DOES CHINESE MEDICINE REALLY CURE SARS?
I notice an increasing number of letters promoting Chinese herbal medicine by genuinely good-hearted people concerned about the Sars situation. But I fail to find any validity in their claims regarding the efficacy of this medicine.
In a letter on May 12, David Tsui cited statistics showing that Beijing's mortality rate from Sars is about 5 per cent, while those for Hong Kong and Taiwan are 10 to 15 per cent. He said that Beijing adopts a therapy 'integrating' Chinese and western medicine, and Hong Kong and Taiwan rely primarily on the western solution, and concluded that 'Chinese medicine works'.
I don't know the accuracy of the Beijing statistics, but I doubt that anybody has a clear grasp of these numbers right now. As we know from Sars, there may be a considerable lapse in time between catching the disease and death. The onset of Sars in Beijing is definitely more recent than Hong Kong. Does this supposed difference in death rate really show anything conclusive?
Some argue that Chinese medicine strengthens our immune system to defend the body from viruses. This is a nice fairytale. If the claim is true, then mainland Chinese should be free from all forms of viral diseases.
Aids is caused by HIV; hepatitis B is also a viral infection. These diseases too should not pose any problems in China. In fact, 75 per cent of the world's hepatitis B carriers are Chinese, and liver cancer is much more prevalent in Chinese than any other ethnic group.
In fact, if all of us take only herbal medicine, we should not need flu shots or hepatitis B vaccinations. However, it is clear that herbal medicine is not the answer.
Judy Chiang ('The Right to Choose', May 17) claimed that Chinese medicine always cured her colds and flu. In fact, both conditions subside on their own without medication.
I agree that patients should have the right to choose their course of medications. Right now, what is there to choose besides western medicine? Did hospitals in Guangdong (who claimed so much success in controlling Sars) share with the world the herbal ingredients that cured Sars?
We know that for 9 per cent of Sars patients in Hong Kong, their contact with the virus has not been identified. Perhaps now we understand that those who remain 'at large' and decide to cure Sars on their own may have a role.
I would like to point out that herbal medicine is not as free from side-effects as others might have said. It appears to be so because the side-effects have not been properly studied or documented. Most doctors can tell you about cases of renal dysfunction or hepatitis caused by Chinese herbal medicine.
It is dangerous for people who are not familiar with statistics and medicine to strongly advocate the adoption of a therapy not completely understood and which undermines our medical workers' efforts. After all, hospital workers are risking their lives to help Sars patients.
SIMON PANG, Beacon Hill
