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Global Translational Medicine

REVIEW ARTICLE
Innovative strategies for modernizing

evidence-based traditional Chinese medicine in
Western health-care systems

Shein-Chung Chow* and Yinuo Zhang

Department of Biostatistics and Bioinformatics, Duke University School of Medicine, Durham, North
Carolina, United States of America

Abstract

Traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) faces significant challenges in modernization
and integration into Western healthcare systems due to fundamental differences
in diagnostic approaches, treatment targets, and underlying philosophies. Direct
application of Western methodologies to TCM proves inadequate, necessitating a
tailored approach that respects TCM’s unique aspects while ensuring scientific rigor.
This article examines the challenges and opportunities in modernizing TCM, with
a focus on its integration into Western healthcare systems governed by stringent
regulatory frameworks such as those of the Food and Drug Administration in the
US. It explores innovative strategies, such as using composite hypotheses in clinical
trials to align evaluation criteria with TCM’s holistic approach and strategically using
real-world data and evidence to enhance regulatory submissions. The proposed
methodologies offer novel ways to bridge the divide between TCM and Western
medicine, potentially transforming policy and practice in global healthcare systems.
*Corresponding author: By adopting an approach that respects the unique aspects of TCM while ensuring
Shein-Chung Chow scientific rigor, successful integration into Western health-care systems could be
(sheinchung.chow@duke.edu)
achieved, leveraging TCM’s potential benefits for patient care.
Citation: Chow S, Zhang Y.
Innovative strategies for
modernizing evidence-based Keywords: Traditional Chinese medicine; Clinical development; Integrative medicine;
traditional Chinese medicine in
Western health-care systems. Traditional Chinese medicine modernization
Global Transl Med. 2024:3(3):4190.
doi: 10.36922/gtm.4190
Received: July 10, 2024
Accepted: August 30, 2024 1. Introduction
Published Online: September 26,
2024 Traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) and Western medicine (WM) represent two
distinct approaches to healthcare, each with its philosophical foundations, diagnostic
Copyright: © 2024 Author(s).
This is an Open-Access article methods, and treatment strategies. TCM, deeply rooted in centuries of tradition,
distributed under the terms of the employs a variety of natural plants to create complex herbal formulations. Recently,
1
Creative Commons Attribution these traditional formulations have garnered interest for their potential in modern
License, permitting distribution,
and reproduction in any medium, therapeutic contexts. As this interest grows, integrating TCM into contemporary health-
provided the original work is care systems has become increasingly important. However, bridging the gap between
properly cited. these two medical paradigms presents significant challenges due to their fundamentally
Publisher’s Note: AccScience different approaches. The World Health Organization’s (WHO) decision to include
Publishing remains neutral with TCM in the International Statistical Classification of Diseases and Related Health
regard to jurisdictional claims in 2
published maps and institutional Problems (ICD) marks a significant milestone for both TCM and ICD. This inclusion
affiliations. acknowledges the value of TCM, addresses the needs of member states, and promotes

Volume 3 Issue 3 (2024) 1 doi: 10.36922/gtm.4190