AS THE FIGHT continued to control the atypical pneumonia outbreak, the Natural Health Association hastily convened a talk last week to discuss ways in which alternative and traditional Chinese medicine could help combat the problem.
Among the audience was Ken Bridgewater from Tai Po, whose wife came down with the disease in February and recovered a month later. 'I had been in close proximity to her most of the time and I didn't get it,' the 75-year-old told the meeting. 'I'm very fit and have a strong immune system. Why should I fear?'
Such a positive attitude is what Hong Kong badly needs now as the epidemic causes panic. And a key to defeating the virus causing the severe acute respiratory syndrome (Sars), according to the medical experts at the talk, is to build and maintain a strong immune system.
A healthy diet, exercise and sufficient sleep are essential ways of maintaining the body's immunity against illness in general. But there are alternative approaches based on different medical theories.
Professor Li Zhizhong, a visiting scholar at the School of Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) in Hong Kong Baptist University, says it is important to first understand how humans respond to climatic changes. According to Li, lichun, or the 45th day after the winter equinox, signifies the beginning of an unstable climate that alternates between warm and cold weather. 'In Chinese traditional medicine, it is the time when people easily succumb to illnesses that involve accumulation of heat inside the body,' he says, adding that atypical pneumonia falls under the category of such illnesses.
Li says the Lunar New Year on February 1, which came unusually early on the lunar calendar, might also have contributed to the outbreak. 'The Lunar New Year came a few days before lichun. During this time, people went out a lot to see friends and relatives, travelled and ate unhealthy food. This led to even more accumulation of internal heat,' he says. 'Besides, the winter in the northern hemisphere this year was unusually severe. Though it has been two months after the winter equinox, we have yet to see many warm days.'
Despite the unfavourable climatic conditions, the professor says there are a host of preventive measures that contribute to a stronger immune system against illnesses, including atypical pneumonia. 'In Chinese traditional medicine ... the essence of combating a virus lies in maintaining harmony between the yin and yang forces,' he says.
