🌿 Folk Prescriptions

Integrative treatment of diabetes using both TCM and Western medicine holds great promise and unique advantages. However, integration should not be simply understood as using both Western drugs and Chinese herbs simultaneously. Rather, the core idea is to absorb the distinctive features and strengths of both systems, combining them organically and seamlessly to leverage their respective merits, thereby enhancing clinical efficacy and achieving outcomes superior to either single-modality therapy. Below are the fundamental concepts and methods:
Combination of Disease Identification and Syndrome Differentiation
Modern Western medicine offers various diabetes treatments, including oral hypoglycemic agents and insulin injections. Many patients achieve good glycemic control with these therapies, but clinical symptoms such as dry mouth, bitter taste, fatigue, and limb weakness often persist. According to TCM theory, identifying the pattern of illness and determining the underlying cause—whether "dryness-heat injuring yin" or "qi-yin deficiency"—allows for syndrome differentiation and tailored treatment, significantly improving symptoms.
In clinical practice, for complex diabetes cases with uncontrolled blood glucose, combining insulin pump therapy with TCM syndrome differentiation yields good results. For early-stage diabetes, single-use TCM syndrome differentiation therapy combined with dietary and exercise management also proves effective. Integrated therapy provides diabetic patients with more options. Combination of Eliminating Pathogenic Factors and Strengthening Vital Qi
"Eliminating pathogenic factors" refers to removing disease-causing agents; "strengthening vital qi" involves regulating the internal environment, improving constitution, and enhancing insulin’s physiological function.
Oral hypoglycemic agents effectively control blood glucose, but secondary failure of sulfonylurea drugs remains a major challenge in managing type II diabetes. When sulfonylurea dosage remains unchanged, adding TCM syndrome differentiation therapy (e.g., qi-tonifying, yin-nourishing, blood-activating, stasis-resolving) significantly improves efficacy.
Diabetes treatment primarily focuses on symptom improvement and blood glucose reduction. TCM syndrome differentiation therapy excels in symptom relief, and certain herbs also possess notable hypoglycemic effects. This allows reduced reliance on Western drugs and avoids side effects of oral hypoglycemic agents.
TCM syndrome differentiation therapy can improve insulin resistance, with preliminary clinical evidence supporting this.
Treating diabetes complications is another major challenge in medicine. TCM demonstrates certain advantages here. For example, diabetic peripheral neuropathy can be treated with TCM syndrome differentiation plus herbal fumigation and acupoint injection.
Combination of Local and Whole-Body Treatment
Metabolic syndrome—encompassing central obesity, impaired glucose tolerance or type II diabetes, hyperlipidemia, hypertension, and hyperuricemia—shares common pathogenic mechanisms. Clinically, type II diabetes patients often present with hyperlipidemia, hypertension, hyperuricemia, and fatty liver. Thus, treatment must address both high blood glucose and comorbid conditions like lipid and blood pressure management. From a TCM perspective, this stems from qi stagnation, internal heat, and organ deficiency, which TCM syndrome differentiation therapy addresses effectively.
Combination of Short-Term Efficacy and Long-Term Regulation
As diabetes progresses, despite comprehensive treatment, patients often experience declining pancreatic β-cell function, reduced insulin secretion, and worsening condition, potentially leading to complications. Clinical research shows that combining TCM syndrome differentiation therapy can improve insulin resistance and protect pancreatic β-cells.
Doctor’s Profile
Yang Shuyu, Director of Xiamen Municipal Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Director of Xiamen Institute of Diabetes Research, Chief Physician, Professor, recipient of special government allowances from the State Council. He serves as a council member of the Chinese Association of Integrated Traditional Chinese and Western Medicine. He has extensive experience in treating diabetes and associated peripheral neuropathy. His projects, including the "Computer Expert Diagnostic System for Integrated TCM and Western Medicine in Diabetes," have won provincial science and technology awards. He has authored several medical monographs, including *Selected Discussions on Diabetes Therapeutics*.