role of practitioner as a component or contributor to treatment, he added.
To develop Hong Kong into an international centre of Chinese Medicine is the policy goal announced in the Chief Executive's Policy Address in 1997 and 1998, Dr Yeoh said.
The four strategic initiatives launched to achieve this goal are: the development of a comprehensive regulatory framework, the establishment of a good system of a formal education and training, the provision of Chinese medicine services in public sector, and the promotion of research and development.
"Promoting research and development in TCM is certainly a strategic plank of the Government's overall initiative on Chinese Medicine.
"I regard this workshop an important milestone for us to move towards our policy goal," he said.
Through an interactive and participative approach, the two-day workshop aimed to act as a catalyst to begin the process of enhancing and consolidating the evidence-base for TCM practice.
The workshop had attracted strong interests from local and international research community with participants totalling some 300 including delegates from all over the world, including the Mainland, the United States, South Korea, Australia, Singapore, Japan, Israel, Brazil, Canada, India, and Nigeria.
Highlights of the workshop featured keynote speeches on various topics including: "Developing the Science of Complementary and Alternative Medicine: A Global Challenge", "Role of Systematic Reviews in Enhancing the Evidence-base for TCM Practice" and "Safety and Efficacy Study of TCM and CAM Botanicals".
Wednesday, October 30, 2002