TCM helps seniors prosper in health battle

Vulnerable people

Seniors in precarious health are vulnerable to dying from the coronavirus and older people are more susceptible to the infection, anyway.

An aging population puts a heavy burden on medical resources, but that isn't just a problem in Hong Kong as many other regions are seeing similar challenges as more and more people enter their senior years.

It has been noted that many seniors have been listed among confirmed cases of COVID-19. The natural immunity of older people is generally much lower than that of younger people, and those with other serious illnesses are more prone to complications from the virus, Bian said.

In addition to medication, he suggested that elderly people should have therapeutic massages or acupuncture periodically. TCM also promotes various exercises and regular practice improves health, thus lowering the risk of infection and death from the virus, he said.

He expects that in the long term, the pandemic will raise awareness of the need for a healthy lifestyle throughout the community, especially among senior groups.

Bian said the TCM school has been receiving positive feedback, with many recipients reporting that they felt a calming influence from the free medication. However, he warned against inappropriate use.

"We only distribute medicine to elderly people with health problems. Those in good health have no need to take our medicine," he said.

TCM, which formed the basis of healthcare in ancient China, has taken a secondary role in the modern era. Scholars and practitioners hope that by providing benefits during the coronavirus pandemic, TCM may regain traction and earn greater trust in the community.

Bian hopes to see increased international exchanges among TCM communities to explore new discoveries and treatment approaches to infection and rehabilitation, and he expects greater convergence with Western medicine. He said new approaches are especially important to regions faced with aging populations.

"With more and more people realizing its importance, the systems of Western and Chinese medicine will become more integrated, and that will improve our ability and efficiency in resisting disease," he added.

Unlike Western medicine, TCM experts rarely make specific claims about how long it will take for a medication to have an effect.

Most Chinese understand that TCM works as a gradual process, and practitioners and advocates believe that it will gradually begin to play a larger role in the world of modern science.