​Jinan TCM expert shares experience in COVID-19 treatment

Traditional Chinese medicine has proved effective in improving the recovery rate of novel coronavirus pneumonia patients.

Tan Zhengyue, a medical worker who worked on the frontlines of the virus fight in Hubei province, shared his experiences at a news conference on April 5.

Tan said that more than 90 percent of novel coronavirus patients treated using traditional Chinese medicine showed increased signs of recovery, according to the clinical practice.

Tan has helped 97 patients recover by integrating Western medicine with traditional Chinese medicine.

Tan, a doctor working in the lung disease department of the Jinan Municipal Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine, was among the ninth group of Shandong medical teams to assist Hubei province.

He was working in Xishui county, one of the hardest-hit areas in Huanggang city, and took charge of treating cases in the county.

Tan applied diagnosis methods using traditional Chinese medicine, including checking the tongue coating and other physical signs, to gain first-hand information on the patient's condition.

"The four diagnostic methods of TCM – looking, listening, questioning and feeling the pulse – help us learn more about patients' physical and mental conditions."

He said TCM doctors usually pay attention to the climate, diet, sleep and mental state of their patients.

Tan also developed personalized treatment plans for each patient integrating Western medicine with traditional Chinese medicine.

One patient suffered from a severe pulmonary infection after being diagnosed with the novel coronavirus, had diabetes for many years and was in poor physical condition. Tan and his colleagues adjusted the treatment plan. After 28 days of careful treatment, the patient finally recovered and was discharged.

In traditional Chinese medicine, emotions are closely related to diseases. Medical workers taught patients wuqinxi, which imitates the movements of bears, tigers, monkeys, deer and birds, to promote health and positive emotions.