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【Da Gong News 2006-4-6】In Essen, a city in western Germany, there is the largest Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) treatment center in the country. Its reputation extends beyond Germany, attracting patients from other parts of Europe. A recent visit by a reporter to this center revealed the popularity of TCM in Germany, with the bustling medical scene leaving a deep impression.
In 2004, with funding from the German Krupp Foundation, the University of Duisburg-Essen established a department of naturopathy focusing on the study of traditional Chinese medicine, led by Professor Dr. Gustav De, who is well-versed in Western medicine and has studied TCM in China. The TCM treatment center is affiliated with the Department of Naturopathy and Integrative Medicine at the University of Duisburg-Essen. The center is divided into outpatient and inpatient departments. The outpatient department is housed in a separate two-story building. The second floor has eight treatment rooms, a triage and waiting hall, and small rooms for storing Chinese patent medicines and cupping equipment. The four large rooms on the first floor are mainly used by inpatients for practicing qigong, tai chi, yoga, and other activities.
The outpatient department has a total of 14 medical staff, including two doctors from China, three German doctors, four translators, and a sinologist. Jiang Feizhou and Wang Enping, from Jingzhou Hospital and Hangzhou College of Traditional Chinese Medicine respectively, which have cooperative relationships with the University of Duisburg-Essen, are here on an exchange program to work for two years. They are primarily responsible for diagnosis and prescribing Chinese medicine, and also participate in acupuncture and massage therapy. The German doctors are well-versed in Western medicine and have also studied TCM. Chief Physician Lan Peimin spent three months studying in Jingzhou. A sinologist who lived and studied in China for over five years, along with several German translators, helps Chinese doctors communicate with patients.
The inpatient department is located in an adjacent building, with a total of 21 wards and 54 beds. The beds are often fully booked, requiring reservations two weeks in advance. In addition to doctors and nurses, there are more than a dozen therapists who provide massage, gua sha, tuina, and other relaxation and balance exercises such as tai chi and qigong for patients.
Most patients suffer from depression, pain, rheumatism, herniated discs, chronic gastrointestinal diseases, skin diseases, and other conditions for which Western medicine has little to offer. Due to the significant therapeutic effects, word of mouth has spread, and patients come in droves without the need for advertising, including from Italy, the UK, and Nordic regions. The doctors' schedules are fully booked every day. Dr. Jiang, who has been here for nearly two years, and Dr. Wang, who has been here for a year, see nearly a hundred patients each week. Dr. Jiang remarked, "I never expected the demand for TCM in Germany to be so vast and urgent!" The center's thriving business is largely due to the participation of Chinese doctors. With the knowledge, skills, and experience they brought from China, they have cured countless patients and provided valuable advice and practical help to German doctors and scholars. Dr. Jiang was particularly impressed by a case where a long-term retinal detachment patient regained sight and a man who had been infertile became a father.
Except for acupuncture, other TCM therapies are not yet covered by the German health insurance system. However, due to trust in TCM, outpatient patients pay out of pocket. An elderly man told the reporter that his long-standing skin disease on his hands and feet, which Western medicine could not cure, was almost completely healed by Chinese doctors in three weeks. His friend's 25-year irregular heartbeat was also cured by TCM. The elderly man praised TCM and expressed full confidence in it.
A recent survey by the German polling agency Emnid found that more than half of Germans are willing to accept integrated Chinese and Western medicine treatments, with this ratio rising to 89% among respondents who have previously received TCM treatment. Professor Dr. De commented that this indicates Germans recognize the efficacy of TCM. After scientific evaluation by the University of Essen, it will help TCM gain certification in Europe. He believes that TCM will be integrated into the German medical system within ten years, and major universities will establish TCM departments.Currently, the medical department of the University of Duisburg-Essen is the only university department in Germany that includes Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) as a compulsory course. Dr. De is also the only university professor in Germany who researches the integration of TCM and naturopathy.
All of this is attributed to the strong promotion by Dr. De and the Krupp Foundation. Dr. De, originally a Western internal medicine physician, first encountered traditional Chinese medicine in 1983 and was fascinated by its miraculous treatments for certain diseases. He studied TCM in Beijing for a year and later visited China multiple times to exchange academic knowledge with several TCM institutions in Beijing and Shanghai. With the support of the Krupp Foundation, he established a department of TCM naturopathy and a TCM treatment center. Professor Beitz, the president of the Krupp Foundation, also loves traditional Chinese culture and expressed that supporting the integration of Chinese and Western medical therapies has been his long-standing wish.
The treatment center also undertakes the important tasks of scientific research and training TCM doctors. To quickly cultivate talents and address the shortage of TCM doctors, the TCM department of the University of Duisburg-Essen has established cooperative relationships with several TCM colleges in China. This summer, 15 German medical students will attend a four-week TCM course at Shanghai University of Traditional Chinese Medicine and will practice acupuncture under the guidance of TCM teachers. They are key training targets of the University of Essen and will become ambassadors promoting TCM in Germany in the future.
Xinhua News Agency, Essen (Germany), April 5th
Source: http://www. takungpao. com/ news/ 06/ 04/ 06/ ZM- 548821. htm
Traditional Chinese Medicine Gains Popularity in Germany
In 2004, with funding from the German Krupp Foundation, the University of Duisburg-Essen established a department of naturopathy focusing on the study of traditional Chinese medicine, led by Professor Dr. Gustav De, who is well-versed in Western medicine and has studied TCM in China. The TCM treatment center is affiliated with the Department of Naturopathy and Integrative Medicine at the University of Duisburg-Essen. The center is divided into outpatient and inpatient departments. The outpatient department is housed in a separate two-story building. The second floor has eight treatment rooms, a triage and waiting hall, and small rooms for storing Chinese patent medicines and cupping equipment. The four large rooms on the first floor are mainly used by inpatients for practicing qigong, tai chi, yoga, and other activities.
The outpatient department has a total of 14 medical staff, including two doctors from China, three German doctors, four translators, and a sinologist. Jiang Feizhou and Wang Enping, from Jingzhou Hospital and Hangzhou College of Traditional Chinese Medicine respectively, which have cooperative relationships with the University of Duisburg-Essen, are here on an exchange program to work for two years. They are primarily responsible for diagnosis and prescribing Chinese medicine, and also participate in acupuncture and massage therapy. The German doctors are well-versed in Western medicine and have also studied TCM. Chief Physician Lan Peimin spent three months studying in Jingzhou. A sinologist who lived and studied in China for over five years, along with several German translators, helps Chinese doctors communicate with patients.
The inpatient department is located in an adjacent building, with a total of 21 wards and 54 beds. The beds are often fully booked, requiring reservations two weeks in advance. In addition to doctors and nurses, there are more than a dozen therapists who provide massage, gua sha, tuina, and other relaxation and balance exercises such as tai chi and qigong for patients.
Most patients suffer from depression, pain, rheumatism, herniated discs, chronic gastrointestinal diseases, skin diseases, and other conditions for which Western medicine has little to offer. Due to the significant therapeutic effects, word of mouth has spread, and patients come in droves without the need for advertising, including from Italy, the UK, and Nordic regions. The doctors' schedules are fully booked every day. Dr. Jiang, who has been here for nearly two years, and Dr. Wang, who has been here for a year, see nearly a hundred patients each week. Dr. Jiang remarked, "I never expected the demand for TCM in Germany to be so vast and urgent!" The center's thriving business is largely due to the participation of Chinese doctors. With the knowledge, skills, and experience they brought from China, they have cured countless patients and provided valuable advice and practical help to German doctors and scholars. Dr. Jiang was particularly impressed by a case where a long-term retinal detachment patient regained sight and a man who had been infertile became a father.
Except for acupuncture, other TCM therapies are not yet covered by the German health insurance system. However, due to trust in TCM, outpatient patients pay out of pocket. An elderly man told the reporter that his long-standing skin disease on his hands and feet, which Western medicine could not cure, was almost completely healed by Chinese doctors in three weeks. His friend's 25-year irregular heartbeat was also cured by TCM. The elderly man praised TCM and expressed full confidence in it.
A recent survey by the German polling agency Emnid found that more than half of Germans are willing to accept integrated Chinese and Western medicine treatments, with this ratio rising to 89% among respondents who have previously received TCM treatment. Professor Dr. De commented that this indicates Germans recognize the efficacy of TCM. After scientific evaluation by the University of Essen, it will help TCM gain certification in Europe. He believes that TCM will be integrated into the German medical system within ten years, and major universities will establish TCM departments.Currently, the medical department of the University of Duisburg-Essen is the only university department in Germany that includes Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) as a compulsory course. Dr. De is also the only university professor in Germany who researches the integration of TCM and naturopathy.
All of this is attributed to the strong promotion by Dr. De and the Krupp Foundation. Dr. De, originally a Western internal medicine physician, first encountered traditional Chinese medicine in 1983 and was fascinated by its miraculous treatments for certain diseases. He studied TCM in Beijing for a year and later visited China multiple times to exchange academic knowledge with several TCM institutions in Beijing and Shanghai. With the support of the Krupp Foundation, he established a department of TCM naturopathy and a TCM treatment center. Professor Beitz, the president of the Krupp Foundation, also loves traditional Chinese culture and expressed that supporting the integration of Chinese and Western medical therapies has been his long-standing wish.
The treatment center also undertakes the important tasks of scientific research and training TCM doctors. To quickly cultivate talents and address the shortage of TCM doctors, the TCM department of the University of Duisburg-Essen has established cooperative relationships with several TCM colleges in China. This summer, 15 German medical students will attend a four-week TCM course at Shanghai University of Traditional Chinese Medicine and will practice acupuncture under the guidance of TCM teachers. They are key training targets of the University of Essen and will become ambassadors promoting TCM in Germany in the future.
Xinhua News Agency, Essen (Germany), April 5th
Source: http://www. takungpao. com/ news/ 06/ 04/ 06/ ZM- 548821. htm