Integrated innovation of Chinese and western medicine: Target-combined Holistic Treatment

Abstract

<p indent="0mm">With the development of biomedicine, and significant success achieved by targeted therapy in the treatment of complex and refractory diseases such as cancers, clinical treatment and drug discovery based on molecular targets become the main direction of modern medical research. Guided by holistic concept, traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) has a unique advantage with regards to the prevention and treatment of complex diseases through its comprehensive effect. However, at present, TCM research is insufficient and problems such as inaccurate clinical findings, lack of dominant diseases, unclear evaluation of efficacy, and unclear mechanisms, cannot be solved easily. Therefore, the authors believe that the development of TCM should adopt an innovative approach that integrates the advantages of TCM and western medicine, and positively influences the development of TCM and even future medicine. This article proposes Target-combined Holistic Treatment (THT), a new concept based on the integration of TCM and western medicine. While being guided by the holistic and systematic perspective of TCM, THT also factors in the latest advances in both TCM and modern biomedical research, and uses macro-micro combination, target-syndrome combination, and internal and external co-division, as the primary strategies to establish a clinical diagnosis model that combines disease differentiation, syndrome differentiation, and target differentiation. It also uses drug ingredients/components to enable comprehensive interventions against multiple targets linked to a disease, and establishes target medication and research strategy of TCM, so as to improve its pertinence, efficacy, and safety, and ensure precise and effective medication. The theories and methods of THT fully integrate the advantages of TCM and western medicine, factoring in both macro-control and micro intervention, and also systematic confrontation, precision treatment, and embracing TCM theory and modern technology. This can guide the further development of TCM, western medicine, as well as the combination of TCM and western medicine. It will therefore help promote the integration and innovation of both TCM and western medicine, and the in-depth development of TCM. The theories and methods of THT can be used to guide not only the whole process of clinical diagnosis but also the development of innovative drugs. THT has been used to guide the formulation of TCM diagnosis and treatment for COVID-19 and has shown remarkable results. We have developed a Chinese herbal prescription “Keguan-1”, to prevent and treat COVID-19 based on the theory and method of THT, and use the doctrine of “resist foreign aggression and pacify the interior” of TCM against COVID-19. Using the findings of research in modern medicine, THT can innovate and develop TCM based treatments, and thus aid in the treatment of various diseases, and also help promote the integration and development of TCM and western medicine.