TCM in Canada

(Dr Wah Jun Tze is a renowned Chinese Canadian pediatrician. Over the years he has helped promoted the acceptance of Chinese traditional medicine in Canada. He is also a member of the WHO’s traditional medicine research group. I asked him what changed him from a successful pediatrician to a vocal advocate of TCM. )

Dr. Tze (T for short): This is my handy twenty-one times come to china since 1986. During these visits, I had an opportunity to visit hospitals. No matter which hospital I visit, I had an opportunity to see some of TCM practice in the patients. These visits gave me a lot of chances to talk to the patients, families and physicians and so on. So, I am impressed by some of the results.

Host (H for short): But did you have any skepticism about this trditional Chinese medicine as many of the other Western doctors may have?

T: Oh, sure. I think this two systems are so different, and also there is a good deal of deficiency in the TCM systems. For any western trained physician not only in Canada, but even western trained doctors in China, they were skeptical about the TCM systems even they are Chinese, they are practicing medicine in china. The reason: one is very focused on science and evidence base, the western medicine. The Chinese medicine is quite different. But at the same time I appreciate as a tremendous potential and posssibility it can help the patients. In particular, those patients who have chronic diseases.

H: Could you be a little more specific on that? Why the western medicine is not quite successful in treating chronic disease while the TCM system can?

T: well, I think it’s different philosophy and different focus. The western medicine relies on medicine and surgery and also they are extremely effective treating acute situation, using medication or surgery. They are focusing on patients’ diseases and symptoms rather than the patients themselves. Chinese medicine is quite different. They are not doing as well as western medicine using drugs treating acute diseases. But, as in a philosophy, Chinese medicine is trying to build a strong immune system or defence mechanism. So that they can handle the disease process much better. So, I think they are quite different.

H: The traditional Chinese medicine has already improved its position in the western countries. And I know that in Canada, it is one of the countries where the TCM has a wider acceptance than maybe in other western countries. Could you introduce to us what is the situation of traditional Chinese medicine in Canada now?

T: No.1, Canada is considered a multi-culture country. The major cities like Van Couvour, there’s a huge Chinese population, even overseas Chinese still are interested in traditional Chinese medicine when they suffer minor illness. So TCM is very popular in China town.

H: And how about in the western communities?

T: which is in the recent years, there’s increasing number of non-Chinese looking at complementary medicine on the whole, and TCM and acupuncture particularly has been incresingly attentioned interest by the lay people. Van Couvour and British Colombia, you know one of the province in Canada, is the first western province that recognizes the TCM. So indeed the acceptance of the TCM is just being legalized. Among all the western countries,and particularly Northern America, compared with the US, Canada is much more advanced and more willing to accept TCM.

H: So, there is quite a big market among the patients for the TCM consuming. And also the government is supportive and has made legislations. And what about the dortors, I mean especially the western doctors? What are their attitudes towards the traditional chinese medicine?

T: A good percentage still resists the acceptance of TCM practice. And again I think the argument is that the lack of quality control, standardization, and also the individual claim that TCM doctor may not have proper training background. Until the legalization, there’s no legal means to prevent any individual practice the TCM and on the street. So I think one had to except that TCM is still far behind in the areas of standardization, quality control and proper training of TCM doctors and lack of consistency, and science and so on. Until it is improved, I think the western doctors will resist accepting the TCM.

H: I know in 1996 you have set up the institute for the complemetary and alternative medicines. What was the aim of setting up the institute?

T: I hope to set up the institute so that it can be the bases for encouraging scientists to do more research on the TCM or the complementary medicine. Second, is to try to disseminate information to protect the consummer from poor advice. So we hope that the institute can become a center to provide more reliable imformation about TCM and complementary medicine. Thirdly, we try to develop some educational program on how to proper conduct research in this whole field as a part of the educational process, and finally we hope that this institute play a role in the integration of the two system and become a type of health-care to the patients.

H: As you said just now we have seen a lot of positive sides that the traditional Chinese medicine are more accepted in the western market and by the western public, but there’s still a long way to go. For example, a lot of people who turn to traditional Chinese medicine would not be willing to tell their doctors about that. Recently I read in a newspaper that it would be dangerous to the patients, if they were to take other herbal medicines without the doctors' advice. Up to now the Chinese traditional medicine and the western medicine are still two completely different systems, do you think that an integration of the two systems would be impossible in the future?

T: Yes, indeed. I think that would eventually happen. But it will take a lot effort and then need governments to pay some attention in order for TCM become a major system in the local health-care to the patients. And it’s got to take a long time to achieve that, but I’m sure it will happen.