Chinese Medicine Blog

TCM’s Legitimacy Challenged from Within

Posted on November 15th, 2006 by Ryan Mader.
Categories: General.

An article written by Geoffrey York, and published by The Globe and Mail on November 11, 2006 titled The Imperilled Acupuncture Skeptic, reports on a Chinese medical historian, Zhang Gongyao, who has publicly criticized traditional Chinese medicine. Mr. Zhang has launched an online petition for the removal of TCM from the constitution and the official medical system. The article by Mr. Zhang states, “from the viewpoint of science, Chinese traditional medicine has neither an empirical nor a rational foundation.  It is a threat to biodiversity. And it often uses poisons and waste as remedies. So we have enough reasons to bid farewell to it.”  Geoffrey goes on to write,
 

In fact, there is strong evidence to support his concerns. British health officials recently warned that Chinese herbal remedies can contain poisonous plant extracts and toxic ingredients such as arsenic, mercury and asbestos. One herbal remedy has an ingredient that is reportedly linked to bladder cancer and kidney damage. And another Chinese herb, ephedra, was banned by Health Canada after it was suspected of links to heart attacks and strokes.
 

Comments anyone?
 

The full article can be accessed at http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/LAC.20061111.MEDICINE11/TPStory/TPInternational/Asia/

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