You have accessJournal of UrologyHistory of Urology Forum I1 Apr 2015FRI-15 A HISTORY OF TRADITIONAL CHINESE MEDICINE (TCM) AND ITS CURRENT ROLE IN UROLITHAISIS Li June Tay, Di Gu, Robert Gray, and Peter Thompson Li June TayLi June Tay More articles by this author , Di GuDi Gu More articles by this author , Robert GrayRobert Gray More articles by this author , and Peter ThompsonPeter Thompson More articles by this author View All Author Informationhttps://doi.org/10.1016/j.juro.2015.02.2806AboutPDF ToolsAdd to favoritesDownload CitationsTrack CitationsPermissionsReprints ShareFacebookTwitterLinked InEmail INTRODUCTION AND OBJECTIVES To trace the history of Traditioal Chinese Medicine, its concept, and the evaluate its role in the management of urolithiasis. METHODS References were retrieved following a thorough bibliographic search using OVID Medline, EMBASE, Cochrane Database. Keywords used included ‘traditional chinese medicine’, ‘urolithaisis’, ‘calculi’, ‘herbal medicine’, ‘kampo’, ‘kidney’. Relevant review articles, case reports, books were considered along with resources from the Wellcome Trust Collection, Royal Society of Medicine, London. RESULTS Traditional Chinese Medicine has been in existence for over 2500 years. It broadly consist of acupuncture, herbal medicine, tuina (massage) and qi gong. The earliest documentation of Chinese herbal medicaments is in the ‘Shen Nung Benchau Jing’, believed to be compiled during the Han Dynasty. Historically, it had an extensive role in treatment of chronic diseases, and has been widely used in China and Japan (known as Kampo) for 10 decades, until the introduction of Western medicine in the late 1800s. TCM is popular within urology, including herbal ‘ginseng’ for the treatment of erectile dysfunction, acupuncture and herbal therapy for overactive bladder and renal stones. In TCM, dysfunction of Qi in the bladder causes damp-heat to diffuse downward and accumulate in the urinary system, over time causing calculus formation. Urolithiasis causing obstruction is believed to block the flow of Qi and therefore result in pain. Haematuria is attributed to the calculus injuries to the meridian. Currently, there is limited but growing evidence based literature on the role TCM in the prevention and treatment of stones. The Chinese State Medicine Administration Bureau issued guidelines in 1994 for management of urolithasis. It categorized it into four syndromes, each with different modes of treatment (Damp heat retention syndrome, qi-stagnation blood stasis syndrome, kidney ying deficiency syndrome and kidney yang deficiency syndrome). Recent evidence showed that medicinal herbs are known to effectively increase the rate of calculus passage, decreased the complications of urolithasis, which indirectly reduces hospitalisation and cost. CONCLUSIONS From its primitive roots in ancient China, TCM now has a global influence, and we need to recognize the complementary role it plays to Western medicine in urological practice. © 2015 by American Urological Association Education and Research, Inc.FiguresReferencesRelatedDetails Volume 193Issue 4SApril 2015Page: e586-e587 Advertisement Copyright & Permissions© 2015 by American Urological Association Education and Research, Inc.MetricsAuthor Information Li June Tay More articles by this author Di Gu More articles by this author Robert Gray More articles by this author Peter Thompson More articles by this author Expand All Advertisement Advertisement PDF downloadLoading ...