The China-Australia International Research Centre for Chinese Medicine is a joint initiative between RMIT’s School of Health Sciences, Guangdong Provincial Academy of Chinese Medical Sciences and the Guangdong Provincial Hospital of Chinese Medicine.
Researchers at the centre based at RMIT and Guangdong have published two monographs through World Scientific that will inform tertiary education and clinical practice by providing a reference of clinically-evaluated Chinese medicine treatments for 26 common medical conditions.
Professor Charlie Xue, Centre Co-Director and Head of the School of Health Sciences, says the monographs were a significant contribution to the field.
“This publication is a major milestone in the international development of Chinese medicine as a form of evidence-based integrative healthcare,” Xue says.
“Chinese medicine practitioners can refer to these books for guidance on the herbal medicine formulas, specific herbs and acupuncture points that can best treat their patients, and be informed by the current best evidence for their decision-making.
“These publications are also of significant value for students of evidence-based Chinese medicine and for academics involved in teaching or in clinical studies of Chinese medicine.”
“We have chosen the conditions that are commonly treated by Chinese medicine practitioners as our priorities and adopted a ‘whole evidence assessment’ approach.”
Updates to the publications will be conducted every five years to ensure currency of evidence.
Formed in 2013 after five years of successful collaboration between the partners, the China-Australia International Research Centre for Chinese Medicine aims to conduct high impact traditional and complementary medicine research that contributes to the provision of evidence-based health care to the community.
RMIT Vice-Chancellor and President, Martin Bean CBE, says the University had made significant contributions to the promotion of evidence-based Chinese medicine development over the last seven years.
“By engaging deeply with Guangdong Provincial Academy of Chinese Medical Sciences we’re helping to advance the cause of Chinese medicine globally,” Bean says.
“Australia leads the international development of Chinese medicine in the western world through effective partnerships with key institutions in China.”
Martin says as more people around the world used acupuncture and herbal medicine, scientific validation of Chinese medicine therapies was absolutely essential.
“This will provide a base for effective integration of Chinese medicine international healthcare systems as stipulated in the World Health Organisation’s traditional medicine strategies.”
The publications, Evidence-Based Clinical Chinese Medicine: Vol 1 Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and Evidence-Based Clinical Chinese Medicine: Vol 2 Psoriasis Vulgaris, offer an up-to-date “whole evidence” analysis of the Chinese medicine management of disease, with references to classical Chinese medicine literature and contemporary clinical literature, as well as clinical trial outcomes and reviews of experimental studies.
– Rebecca McGillivray
This article was first shared by RMIT on 20 November 2015. Read the original article here.