by Carl Balingit
on May 1, 2016
‘Traditional Culture,’ by Carmen Kong [flickr.com/bitterlysweet]. License https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/2.0/
Keeping abreast of global trends in Chinese medicine is informative. For one realizes that the adoption of medical currents is not only influenced by scientific query but also culture.
The cultural influence is quite evident in Hong Kong. One may assume that Chinese medicine has enjoyed continuous acceptance there, since it is technically part of China. However, it is a “Special Administrative Region of the People’s Republic of China,” and was under British rule for 156 years until 1997. The 20th century geopolitical climate of Hong Kong was likely responsible for its still preferential treatment of Western medicine.
Though, since the transfer back to Chinese governance, there has been greater momentum towards the use of Chinese medicine. It is becoming an emergent shift, as the ageing population increasingly presents with chronic diseases that Western medicine has had difficulty in managing.
The crest of this shifting tide is evident in Hong Kong Baptist University’s endeavor to open the city’s first Chinese medicine hospital.
Tagged as:
Hong Kong
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by Carl Balingit
on April 9, 2016
‘Skull Cap,’by Denis [flickr.com/65640806@N02]. License https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/2.0/
Pharmaceutical companies employ scientists to look deep into the chemistry of plants. They do this not only to identify “active ingredients” but also to find ways to mimic nature and synthesize new drugs.
The value of these new drugs is arguable. For while they address specific symptoms, they also present serious side effects—some acutely fatal; others chronically debilitating.
Another contentious area is the economics of drug development. Patented drugs are no doubt expensive, and now pharmaceutical companies routinely file patent extensions to maintain their monopoly.
If a generic drug can offer the same effect as the brand name, then why obstruct access to it? Since the majority of prescription drugs are derived from natural plant sources, why not stick to the use of plants themselves as is the case in herbal medicine? These are questions not only of economics but also of ethics.
The Pharma reasoning is that [continue reading…]
Tagged as:
huang qin
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