Regulations and Degree reciprocity

[GeneChing]

This is probably more about Taiwan/PRC politics than anything else. Nevertheless, reciprocity is a topic of interest as TCM goes global, don't you think?


Updated Thursday, November 12, 2009 9:23 am TWN, The China Post news staff
Cabinet upholds ban on Chinese medicine degrees (http://www.chinapost.com.tw/taiwan/china-taiwan-relations/2009/11/12/232394/Cabinet-upholds.htm)
TAIPEI, Taiwan -- Despite a plea from a visiting Chinese province chief, the Executive Yuan reiterate yesterday that Taiwan will not recognize the academic credentials of Chinese medicine school graduates from mainland China, according to the United Evening News.

Liang Bao-hua, chief of the Chinese Communist Party in Jiangsu Province arrived at Taipei on Tuesday to meet with Chairman Chiang Pin-kung of the Strait Exchange Foundation.

Liang said that he appealed for more than 400 Taiwan students who earned medicine-related degrees in China, asking that the government would approve their educational qualifications in Taiwan.

In response to Liang's request, Chao Chien-ming from the Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) said that the government will not change its current policy to admit China medicine-related qualifications in Taiwan.

Instead, the government will promote the act to recognize non-medical academic qualifications from China and allow students to study in Taiwan.

Approximately forty top universities in China, including Peking University, Tsinghua University and Shanghai Fudan University, have been put on the approval list that will be sent to the Legislative Yuan, said Chao.

According to Chao, the bill of recognizing educational qualifications from China had been send to the Legislative Yuan last year and will be discussed in a meeting with the government on Friday. The MAC hopes to make the bill pass before January when the term of the national assembly ends.

[mawali]

A mixture of both with the political predominating!
Hong Kong degree credentials would be more acceptable in the UK than a mainland Chinese degree.

[Xiao3 Meng4]

This piece of news popped up on one of the acupuncture/TCM newsfeeds, but now I can't find the feed in question. Does anyone have any more info on this?

[Xiao3 Meng4]

Ok, It was an article in the China Daily Post, Nov 11 2009. I can't access the site though. Here's a mirror link, but again, my connection is acting weird today, can't access the full article.

http://www.silobreaker.com/cabinet-upholds-ban-on-chinese-medicine-degrees-5_2262733465759776773

I'm not sure now if it's TCM or Chinese-trained Western Med grads they're talking about...?

[herb ox]

It may be for all medical degrees, but the Official Kuomingtang Website (http://www.kmt.org.tw/english/page.aspx?type=article&mnum=112&anum=7174), a press release makes very brief mention of Taiwanese TCM students studying in Jiangsu Provence, and their concerns regarding Taiwan's limited recognition of degrees from Mainland China. It seems it is an ongoing issue, and Taiwan is keeping its stance, though conceding to recognize non-medical academic degrees.

cheers

herb ox

[herb ox]

Wait, this is the same issue as the article Gene posted. Merging threads...

herb ox

[GeneChing]

That's kind of funny given PRCs level of quality control for exports...:rolleyes:

Taiwan gets most of its herbal medicine from China: report
Central News Agency (http://www.etaiwannews.com/etn/news_content.php?id=1121099&lang=eng_news&cate_img=35.jpg&cate_rss=news_Business)
2009-11-30 10:26 PM

Taipei, Nov. 30 (CNA) A big chunk of Taiwan's imports of Chinese herbal and traditional medicines came from mainland China, the non-profit Development Center for Biotechnology reported Monday.

Taiwan imported US$29.66 million worth of Chinese herbal medicine from the Chinese mainland in 2008, making the island China's fifth largest export market for this type of exports, Liu Tzu-hui, a researcher with the center, quoted a Chinese government customs report as indicating.

According to Taiwan's customs statistics, however, the percentage of Taiwan's Chinese medicine imports from mainland China was even greater - at about 60-70 percent of its total imports of this type of product.

Ginseng preparations made the bulk of these imports, constituting about 28.5 percent of the total, Liu said, citing Taiwanese official statistics.

Taiwan's imports of Chinese herbal medicine materials from around the world, excluding prepared herbal medicines, totaled NT$2.42 billion (US$75 million) in 2008, according to the statistics.

Liu said China is the world's major exporter of raw materials of Chinese herbal medicines and prepared herbal medicines as its production chain in this industry is well rounded, with a huge number of suppliers and processors.

The quality of these medicines, however, was unstable and hard to control, said Liu.

She noted that 30 percent of the prepared herbal medicines sold around China last year were found to be below standards by Chinese health authorities.

Commenting on the wide gap between the import and export figures from Chinese and Taiwanese customs authorities, Liu said it is normal that the official figures from across the strait varied considerably since the two sides do not maintain any system of exchanging their customs data or any mechanism to verify the veracity of trade figures reported by the private importers and exporters.

Meanwhile, Taiwan's exports of Chinese herbal medicine materials stood at NT$635 million for the same year, according to government statistics.

According to Liu, Taiwan's locally-produced Chinese medicinal preparations made up about 10 percent of the country's total pharmaceutical output annually, and were worth between NT$5-6 billion.

Taiwan's competitive edge over China is that it has well-developed production technology, solid research and development foundation and good brand name images, she added.

[mawali]

That's kind of funny given PRCs level of quality control for exports...:rolleyes:


Actually, it is rational, given, as you noted, the PRC level of quality control export.
With the raw product, you can control if it is actually as is stated, along with appropriate assays and continue with the next step until finished product.

PRC's standards are truly way off base and lacking in the following.
1. Genus and species identification - identity
2. Heavy metal screen. Lead is often seen is even herbal medicine tablets!
3. Solvent residue screen
4. Potency assay
5. Shelf life testing
6. Aflatoxin screening

[herb ox]

Lucky for us much of that is tested for by our distributors (though only a few) here in the states. With the new GMP practices outlined by the FDA hopefully we'll see more reliably "clean" products. The herbs I use are tested for aflotoxins, heavy metals, bacterial contamination and species identification, and I try to get the unsulfured versions as well...

cheers

herb ox

[GeneChing]

Practitioners of traditional Chinese medicine march against new rules (http://www.thestar.com/news/gta/article/776411--practitioners-of-traditional-chinese-medicine-march-against-new-rules)
Published On Sun Mar 07 2010
Keith Beaty/Toronto Star

New regulations proposed to govern the practice of traditional Chinese medicine in Ontario discriminate against the most qualified practitioners, say representatives of the profession.

About 300 practitioners and their supporters marched Sunday along Dundas St. W. between Spadina Ave. and University Ave., to demand action from the province.

In 2006, Ontario passed the Traditional Chinese Medicine Act to create a self-regulating profession, similar to the bodies that govern doctors, nurses, chiropractors and physiotherapists. Traditional Chinese medicine involves the use of acupuncture, herbal remedies and a holistic approach to treatment.

However, a transitional council appointed by the government in 2008 to establish the regulations and standards to be overseen by the new governing body isn’t working in the best interest of the profession or the public, protestors said.

The majority of people on the transitional council are not qualified in Chinese medicine and so not in a position to be drafting regulations, said Dr. Mona Zhang, speaking for the 2,000-member Federation of Ontario Traditional Chinese Medicine Associations.

Zhang and fellow members are demanding the health ministry dissolve the council and appoint qualified representatives to draft non-discriminatory regulations.

Her group is also calling into question the authenticity of one council member’s qualifications and wants the province to investigate.

One proposal would require practitioners of acupuncture to work under the supervision of a regulated profession such as physicians, chiropractors or physiotherapists — something Chinese medicine practitioners say they can’t accept.

“They are prepared to engage in civil disobedience to protest this racist policy,” said Jon Alexander, a Carleton University political science professor advising the protesters. “They won’t allow themselves to be supervised by needling amateurs .... They would much rather go to jail.”

While most traditional Chinese medicine providers have years of training, they will end up being supervised by other unqualified health care professionals, he said.

The province is regulating the profession because of the potential for harmful reactions between western drugs and herbal treatments, concerns some herbs may be toxic or of poor quality and fears that practitioners might cut corners in the sterilization of needles.

Check out the protester's sign: STOP DESTROY CHINESE MEDICINE. That reads like you should stop and destroy TCM. It should be Stop Destroying Chinese Medicine but then the stop sign graphic wouldn't quite work. Some fine Chinglish at play there. :)

http://media.thestar.topscms.com/images/ff/ee/94361a384109a33a32e94a2c42bb.jpeg

[kfson]

Check out the protester's sign: STOP DESTROY CHINESE MEDICINE. That reads like you should stop and destroy TCM. It should be Stop Destroying Chinese Medicine but then the stop sign graphic wouldn't quite work. Some fine Chinglish at play there. :)

http://media.thestar.topscms.com/images/ff/ee/94361a384109a33a32e94a2c42bb.jpeg

Unbelievable.

[Dale Dugas]

At least they are trying.

there are few companies out there that are advertising 100% organic Chinese Herbs.

There are no such thing.

There are many herbs that have been certified organic.

Spring Wind goes out of their way to test for a huge list of pesticides.

Others only test for a few.

Kamwo Herbs in NYC offers some tested herbs as well as Nuherbs.

Mayway advertises tested herbs as well.

Beware anyone who tries to claim 100% organic herbs for all herbs. It does not exist at this time unless you are growing your own.

[GeneChing]

Given the state of health care in the U.S., this is not on our radar now. :rolleyes:

Alternative Medicine to be Regulated (http://topnews.us/content/215078-alternative-medicine-be-regulated)
Submitted by Jason Ramsey on Fri, 04/02/2010 - 10:59

Andy Burnham, the Secretary of Health, has revealed that he was determined to regulate high-street herbal remedies, traditional Chinese medicine and acupuncture. He said that he wishes to ensure that all suppliers of unlicensed medicines would register themselves with a regulator.

The Complementary and Natural Healthcare Council will ascertain that those who practice alternative medicine are appropriately trained. They will also guarantee that their practices are safe for the health of the patients.

It has been reported that health authorities are making endeavors to analyze the utility and benefit of acupuncture within the NHS to help alleviate conditions such as lower back pain.

However, critics are of the opinion that the proposals which are slated for implementation later this year are not all encompassing.

It has been reported that the council will grant approval to those providing unlicensed herbal medicines if they are successful in convincing the council that they have the right training and experience, are willing to abide by a code of conduct and have insurance.

Andy Burnham stated, “Emerging evidence clearly demonstrates that the public needs better protection, but in a way that does not place unreasonable extra burdens on practitioners”.


Chinese medicine sellers face regulation crackdown (http://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-1262852/Herbalists-regulated-Government-time.html)
By Jenny Hope
Last updated at 1:24 AM on 02nd April 2010

Shops and clinics selling herbal and Chinese medicine are to be regulated for the first time.

Health Secretary Andy Burnham has indicated he will tighten the law in an attempt to protect the public from ill-trained and bogus practitioners.

Almost 2,500 qualified herbalists and Chinese medicine practitioners will lose the right to supply a wide range of medicines because they are not signed up to a statutory regulation scheme.

Fears have been raised about the lack of regulation around herbal and Chinese medicine, which is often sold via high street shops, online and in private clinics.

Last month a judge criticised the lack of regulation after hearing of the case of Patricia Booth, 58, who was treated for a skin condition for five years with pills sold by a Chinese herbal medicine retailer - and later suffered bladder cancer and kidney failure.

Mr Burnham said yesterday that he was ‘minded to legislate’ so practitioners supplying unlicensed medicines have to register with the Complementary and Natural Healthcare Council.

He has not yet decided whether to regulate acupuncture treatment.

However, the CHNC is a voluntary body, unlike the Health Professions Council which oversees statutory regulation of chiropractors and osteopaths.

Further talks are to be held with professional bodies and devolved governments before a decision is made on changing the law.

Fears have been raised about the lack of regulation around herbal and Chinese medicine, which is often sold via high street shops, online and in private clinics.

Last month a judge slammed the lack of regulation after hearing of the death of a Patricia Booth, 58, who was treated for five years with cancer-causing pills sold by a Chinese herbal medicine retailer.

Mr Burnham insisted the new register 'will increase public protection' without placing 'unreasonable extra burdens on practitioners'.

He has not yet decided whether to regulate acupuncture treatment.

But the European Herbal and Traditional Medicine Practitioners Association said the plan was a 'cop-out' because the CHNC lacks the structure, staff, financial resources or legal power to provide statutory regulation.

Chairman Michael McIntyre said 'Herbalists should be regulated like other statutorily regulated healthcare practitioners or the public will lose access to properly regulated herbalists and a wide range of herbal medicines.

'The Government must give detailed assurances that the legal and structural basis of statutory regulation is fit for purpose or it will betray the millions of people who regularly consult herbal practitioners.

'So far the Government has singularly failed to provide these guarantees.'

At least six million Britons have consulted a herbal practitioner in the last two years, according to Ipsos Mori research.

As many as one in 12 adults has used herbal medicines obtained from a Western or traditional Chinese practitioner.

Prince Charles, a long-standing supporter of complementary therapies, met Mr Burnham when he voiced his support for formal regulation of herbal practitioners.

Dr Michael Dixon, medical director to the Prince’s Foundation for Integrated Health, said he hoped a full statutory scheme would be introduced because 'light touch' regulation or licensing would fail to protect the public.

He said 'It would be an extraordinary combination of carelessness about patient safety with more nanny state interference.

'It could allow those with no more than 4 – 6 weeks basic training to access powerful herbs, prepare their own remedies and offer treatment to the public. That will risk more cases of serious harm to patients treated by inexperienced, inadequately trained practitioners.

'A bizarre consequence of anything less than statutory regulation would be that, combined with EU rules, it would effectively ban even those with full training and qualifications from providing many herbal medicines currently in use. They would not be permitted access to manufactured or pre-prepared herbal remedies.

Emma Farrant, secretary of the Register of Chinese Herbal Medicine, said 'The CNHC was formed to regulate complementary health practitioners on a voluntary basis, and as currently constituted, is not equipped for statutory regulation.

'The apparent decision to exclude acupuncturists from full regulation is bizarre and regrettable.'

Mike O'Farrell, chief executive of the British Acupuncture Council, said 'It is our belief that statutory regulation is in the best interest of public health.'

[GeneChing]

Unlicensed masseurs rally for 'right to survival' (http://focustaiwan.tw/ShowNews/WebNews_Detail.aspx?Type=aLIV&ID=201005020015)
2010/05/02 19:51:06
Taipei, May 2 (CNA) More than 1,000 unlicensed masseurs took to the streets Sunday to protest against the government's decision to ban them from clinics providing traditional Chinese medicine and treatment.

The protesters rallied in front of the Cabinet-level Department of Health (DOH), where they shouted slogans that included: "We want licences, " "We want jobs" and "We want to live." Chang Chih-sheng, one of the protesters, complained that the government did not consult them or prepare any coping measures before making the decision to put them out of work.

"Our modest request is that the government devise a testing mechanism to allow us to sit a test so that we can obtain a licence to continue our careers," Chang said.

Another protester, who only gave his surname of Lee, said he has been working as a masseur at a Chinese medicine clinic for 20 years and that the government's sudden decision to outlaw his job has sunk him into a deep panic.

"I will be out of a job and I will have great difficulty finding a new job," Lee said.

Joblessness will be unavoidable even if the DOH gives a two-year buffer period for unlicensed masseurs to find other jobs, Lee said.

A French man who was among the protesters said he regularly has Chinese massage to help alleviate the pain caused by work-related injuries.

Noting that he feels relaxed and comfortable every time he has a Chinese massage, the man said Taiwan should spare no efforts to preserve this traditional folk therapy.

Responding to the demonstrators' appeal, Shih Chung-liang, director of the DOH's Bureau of Medicine Affairs, said a licensing system might not be helpful for unlicensed masseurs.

If such tests were devised and these unlicensed masseurs found themselves unable to pass, it could make the jobless situation for them even worse, Shih said. (By Chen Li-ting and Deborah Kuo)
If these massage therapists have the experience, it shouldn't be too hard to pass some government standard test.

[GeneChing]

Nice update on the national legal situation here.

Acupuncture Not Legal (http://www.healthcmi.com/index.php/acupuncturist-news-online/249-acupuncturelicense2010strategic)

A consortium of professional acupuncturist associations have combined to help make acupuncture legal in every state in the US and to promote Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine (AOM) education, research, and outreach with the AOM National Organizations Strategic Plan. There are no laws governing acupuncturists in Wyoming, North Dakota, South Dakota, Oklahoma, and Alabama. Two of the most recent states to legalize the acupuncture profession are Delaware in 2008 and Kentucky in 2006. One of the first states to create oversight for the practice of acupuncture was California in 1972 when the California Board of Medical Examiners began regulating acupuncture for use in medical schools. In 1975, California Governor Jerry Brown signed a law legalizing the practice of acupuncture by licensed acupuncturists and the California Acupuncture Board was created. In an interesting turn of events, Jerry Brown is again running for Governor which may support efforts to enhance accessibility to licensed acupuncturists should he win the race.

Acupuncture organizations nationwide have combined to create the AOM National Organizations Strategic Plan. This is a master plan that states, “By 2014, acupuncture and Oriental medicine (AOM), an independent, licensed profession, will be fully accessible to the public throughout American healthcare.” Key goals include promoting research, education, public awareness, and outreach. Also central to the plan is creating job opportunities for licensed acupuncturists in multiple healthcare settings. One important goal is to obtain federal recognition for licensed acupuncturists. Finally, the strategic plan seeks to achieve licensure for acupuncturists in every state. The participating organizations include: American Association of Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine (AAAOM), Accreditation Commission for Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine (ACAOM), Council of Colleges of Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine (CCAOM), Federation of Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine Regulatory Agencies (FAOMRA), National Certification Commission for Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine (NCCAOM), National Federation of Chinese Traditional Chinese Medicine Organizations (NFCTCMO), and the Society for Acupuncture Research (SAR).

A key element is working toward federal recognition of AOM under Medicare and by the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS). Currently, the BLS does not recognise licensed acupuncturists as a standalone profession. The BLS recognizes acupuncture as a procedure that may be applied by nurses and chiropractors and not as a profession. Recognition is widely considered the first step towards gaining Medicare coverage for acupuncturist services by licensed acupuncturists.

Section 3502 of the new health reform law recently signed by President Obama states that primary health care practitioners must “provide coordination of the appropriate use of complementary and alternative (CAM) services to those who request such services.” The goals of the AOM National Organizations Strategic Plan are synergistic with this legal provision. The new health reform law may help to move the BLS to formally recognize the acupuncture profession thereby opening the door to Medicare coverage for patients.

[GeneChing]

Actually one is from last week because I don't check this newsfeed as often.


HK gets tough on Chinese medicine (http://health.asiaone.com/Health/News/Story/A1Story20101203-250616.html)
Fri, Dec 03, 2010
China Daily/Asia News Network
By Michelle Fei and Shan Juan

HONG KONG/BEIJING - A sudden change to laws regulating the proprietary Chinese medicine (pCm) industry in Hong Kong could render nearly one-third of local pCm products illegal and turn unwitting users into criminals.

Representatives of the pCm industry issued a joint call in Hong Kong on Thursday, urging authorities to postpone the activation date of the new regulation on pCm registration, though the government said it would not delay the implementation.

The Food and Health Bureau of Hong Kong made an unexpected announcement on Nov 27 that all unregistered pCm will be forbidden in Hong Kong from Dec 3.

After that date, anyone who sells, imports or possesses unregistered pCm will be fined a maximum of HK$100,000 (S$16,870) or be sentenced to two years' jail.

"With no adequate publicity and implementation guidelines provided beforehand, the sudden change left local practitioners, manufacturers and even residents at high risk of inadvertently violating the law," said Yu Kowk-wai, chairman of Hong Kong Chinese Medicine Practitioners' Rights General Union.

As on the mainland, pCm is commonly used in Hong Kong where every family has at least two or three pCm products at home, he said.

However, Yu warned that many unwitting families will "become criminals by default", once the new regulation comes into effect.

Yu said that the new regulation could also damage the pCm market on the Chinese mainland because it will make it illegal to buy pCm that are registered on the mainland but not registered in Hong Kong.

"Hong Kong people have a habit of purchasing famous local pCm when they visit mainland cities. However, the risk of being caught at customs in possession of pCm not registered in Hong Kong will make mainland pCm less attractive to Hong Kong residents," said Yu.

As well, mainlanders should be cautious about buying Hong Kong-produced pCm as souvenirs.

A spokesman for the Department of Health of Hong Kong told China Daily on Nov 30 that the list of unregistered pCm includes some famous local pCms, which are also popular with mainland customers.

Official statistics showed that by the end of October, the Chinese Medicines Board had rejected one-third of 16,703 pCm registration applications in Hong Kong because they had not been tested for the presence of heavy metals, toxic elements and pesticide residues.

Yu said that number was unreasonably high compared with the mainland, as most of Hong Kong's Chinese medicine regulators are Western medicine doctors.

"That is absolutely inappropriate," he said.

A similar problem also affected the trade in traditional Chinese medicines (TCM) on the mainland, said Huang Jianyin, deputy secretary-general with the World Federation of Chinese Medicine Societies, a Beijing-based non-governmental organization.

"Due to heavy metal toxicity, pesticide and aflatoxin residue, traditional Chinese medicines, particularly tisane, cannot meet the European Union standard for export," Huang told China Daily.

Huang urged the TCM industry to improve product quality to meet the required standard.

Cang Wei contributed to this story.


Tuesday, December 07, 2010Last Update: 10:34 AM PT
Canada Cracks Down on 'Traditional' Medicine (http://www.courthousenews.com/2010/12/07/Darryl_Greer.htm)

VANCOUVER, B.C. - British Columbia wants the Council of Natural Medicine College of Canada and a college of traditional Chinese medicine restrained from handing out degrees proclaiming its graduates as "doctors." The Natural Medicine College and co-defendant Shanghai TCM College of B.C. Canada, which operate out of the same address, charge tuition and grant graduates degrees conferring upon them titles such as "Natural Health Doctor," "Doctor of Traditional Complimentary Medicine," and "Doctor in Holistic Health."
The government says the Shanghai College was authorized to offer training in traditional Chinese medicine, but its authorization was revoked. The government claims the defendants ignored cease-and-desist letters and still maintain websites offering degrees with "doctor" in the title.
Ida Chong, the province's Minister of Regional Economic and Skills Development, and Health Minister Colin Hansen want it to stop.

[GeneChing]

China to speed up TCM standardization (http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/business/2013-01/11/content_16104657.htm)
Updated: 2013-01-11 09:23
( Xinhua)

BEIJING - China will accelerate the establishment and revision of traditional Chinese medicine standards in order to promote the tradition overseas, a health official said Thursday.

Wang Guoqiang, vice minister of health and director of the State Administration of TCM, said at a national TCM work conference that the standardization of TCM will enhance its development and guarantee its quality.

Wang said the Chinese Medical Association has established 195 standards regarding TCM thus far.

Official statistics indicate that the central government spent 3.34 billion yuan ($537.4 million) to support TCM development last year.

TCM originated in China more than 2,000 years ago. Practitioners use herbs, acupuncture, massage and other methods to treat a wide range of illnesses. Animal parts, medicinal plants and extracts are all used in TCM.
The key phrase here is 'in order to promote the tradition overseas'. Never mind that it's been unregulated for PRC's own population forever. This is about making money off export and not losing international face. :rolleyes:

[GeneChing]

TCM law needs fast tracking (http://www.globaltimes.cn/content/765788.shtml)
Global Times | 2013-3-5 0:23:01
By Liu Linlin

A number of China's top legislators and top advisory body members on Monday called for laws and regulations that would help enhance the domestic and international use of Traditional Chinese medicine (TCM).

Ma Xingtian, NPC deputy from Guangdong Province, who is also a CEO of a TCM manufacturer and Zhang Boli, NPC deputy representing the Tianjin University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, said laws regulating TCM need to be fast tracked, according to Nanfang Daily.

The draft of a law governing traditional Chinese medicine and medication has been put on this year's lawmaking agenda and will wait for the State Council to provide a draft that will be assessed by the National People's Congress.

"Making a law on traditional Chinese medicine will help regulate the market," Wang Jian, deputy director of TCM center for AIDS prevention and treatment, told the Global Times.

Wang said a law is urgently needed as many people involved in the TCM trade commit fraud and cheat patients.

Legitimate TCM practitioners and manufacturers are hoping to see TCM enter international markets but without a law that establishes the legitimacy of TCM, they lack credibility.

TCM has also suffered from the mysterious nature of some of its ingredients, which are not always clearly labeled. One well-known TCM name, Yunnan Baiyao, which is used to treat external injuries, was alleged to be made of "undeclared" poisonous ingredients in some batches of the product that were ordered off shop shelves in Hong Kong.

Zhang said China is behind 54 other countries, such as South Korea and India, which have passed laws to legitimize traditional medicine and its practices. Australia and Canada also have laws regulating TCM.

"TCM suffers a negative image because of people who are not real TCM practitioners. That's why the country needs to regulate the market. TCM has great resources and provides good effect on some diseases but it needs more scientific proof to support its curative properties, which the Western medical system has done very well," Wang said.

Wang suggested TCM researchers adopt Western medical research practices if TCM practitioners hope to gain more acceptance on the international market.

TCM and its treatments were written into the country's 12th Five-Year Plan for its health development, according to a document released by the State Council in October 2012.

The plan said that TCM will be made available through the country's medical welfare system and the training of TCM practitioners will be strengthened. It also calls on action to legalize and standardize TCM to help it enter international markets.
We discussed the Yunnan Baiyao situation on the Toxic thread (http://ezine.kungfumagazine.com/forum/showthread.php?p=1209957#post1209957).

[mawali]

The refusal to recognize GCMP standards and guideline are a major problem. Failing to do so will impact negatively on TCM.

Below is a sample of a proactive template that can be utilized to assure safety and compliance for the customer. Crane Herbs!
https://www.craneherb.com/web/shared/videos/cf_overview.aspx


NO CONFLICT OF INTEREST
I have no relationship with them but their approach is far superior to the many out there.

[Dale Dugas]

I am lucky that Crane Herbs is local to me.

They do a great job.

[GeneChing]

Legal challenge fuels confusion over Chinese medicine crackdown (http://www.thestar.com/news/immigration/2013/03/28/lawsuit_fuels_confusion_over_chinese_medicine_crac kdown.html)
Unlicensed Chinese medicine practitioners are urged to continue practice after new regulation takes effect April 1 until court case settled.
NICHOLAS KEUNG / TORONTO STAR
http://www.thestar.com/content/dam/thestar/news/immigration/2013/03/28/lawsuit_fuels_confusion_over_chinese_medicine_crac kdown/cecil_rotenberg.jpg.size.xxlarge.letterbox.jpg
Cecil Rotenberg, right, lawyer for opponents of the new Chinese medicine regulation, with practitioner Jia Li and co-counsel Wennie Lee.
By: Nicholas Keung Immigration reporter, Published on Thu Mar 28 2013

Traditional Chinese medicine practitioners who have yet to be registered with the new governing body are urged to continue their practice after April 1, when it becomes illegal for the unlicensed to treat patients.

The advice came Wednesday from Cecil Rotenberg, lawyer for the estimated 2,000 practitioners — mostly in Greater Toronto — who oppose the new regulation, after an injunction application hearing before the Ontario Superior Court of Justice. The case will be heard May 30.

“I was given assurances by the counsels for the transitional college and the (health) minister that the transitional college is much too busy trying to register people, than to occupy themselves with any kind of prosecution of anybody who is going to continue (practice),” Rotenberg told a news conference.

“My best advice is that people can continue what they do even though the regulation is going to be passed on April 1. People go ahead, continue to treat their patients.”

However, a spokesperson for Health Minister Deb Matthews said there was no such assurance.

“That is untrue. Traditional Chinese medicine practitioners are still required to register, or notify the council of their intent to register by April 1,” Zita Astravas said in an email.

Emily Cheung, registrar of the college, also maintained that unlicensed practitioners will be pursued as soon as the law takes effect.

“All practitioners who are not registered by April 1, 2013 cannot hold themselves out as a member of the college, cannot use any restricted titles and cannot perform any of the authorized controlled acts,” she said.

“If the college becomes aware that unregistered persons are practising traditional Chinese medicine and acupuncture, it may commence injunction proceedings and/or a prosecution under the Provincial Offences Act.”

The College of Traditional Chinese Medicine Practitioners and Acupuncturists of Ontario is to come into full force on April 1. Practitioners who fail to register will subject to a $25,000 fine for a first offence and a $50,000 fine and/or a two-year jail sentence for repeat offence.

A key issue in dispute is whether the language requirement for licensing infringes the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms for both the practitioners and their patients.

To be licensed, an applicant must be able to communicate with patients and keep patients’ files in English, said Rotenberg.

Jia Li, of the Federation of Ontario Traditional Chinese Medicine Associations, said Chinese medicine has 2,000 years of history and cannot be easily adapted in a regulatory model based on western medicine philosophy.

“Chinese medicine is very different from biomedical medicine. Someone comes in with a headache, in Chinese medical diagnosis, that’s called ‘liver-fire rising.’ Someone comes and says I have insomnia, based on my exam, that insomnia is caused by ‘heart and kidney disharmony,’” Li explained.

“That is not to say we need to speak reasonable English to understand each other, but the tradition and heritage is a very unique part of Chinese medicine. To say we need to use English exclusively, it is not going to be practical and it is manifestly unfair.”
That's a heavy penalty.

[GeneChing]

This is a real slippery slope. There's a huge field of dietotherapy in TCM, so many medicinal soups, teas and wines, infused with herbs and animal bits. It's going to be really tricky to sort them out.


1/06/2015 @ 1:20PM
China Works To Regulate The Difference Between Food And Traditional Chinese Medicine (http://www.forbes.com/sites/johnbalzano/2015/01/06/china-works-to-regulate-the-difference-between-food-and-traditional-chinese-medicine/)
John Balzano Contributor

Traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) and Chinese food share a good deal in common. This includes not only ingredients, but also combinations of food used as therapies. For example, TCM espouses the consumption of certain specially prepared combinations of foods, considered to be cooling (yin) or heating (yang) foods, to balance forces within the body, maintain health, and treat illness.

TCM is backed by thousands of years of tradition and enjoys the trust of many in China. But it presents challenges for regulators that are seeking to strengthen a system that requires support for the safety and efficacy of drugs on the market and restricts the use of potentially harmful, untested additives in food. For example, Chinese authorities have recently banned poppy capsules because of their opium content, after a high profile story in which a chef was cooking with them in an effort to make his restaurant’s food addictive.

The latest draft of the Food Safety Law released for public comment in December of 2014 shows that China is increasingly concerned with the addition of drugs to food. Under that draft, those individuals who are directly responsible for a company impermissibly using pharmaceutical additives may be subject to 5-15 days of detention by the Ministry of Public Security.

It should be no surprise then that the National Health and Family Planning Commission (NHFPC), the primary agency for regulating food ingredients, recently issued proposed Administrative Measures on the Catalogue for Substances Traditionally Used in Both and Chinese Medicine (the Measures) to clarify the line between food and drugs. The Agency released the Measures in October 2014, with a deadline for comments ending shortly thereafter.

The Measures establish a catalogue of what substances may be used in both food and TCM. The Measures dictate the conditions for substances to be included in the Catalogue. For example, they must fulfill the requirements for food under the Food Safety Law, as well as be included in the national standards for TCM. They must also be recognized as edible in China’s Drug Code, and normal use of the substance as a food must not have revealed short- or long-term harms to human health. The Measures also indicate what substances are not permitted to be included, e.g., those have a high rate of adverse events associated with them when used as a drug; those TCM substances that are, by law, protected wild animals or plants; and/or those for which the use might violate national law or not conform to food requirements.

The NHFPC will administer these criteria and amend the Catalogue, releasing proposed revisions for public comment. An amendment will take place when there is new information to consider, whether in the form of a new TCM standard, new adverse events reported, or other information that causes a reevaluation of a given substance or substances. As the NHFPC decides applications for new food ingredients (a separate process), it will consider adding those ingredients to the Catalogue.

While all of this sounds promising for resolving some of the stakeholder confusion that exists in this area, the proposed Catalogue itself (appended to the Measures) is fairly sparse on information. The user gets the Chinese and common English name of the substance, the name of the plant or animal from which it comes, its family or species, and some additional notes about it. But there is very little to indicate under what conditions it may be a food, a drug, or both. And there is little in the way of interpretations of the primary food and drug laws in China that would indicate if and when these categories can overlap. What’s more, while NHFPC primarily decides what can be added to food, the China Food and Drug Administration is in charge of drug ingredients. Yet, for some reason, the Measures do not appear to have been a joint effort between the two agencies.

It is important that Chinese regulators are thinking hard about these lines between overlapping product categories and their related safety issues. However, inclusion in this list, the way it is currently structured, will only answer so many questions, leaving many holes in the regulatory equation for these products.

Well-worded definitions of what constitutes a food and what constitutes a drug and guidance on hybrids would not only answer many of these questions, but they would also make interpreting catalogues like the one that NHFPC is proposing much easier. Right now there does not seem to be guidance available to accomplish that task.

[GeneChing]

Traditional Chinese Medicine enters healthy era (http://english.cctv.com/2017/12/22/ARTI1FvgnScNZf3bWj2otrv4171222.shtml)
Editor: zhenglimin 丨China Daily
12-22-2017 16:22 BJT

Traditional medicine now has legal protection as well as increasing worldwide enthusiasm for its techniques

Traditional Chinese medicine is a treasure of Chinese civilization. Through thousands of years of inheritance and development, the four traditional diagnosis methods－inspection, auscultation and olfaction, inquiry, and palpation－have been followed by practitioners for countless generations. A report at the 19th CPC National Congress emphasized that China will carry out a comprehensive Healthy China initiative and "we will support both traditional Chinese medicine and Western medicine, and ensure the preservation and development of traditional Chinese medicine."

http://p1.img.cctvpic.com/photoworkspace/contentimg/2017/12/22/2017122216201128505.jpg
A woman receives a traditional ironing treatment at a traditional Chinese medicine hospital, named Shao Lin Tang, in Southwest China

A woman receives a traditional ironing treatment at a traditional Chinese medicine hospital, named Shao Lin Tang, in Southwest China's Chongqing municipality. Ironing can treat conditions including dizziness, migraine and insomnia. [Liu Song/For China Daily]

Traditional Chinese medicine has played a major role in the prevention and treatment of common, frequently occurring, difficult and complicated diseases, as well as major epidemic outbreaks.

Through various forms of treatment, including herbal medicine, acupuncture, manipulation, massage, cupping, qigong and dietary therapy, traditional Chinese medicine balances yin and yang in patients' bodies to help them recover.

On July 1, China's first Law on Traditional Chinese Medicine was enacted. This is the first time that China has highlighted the important status of traditional Chinese medicine and put forward development plans and supportive measures from a legal aspect. The development of traditional Chinese medicine now has legal safeguards.

http://p1.img.cctvpic.com/photoworkspace/contentimg/2017/12/22/2017122216205098457.jpg
A patient receives acupuncture to treat facial numbness at a clinic of traditional Chinese medicine in Southwest China

A patient receives acupuncture to treat facial numbness at a clinic of traditional Chinese medicine in Southwest China's Chongqing municipality. Chinese acupuncture was added to the United Nations World Intangible Heritage list in 2010. [Liu Song/For China Daily]

Traditional Chinese medicine, which involves preventive treatment and has strengths and characteristics in preventing and treating modern diseases, is increasingly acknowledged and accepted by countries and medical communities worldwide.

With rapid economic development and the Belt and Road Initiative, Chinese people now enjoy better living standards and are much more aware of their health. All these factors provide new opportunities for the globalization and prosperity of traditional Chinese medicine.

Not sure what this really means in the big scheme of things, but it seemed worthy to ttt this here thread. Also I was curious about ironing. Anyone know more? Is this just another term for moxa heating?

[GeneChing]

This is a link to a long political proposal.


Amy Khor on Traditional Chinese Medicine Practitioners (Amendment) Bill (https://www.channelnewsasia.com/news/parliament/videos/february/amy-khor-on-traditional-chinese-medicine-practitioners-amendment-11230318)
11 Feb 2019 04:35PM (Updated: 11 Feb 2019 10:56PM)
Making it compulsory for practitioners of Traditional Chinese Medicine to upgrade their knowledge and skills if they're to get their practising certificates renewed - that is the aim of a Bill moved in Parliament on Monday (Feb 11) by Senior Minister of State for Health Amy Khor. The proposed changes also include tougher investigative and disciplinary action against errant practitioners, and significantly heavier fines for those found guilty of misconduct or negligence.

[GeneChing]

Some European doctors think Chinese medicine should come with a health warning (https://www.cnn.com/2019/11/16/health/traditional-chinese-medicine-facebook-intl-hnk-wellness/index.html)
CNN Digital Expansion 2017. James Griffiths
By James Griffiths, CNN
Updated 8:53 PM ET, Sat November 16, 2019

https://cdn.cnn.com/cnnnext/dam/assets/170628101450-chinese-medicine-tease-exlarge-169.jpg
Workers at a Traditional Chinese Medicine store prepare various dried items, Hong Kong, December 29, 2010.

Hong Kong (CNN)Herbs to increase breast milk supply and heal the spleen. Traditional remedies which promise to cure insomnia and acne. Secret cancer treatments that have been ignored or suppressed by Western medicine.

Practitioners of Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) have a long history of making outsized claims, not least in the case of fertility and virility, where demand for tiger ***** and rhino horn has devastated wild populations.
Quackery and false claims exist in all branches of medicine, but doctors in Europe are concerned that unverified claims made under the guise of TCM are being spread worldwide by social media, inadvertently aided by the World Health Organization (WHO).
Two leading European scientific and medical bodies say the WHO has legitimized all forms of Traditional Chinese Medicine by including TCM in the upcoming edition of the International Statistical Classification of Diseases and Related Health Problems (ICD), a hugely influential compendium used by health practitioners around the globe.
The inclusion of TCM "may lead some to see it as a legitimization of what are actually unfounded claims," warned the European Academies' Science Advisory Council (EASAC) and the Federation of European Academies of Medicine (FEAM) in a joint statement this month.
"There is risk in misleading patients and doctors and in increasing pressures for reimbursement by public health systems at a time of limited resources," the statement said.
More broadly, there is growing concern that people who turn to the internet for home remedies could expose themselves to serious harm. For example, black salve, which claims to treat tumors but actually burns flesh and can leave people with horrific disfigurements.
"Social media now makes it very easy to get hold of (misleading information)," said George Griffin, a professor of Infectious Diseases and Medicine at St. George's, University of London. "Unscrupulous people who wish to sell these products can easily put things on social media without any formal verification."

https://cdn.cnn.com/cnnnext/dam/assets/191115042449-03-traditional-chinese-medicine-exlarge-169.jpg
A woman mixes medicine in the pharmacy of the Yueyang Hospital, part of the Shanghai University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, in Shanghai on November 7, 2018.

Unscientific medicine

One of the basic principles of Traditional Chinese Medicine, as it is usually defined, is that vital energy, or qi, circulates through channels in the body which connect to various organs and functions. TCM therapies, such as cupping, acupuncture or herbal treatments, seek to activate these channels, or balance someone's qi.
Though the methods have been in use for hundreds of years, critics argue that there is no verifiable scientific evidence that qi actually exists.
While the TCM industry is worth an estimated $130 billion in China alone -- and the country's leaders have thrown themselves behind promoting the practice -- it has until recently largely struggled to gain widespread acceptance outside of east Asia.
The sheer range of claimed benefits of some forms of TCM can be staggering. In a review of acupuncture alone, the Society for Science-Based Medicine, a US-based pressure group, found practitioners offering treatments for everything from cancer, stroke, Parkinson's, and heart disease, to asthma and autism.
https://cdn.cnn.com/cnnnext/dam/assets/191115042048-01-traditional-chinese-medicine-exlarge-169.jpg
A man wearing "walnut" glasses is treated with smoking wormwood to relieve his oculomotor paralysis at a hospital on July 13, 2018 in Jiaxing, Zhejiang Province of China.
continued next post

[GeneChing]

In 2009, researchers at the University of Maryland surveyed 70 systematic reviews of traditional medicines, including acupuncture, herbal treatments and moxibustion, the burning of herbs near the skin. They found that no studies demonstrated a solid conclusion in favor of TCM due to the sparsity of evidence or the poor methodology of the research.
This lack of scientific rigor has created space for often outlandish claims about TCM's capabilities in treating certain disorders -- something boosted by the handful of TCM-related treatments which have been scientifically proven to be beneficial. In 2015, Chinese scientist Tu Youyou won the Nobel Prize in medicine for her work on malaria which drew on traditional practices and folklore.
Other products derived from herbs used in TCM have also shown benefits in scientifically-controlled experiments, vindicating TCM in the eyes of many practitioners, and there have been calls for renewed research in this area, as well as on other ancient remedies that might hold clues to future medical advances.
What concerns many scientists and doctors, however, is that instead of these experiments and findings boosting the reputation of an individual medicine, they are often held up as proof of the validity of the entire field of TCM, much of which has no basis in science and can be potentially dangerous.
"Treatments included within the wide TCM category are very different from one another," the European doctors said. "They can only be considered to form a group of therapies from the perspective of history/ethnology ('traditional') and geography (Chinese)."
Griffin, who helped draft the joint European statement, told CNN that "our concern is that in having this in the ICD, people who aren't critical, who aren't medical or scientific, they may take this as a sign the WHO has full confidence in Traditional Chinese Medicine."
A spokesman for the WHO said earlier this year that the inclusion of TCM in the new guidelines, was "not an endorsement of the scientific validity of any traditional medicine practice or the efficacy of any traditional medicine intervention."
Despite this, Dan Larhammer, president of EASAC, an umbrella body representing the national science academies of EU Member states, as well as Norway and Switzerland, said that it was "very likely that it will be interpreted this way by TCM proponents."
China's state-run news agency Xinhua seemed to confirm concerns about the move being interpreted as an endorsement by declaring it was "a major step for Traditional Chinese Medicine going global."
https://cdn.cnn.com/cnnnext/dam/assets/191115042607-04-traditional-chinese-medicine-exlarge-169.jpg
A patient receives treatment with bandages filled with herbs at a Traditional Chinese Medicine hospital on July 12, 2019 in Zaozhuang, Shandong Province, China.

Dubious claims

On Facebook and YouTube, dubious claims about the effectiveness of using TCM products in treating cancer and other major disorders are readily available. One page boosting TCM, "The Truth About Cancer," has more than 1.3 million likes on Facebook, and encourages users to follow along on a tour through Asia searching for alternative treatments.
"What if effective, proven, inexpensive cancer therapies were available to you? Would you choose them over toxic chemo and radiation?" Truth About Cancer says. "There is ample evidence to support the allegation that the 'war on cancer' is largely a fraud and that multinational pharmaceutical companies are 'running the show'."
The Truth About Cancer did not respond to a request for comment. Many other pages on Facebook make similar claims, both about the potential effectiveness of TCM, and against mainstream medical practices.
Tech companies have begun cracking down on misleading medical claims. In September, Google announced it was prohibiting "advertising for unproven or experimental medical techniques such as most stem cell therapy, cellular (non-stem) therapy, and gene therapy," and Facebook too has vowed to "minimize health content that is sensational or misleading."

https://cdn.cnn.com/cnnnext/dam/assets/191115042746-05-traditional-chinese-medicine-exlarge-169.jpg
Acupuncture therapy in Hong Kong was linked to organ and tissue injuries, infection and other adverse reactions by a 2018 study.

While Facebook and Google have been praised for their recent efforts, the crackdown has had limited effect. On both Facebook and YouTube -- owned by Google parent Alphabet -- quack health cures still abound. Their prevalence has coincided with the continued rise of the anti-vaccination movement, which has had major negative effects on public health in some countries.
While many patients may see benefits in using alternative treatments, including TCM, alongside other medicine, risks arise when people avoid intervention because they are treating themselves with unscientific cures.
Most notably, Apple founder Steve Jobs repeatedly ignored doctors' recommendations on how to treat the cancer that eventually killed him, choosing instead to use acupuncture and herbal remedies.
TCM products are not necessarily harmless either. A comprehensive review of medicines and health products being sold under the TCM label in Hong Kong last year found that many were "severely compromised by the practice of adulteration," with potentially serious side effects, while in some cases, acupuncture has been linked to organ and tissue injuries, infection and other adverse reactions.
"The most important risk is that people and patients rely on unproven methods and refrain from using evidence-based methods," said Larhammer, the EASAC president.
"Patients lose time and money by relying on useless methods that can, at best, provide placebo response which is usually transient. Some alternative medicine methods, including TCM, involve side effects, especially herbal extracts."

THREADS
Regulations (http://www.kungfumagazine.com/forum/showthread.php?55741-Regulations-and-Degree-reciprocity)
Weird stuff in TCM (http://www.kungfumagazine.com/forum/showthread.php?50433-Weird-stuff-in-TCM-List-it!)