Chinese Medicine in Canada

Integrating Western and Chinese Medicine

The benefits of an integrated health system that blends western and traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) were seen first hand by Canadian health officials in China last month.

Federal Health Minister Rona Ambrose and Fred Horne, Alberta’s health minister, travelled with a delegation of health professionals to Beijing, China from April 13 to 18 to participate in the fourth Canada – China Policy Dialogue.

The ministers toured a TCM hospital in Beijing that holds more than 600 beds and treats approximately 10,000 out patients per day.

“We met oncology doctors who were using chemo- and radiation therapy but were also using TCM for pain management and nausea. They work together,” said Ambrose.

“The doctors are medically trained as a doctor (in Canada) would be, but they are also trained as TCM practitioners.”

The ministers witnessed TCM being used in post-operative surgical care rather than “the harsh drugs” that are used in Canada, Horne added.

“Patients are made comfortable. They aren’t undergoing a lot of the side effects that cancer patients in Canada would experience but they are also realizing all of the benefits of western medicine, in terms of diagnostics and cancer surgery.”

TCM is more than 3,000 years old and treats the root cause of disease that comes from an imbalance in the body, said Dr. Melanie Marr, owner of Spruce Grove Acupuncture and TCM.

“We look at the whole picture, identifying what is out of balance and then work to create balance,” Marr said.

Treatment associated with TCM includes acupuncture, Chinese herbs, tui na massage, diet therapy and moxibustion, the burning of a Chinese herb on an acupuncture point to strengthen blood and allow for healing.

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