Integrated TCM and Western Medicine Treatment for Asthma
Reports indicate that with medical progress, asthma prevention and treatment have made significant advances, culminating in the internationally recognized Global Initiative for Asthma (GINA) guidelines. However, asthma incidence and mortality rates have not declined but instead continue to rise annually. In response, many Chinese medical experts, drawing on millennia of TCM clinical experience and combining modern Western diagnostic and therapeutic techniques, have adopted integrated TCM and Western medicine approaches, achieving valuable and successful outcomes, earning high recognition from the international medical community.Modern Western medicine now recognizes asthma as a systemic allergic condition caused by airway allergic inflammation. Based on this understanding, we have employed advanced Western technologies to deeply investigate the anti-inflammatory and immunomodulatory effects of TCM. Techniques such as monoclonal antibody technology, molecular biology, and electron microscopy have been used to study the pharmacology and immunopharmacology of TCM formulas and single herbs. Additionally, modern diagnostic tools have been utilized to observe the efficacy of TCM in treating asthma.Currently, the main approach to integrated TCM and Western medicine treatment for asthma is diagnosing the condition clearly with Western medicine and then applying TCM syndrome differentiation, combined with Western medications, to achieve both symptomatic and root-cause treatment. For example, the herbal preparation Fanday Yinxingye Oral Liquid, known for its root-cause treatment, has shown good clinical results and is already being promoted in Germany, France, the USA, Japan, and other countries.The guiding principle of integrated TCM and Western medicine treatment for asthma is addressing both symptoms and root causes. Specific measures include Western anti-inflammatory treatments (including inhaled corticosteroids, bronchodilators, and desensitization therapy) and TCM herbal medicine. Western anti-inflammatory therapy, currently popular, refers not to antibiotic treatment but to anti-airway allergic inflammation, including inhaled corticosteroid aerosols and sodium cromoglycate aerosols. Although Western anti-inflammatory therapy has achieved good results in controlling asthma symptoms, inhalation therapy is localized and cannot correct the allergic constitution of asthmatics. Thus, symptoms often recur soon after discontinuation. Therefore, Western anti-inflammatory therapy is merely symptomatic treatment. TCM provides promising prospects for treating the root cause.Through TCM syndrome differentiation and treatment, depending on the condition, treatment begins by tonifying the kidneys, moistening the lungs, and strengthening the spleen to correct the allergic constitution, providing root-cause treatment and immunomodulation, greatly reducing asthma recurrence and improving cure rates—this embodies the principle of treating the root cause.Therefore, all asthma patients should work with specialized TCM and Western medicine doctors to develop a detailed, individualized treatment plan. Through addressing both symptoms and root causes, and achieving complete symptom remission, psychological therapy, cold-hardening exercises, and physical training should be incorporated to improve quality of life and overall constitution, ultimately curing asthma at its core.