Traditional Medicine in China, Korea, and Japan: A Brief Introduction and Comparison

Abstract

Background and Purpose. Traditional medicine (TM) has been widely used in China (including the Taiwan region), Korea, and Japan. The purposes of this paper are to summarize the basic data on TM systems in these three countries and to compare them in terms of overall policy, education, and insurance. Methods. Government websites, national statistics, and authoritative papers from each country were fully searched. Further data were gathered by TM experts from each country. Results. China and Korea showed similar patterns in TM systems, whereas Japan showed different patterns. In China and Korea, TM was practiced in a dual system with conventional medicine (CM), and TM education was 6-year training programs on average for TM doctors, and acupuncture, moxibustion, and cupping were completely insured. Whereas, CM was dominant in Japan, and TM was practiced by each health care worker who has received different TM education respectively, and main TM therapies were partially insured. Conclusions. TM was developed similarly or somewhat differently based on differences in cultural background and national policies in East Asia. We cautiously propose that this study could contribute to the development of TM and also be used for reference in complementary and alternative medicine systems.

Adverse events attributed to traditional Korean medical practices: 1999–2010

“…5,22 The Food and Drug Administrations in China and the Republic of Korea -like the Pharmaceuticals and Medical Devices Agency in Japan -are supposed to collect reports of adverse events related to all medicines, including herbal ones. 26,27 India, however, has a pharmacovigilance system dedicated to the investigation of traditional ayurvedic drugs. At present, this system is based on eight regional and 30 peripheral centres for pharmacovigilance.…”

Use of Acupuncture for Pain Management in An Academic Korean Medicine Hospital: A Retrospective Review of Electronic Medical Records

“…16 The total costs in our study included government-paid insurance reimbursements and patient-paid expenses for outpatient and inpatient care per patient, and these data were collected from the EMRs.…”

Clinical Observation on Warm Acupuncture Therapy for Rheumatoid Arthritis

“…Because Traditional Chinese Medicine really has no concept of genetic inheritance, Bi syndrome is generally regarded as being the result of an invasion of pathogenic influences coming from outside the patient [12]. Warm needle acupuncture often used to treat painful conditions such as arthritis, especially rheumatoid arthritis [13]; as well as musculoskeletal pain conditions [14]. Warm needle acupuncture treatment is transmitted to the acupoint by radiation, moreover, by direction conduction through the shaft of the needle, thereby stimulating deep tissue within the acupoint and warming the acupoint on the surface [15].…”