Integrative Chinese and Western Medicine (ICWM) was one of the great achievements of the Chinese health care and hygiene system in the fifties of the 20th century. To combine the knowledge of Chinese medicine (CM) with that of Western Medicine (WM), mutually adopt their advantages and offset their shortcomings, develop new medical models; and to elevate clinical efficacy, renovate the medical theory, enhance the culture of Chinese traditional medicine, to enrich world medicine and benefit all of mankind are the aims of ICWM.

In the field of ICWM clinical practice and modern R & D, some essential principles should be followed, generally speaking, the following aspects could be taken for reference;

• The principle of inheriting with mutual complementation: The development of science and technology has some inheritage, traditional medicine has numerous essence; modern medicine changes day after day, and ICWM should be under the guidance of learnt, understood, developed and created principle, in order to adopt the essence and discard the dregs, to use its advantages and offset its shortcomings; to develop its merits and avoid its weakness, mutual complementing and developing as a whole.
• Applying modern theory and methodology, combined with the philosophy of CM, lay emphasis on the syndrome differentiation and treat according to the individualized principle: Much of the CM experiences accumulation belongs to the private long-term build-up, which is a mixture of science and art, particularly in treating the dynamic change of each individual patient. This kind of experience should not be neglected. In use this kind of experience, to inspire one’s thinking, one may become the spring of creation.
• Respect the traditional thinking principle: Pay attention o classic theory, and ancient and modern medical cases. Classical theory is the sublimation of clinical experience, medical cases and medical talks are the records of successes and failures of past generations, and the living teaching material.
• The principle of combining with evidence based medicine(EBM). EBM advocates elevating the empirical medicine of applying personal experience to make medical decision, to include the conclusion of scientific study and bring about the medical decision. Combining these, would boost the clinical level of CM.
• The principle of facing modernization and facing the world: Numerous factors influence the efficacy of Chinese herbs: the species, the place of production, collection time, the portion used for medication, the processing, the preparation technique and technology, the quality control and others factors. It needs standardization to adapt to the demand of modernization, this is a systematic engineering. Non-drug therapy should not be excepted. Therefore ICWM should stress the perspective of scientific design.

Practice

1. Seeking for knowledge-learning and understanding:

Both Western doctors learning CM and school originated Chinese doctors, who learn traditional cultural knowledge of CM and should have the Chinese national spirit, persistently cherish, and are determined to develop it. Such a spirit is a powerful force, and a pillar, which is precious. First of all, one should learn. In the past, the demand to those Western doctors to learn CM was: “To learn CM systematically, master it as a whole, systematize and elevate it”. The knowledge system of CM and WM is obviously different. In knowledge of CM, the content of humanities evidently is more, e.g. ,the cognition of “Qi” is lacking in WM, “First impression governs” should not be taken, and learning first should be encouraged, and then take the essence and discard the dregs, no misunderstandings, no misinterpretation. At the same time, one should elevate the level of modern medicine, add innovation to one’s knowledge. Only when both the two medicines are regarded at a high level can new achievements of ICWM be created.

2. Seeking for common-for combination point:

The knowledge of CM and WM are different, but sometimes there is commonality. The integrative thinking of “macrocosmally guiding and microcosmally interfering” should be practiced, e.g., to traditional blood stasis syndrome, hemorrheology might be used to elucidate the mechanism and explore for diagnosis and treatment.

3. Seeking for difference-for the intersecting point:

For example, the treating principle of “moving and resting integration, lay emphasis both on the muscle-tendon and bone” of fracture and so on is different. Exploring from this aspect, the style is different, the content is so numerous. This is why on our knowledge innovation of either CM or WM, on discovery of new therapies, the cognition might be deepened, mutual supplemented and integrated, different points might be where the scientific bright focus located.

4. Seeking for truth---modernization and science forming:

For instance, the evaluation of efficacy should seek truth from facts, should stand up to current international criteria. The knowledge of CM has its own characteristics, and one should stress the cognition of syndrome and its quantification assessment to obtain the ICWM, overall, objective achievement and experience.

• Seeking for new---creation is the aim: