ZhangXiaojuntalkstoapatientatXiyuanHospitalinBeijingonMay17SHIGANGAt8a.m.onMay23,bustlingcrowdsfilltheoutpatienthallofXiyuanHospitalinwestBeijing.Outsidethebreastclinic,peoplefromacrossthecountryqueueupwaitingtoseeProfessorZhangXiaojun,hopingthathisrenownedskillscanhelprelievetheirpain.Insidetheroom,Zhangisexplainingtohiscurrentpatientthedetailsofhercondition.
AstheattendingphysicianforbreastcanceratXiyuanHospital,Zhang’sclinicsarenotoriouslydifficulttogetinto.ButZhangworksovertimeforpatientswhoareunabletomakeanappointment,sensitivetothetroubleitwouldcausethemtomakeareturnvisitandthefinancialburdenforthosecomingfromoutsideBeijing.Heusuallyworksuntil9p.m.everyworkday,andevenuseshislunchbreaktoseepatients.Afterlunchat2p.m.,heusuallyhassomemuchneededrefreshmentintheformofacupofcoffee,andthenquicklygetsbacktowork.
Suchabusyschedulehaslongsincebecomehisnormalpattern.Byalludingtocaseshehassuccessfullytreatedinthepast,Zhangtriestoallayhispatients’concernsandofferthemencouragement.“Ienjoymywork.Manypatientscomingintomyofficelookworried,buttheyleavelookingrelieved.Nothingcancomparewiththatsenseofsatisfaction,”ZhangtoldBeijingReview.
Revolutionarytherapy
ZhanghasbeeninvolvedwithtraditionalChinesemedicine(TCM)sincehewasachild.“Duringmychildhood,aTCMdoctoroftenvisitedmyhometotreatmewhenIwassick.EverytimeIwouldrecoverquickly.IfellinlovewiththesmellofChinesemedicinalherbs,”hesaid.
HewasfascinatedbythehistoryandloreofTCMandbegantolearnfromthedoctorduringhissecondyearatmiddleschool.HelaterenteredtheSchoolofTCMattheCapitalMedicalUniversityandaftergraduating,workedintheSurgeryDepartmentofXiyuanHospital.
ZhangexplainedtoBeijingReviewwhyhechosetoworkintheSurgeryDepartment.“TherewerefewmenstudyingTCMatthattime,andduringourinternshipthefemalestudentsweretooscaredtosewupincisionsfollowingsurgery.Ihadtoassistmyteacherduringeveryprocedure,”Zhangrecalled.“Afterpracticingforalongtime,Irealizedthatdoctorshadtograspauthenticskillstoperformsurgery.Uponmygraduation,therewasavacancyforsurgeonsatXiyuanHospital,soIapplied.”AlthoughZhangbecameasurgeon,hedidnottotallyshelvehisknowledgeandfascinationwithTCM.Instead,hecombinedthetwowhiletreatingpatients.
“IgaveacupuncturetreatmentandoffereddigitalacupointpressureandotherTCMremediestopatients.Theseformsoftherapyturnedouttobeeffectiveandwonpatients’acknowledgment.”Sincethen,ZhanghasintegratedTCMwithWesternmedicinetospecializeinthetreatmentofbreastcancer.
Onedayin2008,Zhangreceivedaphonecallfromanotherbreastoncologist,tellinghimofapatientwhohadbeendiagnosedwithplasmacellmastitisandhadrelapsedthreetimes.VariousWesternmethodshadbeenusedtotreatthepatient,butallhadfailed.BythispointZhang’sbackgroundasaspecialistinbothTCMandWesternmedicinewaswellknown,andsothedoctoronthephonebelievedthathewasthemantoturnto.
Thecausesofplasmacellmastitisarestillunknown,butitsincidentratehasbeenincreasinginrecentyears.Itsclinicalmanifestationsincludeswelling,redness,ulcerationandpurulence,whichcanleadtochangesintheshapeofthebreast.Theirregularrangeoflesionsmeansthatitisdifficulttocompletelyremove.Patientsnotonlysufferfromphysicalpain,butalsofaceenormouspsychologicalpressure.
Afterreceivingthecall,ZhangdevotedhimselftostudyingthepathologyofplasmacellmastitisfromtheperspectiveofTCM.HefinallydiscoveredatreatmentusingafewChinesemedicinalherbswhichhadmiraculouseffects,wasnon-invasiveandalsokeptpatients’breastsintact.Histherapyalsoprovedeffectiveinthepostoperativehealingofwounds.
Zhang’spioneeringTCMtherapyspreadbywordofmouthamongpatientsandnowhereceivesnearly10,000patientvisitseveryyear,withsomepatientsevencomingfromabroadforhisservices.“ManypeopledidnotbelievethataTCMtherapycouldcureplasmacellmastitis,butnowmoreandmorehospitalsandpatientsarerecognizingthistherapy,”hesaid.
Herbalvalues
PresidentXiJinping,alsoGeneralSecretaryoftheCentralCommitteeoftheCommunistPartyofChina(CPC),saidinhisreporttothe19thCPCNationalCongressin2017,“WewillsupportbothTCMandWesternmedicine,andensurethepreservationanddevelopmentofTCM.”Oneyearpreviouslyatanationalconferenceonhealth,XialsostressedtheimportanceofdevelopingbothChineseandWesternmedicineandpromotingthecomplementaryandcoordinateddevelopmentofthetwosystems,asbothhavesignificantadvantagesforChina’shealthundertakings.
Xi’sobservationsresonateddeeplywithZhang.“TCMandWesternmedicinearenotcontradictory,”hesaid.“Westernmedicineisindispensableinemergencytreatmentsandsurgery,butTCMalsohasitsownadvantages.Forexample,itcanbeusedtotreatsomediseasesthatWesternmedicinecannotcure,andiseffectiveinpreemptivehealthcare,keepingfitandpostoperativerehabilitation.”
Zhangwasatpainstonotethathedoesnotobjecttosurgery,butbelievesthatTCMandWesternmedicinecanbeintegrated.AccordingtoZhang,doctorscanuseTCMtoreduceswellingbeforeperformingsurgery,whichcouldhelptoreducethepotentialforharm.
YetalthoughTCMandWesternmedicinearecomplementaryinsomeareas,therealityisthatthebenefitsofTCMremainpoorlyacknowledgedintheWest.InZhang’sopinion,TCMshoulduseinternationallyacceptedmethodsandauthenticdatatojustifyitself,andemployevidencebasedresearchtowinrecognitioninWesternminds.“RightnowIamtryingtomakeTCMbetterrecognizedinWesternmedicine,andpromoteChinesemedicinetotheworld,”Zhangsaid.
Entwineddestiny
ZhanghasworkedatXiyuanHospitalsince1989,andhaswitnessedthechangesanddevelopmentofthehospitalovernearly30years.“WhenIstartedworkingatXiyuanHospital,itsfacilitieswereoutdatedandinsufficient,notmuchbetterthanmosttownshiphospitals.”Butwiththedevel-opmentandgrowingprosperityofthecountry,moreandmoreemphasishasbeenplacedonitsmodernization.Later,XiyuanHospitalopenednewoutpatientbuildingsandupgradeditsinstrumentsandequipment.“ThehospitalhasundergonemajorchangesandIamveryproudtoworkhere,”Zhangsaid.
Withtheevolutionofsocietyandtheeconomy,China’snationalstrengthhasimprovedalongwithlivingstandards.People’sawarenessoftheirownhealthhasalsoincreased,whichhasmadethepublicmoreskepticalofthosewithnorealknowledgeofandskillsinTCM.Moreover,thegovernmenthasissuedstrictrulesontheresearchanddevelopmentofmedicalscienceaswellasclinicaltrials.AllthishashelpedTCMtowinacceptancefrompeopleandthesupportofthegovernment.
TCMhasnotonlybroughtbenefitstotheChinesepeople,butisgraduallybecomingpopularelsewhereintheworld.XiyuanHospital,asachampionofTCM,organizestrainingandexchangeactivitiesaboutTCMwithforeignhospitalseveryyear.ItalsodispatchesChinesemedicineexpertstoGermany,Australiaandothercountries.Inrecentyears,theresearchanddevelopmentofTCMtotreathypoglycemia,hypolipidemiaandheartdiseasehasbeencertifiedbydevelopedcountriessuchasGermanyandNewZealand.TCMisgraduallyspreadingfromChinatotherestoftheworld.
“AsaTCMdoctor,myprimaryaspirationistoservepeople’shealth,”saidZhang.“Afterretiring,IwouldliketousemyknowledgeandskillsinTCMtovolunteeratanot-forprofitnursinghome.”
CopyeditedbyLaurenceCoultonCommentsto
“TCMalsohasitsownadvantages.Forexample,itcanbeusedtotreatsomediseasesthatWesternmedicinecannotcure,andiseffectiveinpreemptivehealthcare,keepingfitandpostoperativerehabilitation.”
—ProfessorZhangXiaojunatXiyuanHospitalinBeijing