On February 3rd, Hubei Province held a routine press conference on the prevention and control of the novel coronavirus pneumonia, and revealed that TCM played a fairly good role in the prevention and treatment of the epidemic.
Zhang Boli, member of the expert group of the National Health Commission, academician with the Chinese Academy of Engineering, and President of Tianjin University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, said that not long ago, the National Health Commission and the National Administration of Traditional Chinese Medicine had issued a notice, calling for the integrative TCM and western medicine treatment to fight against the novel coronavirus pneumonia. TCM and western medicine have their own strengths, and they should bring into play their respective advantages. The epidemic is characterized by pathogenic damp, with relatively long latent period and mild symptoms, which brings opportunities for TCM to better play its role in treatment. We should give full play to TCM treatment to achieve better results.
TCM is effective in improving symptoms. The major symptoms of this disease are fever, cough, fatigue, and some digestive discomforts. The antipyretic effect of TCM is relatively stable. TCM treatment of cough, especially in the early and middle stages of the common type, can achieve fairly good result，and patients' symptoms of fatigue, nausea and diarrhea can be greatly improved. Some patients are anxious and irritable. After taking TCM, their symptoms improved significantly. Patients with mild and moderate conditions are easily cured after TCM treatment. The number of patients with intermediate conditions conversing to severe conditions is significantly reduced, and such conditions do not turn to severe or critically severe conditions after taking TCM.
TCM treatment can help to stabilize blood oxygen saturation, improve dyspnea and reduce lung exudation of those critically severe patients. In this regard, TCM has a certain adjuvant treatment effect. The disease is better treated with TCM in the later stage, which is helpful to promote the inflammation absorption of the lung and avoid the sequela such as interstitial pneumonia and pulmonary fibrosis.
