TCM and SARS

[ctoepker]

RAF,

These are interesting articles. Most certainly, catching a disease is bad. And sometimes the cure is worse than the disease. However, is that the point of your post?

Here's another question to the implied one of the articles (is modern medicine any better than traditional)...how would TCM have diagnosed the infection? Without a viable model for cells and bacteria, it seem it would be a tough row to how.

I imagine that the TCM Dr.s would have observed the patients, taken the pulse and perhaps proscribed the ginger or other 'cold remedies used for centuries.' Of course, many would have died very quickly and one has to wonder how that would be explained. Especially since transmission of microogranisms isn't considered a factor. Indeed, if transmission wasn't contained, one has to wonder if this would have swept across the region as a plague. After all, who would have made the connection between the Dr. and all the people dropping dead around him/her since he/she would most certainly have carried the contaigon from house to house? It simply isn't considered in TCM.

I've said it before...what is really needed is a look at how the strengths of each can work together. Dealing with SARS is not a strength of TCM.

CT