Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM), one of the world’s oldest medical systems, is gaining new prominence in Hong Kong with the launch of the inaugural Chinese Medicine Culture Festival, running until February 2025. Announced in Chief Executive John Lee’s 2024 policy address, the festival aims to promote TCM’s development through over 200 activities such as free clinics, lectures, exhibitions, and guided herb-planting tours.
The festival reflects Hong Kong’s commitment to expanding TCM’s role in healthcare. The city is developing a Chinese Medicine Development Blueprint to enhance training, research, and integration with Western medicine. Currently, 26 public hospitals in Hong Kong offer combined TCM and Western treatments for conditions like stroke, cancer care, and musculoskeletal pain. Plans are underway to extend these services to cover degenerative and respiratory diseases.
Adding to this momentum, the Chinese Medicine Hospital of Hong Kong, located in Tseung Kwan O, will begin operations in 2025. Initially offering outpatient services, the hospital will expand to include 400 beds across inpatient wards, pediatric care, and clinical trials by 2027. This facility will showcase a collaborative approach, primarily focusing on TCM while integrating Western medical diagnostic tools such as MRI and CT scans.
TCM’s approach differs significantly from conventional medicine. Rooted in balancing qi, the body’s vital energy, it focuses on holistic care. Practitioners use inspection, listening, smelling, inquiry, and palpation to diagnose patients, often recommending treatments before symptoms arise. Prevention, a key tenet of TCM, includes practices like meditation, tai chi, and dietary adjustments.
Treatment options include acupuncture, herbal medicine, tui na massage, and lifestyle changes. Techniques like moxibustion and cupping are also common. TCM is particularly effective for pain relief, women’s health issues, and recovery from surgeries or cancer treatments. The World Health Organization recognizes acupuncture for treating over 100 conditions, including headaches, high blood pressure, insomnia, and back pain.
With the rise of TCM-focused initiatives, Hong Kong is becoming a hub for this ancient practice, blending tradition with modern healthcare to offer a more comprehensive approach to well-being. Whether for prevention or treatment, TCM is helping redefine healthcare in Hong Kong and beyond.
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