Xinhua News Agency, Beijing, March 22. Question: In the face of the new crown pneumonia epidemic caused by the mutant strain of Omicron, what does Chinese medicine think and how to do?

  Xinhua News Agency reporter Tian Xiaohang

  Recently, local clusters of new coronary pneumonia have occurred in many places in my country, mainly due to the mutant strain of Omicron.

Adapting to the changing situation, the National Health Commission and the State Administration of Traditional Chinese Medicine recently jointly issued the "New Coronavirus Pneumonia Diagnosis and Treatment Plan (Trial Version 9)" to revise and improve the content of traditional Chinese medicine treatment.

  From the perspective of traditional Chinese medicine, what are the new characteristics of the new coronary pneumonia epidemic caused by the mutant strain of Omicron?

Are existing TCM treatments and prescriptions still effective?

Why does the new version of the diagnosis and treatment plan and prescription add acupuncture and moxibustion treatment?

Around these issues, the reporter interviewed relevant departments and authoritative experts.

The core etiology and pathogenesis of new coronary pneumonia have not changed

  The mutant strain of Omicron spreads quickly and is highly concealed. The recent local clustered epidemics have the characteristics of many points, wide areas and frequent occurrences.

How does traditional Chinese medicine view the new crown pneumonia epidemic caused by the mutant strain of Omicron?

  Tong Xiaolin, academician of the Chinese Academy of Sciences and head of the Expert Committee for the Prevention and Control of Traditional Chinese Medicine Diseases of the State Administration of Traditional Chinese Medicine, said: "The phenomenon of 'falling spring cold' is common in China after the sting, and the climate in many places is colder than the same period in previous years. It has its own qi, which is conducive to the spread of the new coronavirus. However, from the perspective of traditional Chinese medicine, compared with the epidemic in Wuhan in early 2020, the syndrome evolution characteristics of this recent round of epidemics are more likely to change into heat and dryness, and patients with dry throat, Upper respiratory tract symptoms such as sore throat, cough, and dry nose are more obvious. Different regions have different manifestations due to different climates.”

  The reporter learned from the State Administration of Traditional Chinese Medicine that Zhang Boli, an academician of the Chinese Academy of Engineering, used traditional Chinese medicine for the first time in Tianjin to treat 431 cases of new coronary pneumonia patients with Omicron variant strains, and then Academician Tong Xiaolin applied traditional Chinese medicine to treat 580 cases in Henan. The results show that Traditional Chinese medicine treatment has significantly improved symptoms such as fever, sore throat, and cough. Especially for elderly patients with underlying diseases, the experience of "preventive treatment and truncating the disease" has been summarized, and the rate of relapse has been effectively controlled.

After the outbreak of the new crown pneumonia caused by the mutant strain of Omicron in various parts of the country, experts from the Expert Committee of Traditional Chinese Medicine Epidemic Prevention and Control of the State Administration of Traditional Chinese Medicine, together with front-line traditional Chinese medicine experts from all over the country, conducted a comprehensive analysis and judgment, and formed the ninth edition of the diagnosis and treatment plan.

  Experts agree that the core etiology and pathogenesis of the new coronavirus pneumonia of the Omicron variant strain has not changed compared with before, and it still belongs to the category of "epidemic" diseases in traditional Chinese medicine. There are slight differences in the characteristics of syndromes due to different factors such as dietary habits, cold, heat, dryness, blood stasis, and deficiency.

Existing traditional Chinese medicine treatment plans and prescriptions are still effective to deal with this round of epidemic

  In the early response to the novel coronavirus pneumonia epidemic of the mutant strain of Omicron, all localities carried out TCM clinical treatment based on the eighth edition of the national diagnosis and treatment plan.

The reporter learned from the State Administration of Traditional Chinese Medicine that at present, asymptomatic infections, mild and common types are mainly treated with traditional Chinese medicine, and severe and critical types are treated with integrated traditional Chinese and Western medicine, and both Chinese and Western medicine have achieved good results.

  According to experts, the ninth edition of the diagnosis and treatment plan includes Qingfei Paidu Decoction, Huashibaidu Fang, Xuanfeibaidu Fang, Jinhua Qinggan Granules, Lianhua Qingwen Capsules (granules), Xuebijing Injection and other key prescriptions for the treatment of patients. It is still effective for asymptomatic infections and confirmed patients with the new coronavirus pneumonia of the Omicron variant strain.

  "Under the new epidemic situation, the adjustment of the plan is very timely." said Liu Qingquan, deputy head of the Expert Committee on TCM Epidemic Prevention and Control of the State Administration of Traditional Chinese Medicine and president of Beijing Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine Affiliated to Capital Medical University. The ninth edition of the diagnosis and treatment plan is relatively complete. , which basically covers various situations and syndrome characteristics of different regions, especially the scientific positioning of "three drugs" and "three parties" have been approved by the State Food and Drug Administration for production, making it more convenient and faster to deal with large-scale disease conditions.

Regarding how to make good use of traditional Chinese medicine treatment methods, all parts of the country can change with the syndrome on the basis of the ninth edition of the diagnosis and treatment plan in accordance with the principle of "three factors and measures" in traditional Chinese medicine.

Effective experiences such as acupuncture and moxibustion have been incorporated into the new version of the diagnosis and treatment plan

  It is understood that recently, on the basis of summarizing the clinical experience of traditional Chinese medicine treatment of new coronary pneumonia in various places, the members of the Expert Committee of Traditional Chinese Medicine Epidemic Prevention and Control of the State Administration of Traditional Chinese Medicine have revised and improved the eighth edition of the new coronary pneumonia diagnosis and treatment plan, forming the ninth edition of the diagnosis and treatment plan. TCM treatment content of the program.

  Based on clinical treatment experience, the new version of the plan increases the content of acupuncture and moxibustion treatment, and strengthens the application of non-drug therapy of traditional Chinese medicine.

Liu Qingquan said that acupuncture and moxibustion has a very good effect on the treatment of plague, which has been recorded in the literature of the past dynasties.

Previously, research on acupuncture and moxibustion in the treatment of new coronary pneumonia has been carried out in many places across the country. The application of acupuncture and moxibustion has gradually expanded from the original rehabilitation period treatment to the acute period treatment.

  "The results of a study by our team showed that the earlier acupuncture and moxibustion treatment was performed, the greater the benefit to the patient." Liu Qingquan said that patients who had been treated with acupuncture and moxibustion from the onset of the disease experienced symptoms such as fatigue, fever, cough, and muscle soreness. Rapid improvement with significantly shorter disease duration and hospital stay.

The number of cases is insufficient, but it has shown good prospects for treatment.

  "This round of epidemic has affected many children. The constitution of children is different from that of adults, and the transmission after infection is different from that of Conghua. For this reason, the new version of the plan has added content related to children's traditional Chinese medicine treatment." Tong Xiaolin said that traditional Chinese medicine treatment It is not only necessary to grasp the commonality of diseases, but also to "according to the time, place, and person".

The new version of the plan draws on the effective experience of the pediatricians involved in the treatment, formulates a more suitable plan for children, and is more conducive to guiding doctors to accurately treat children with patients.

  In addition, in view of the obvious characteristics of patients with dryness syndrome in some areas in the early stage, the new version of the plan adds "epidemic poison and dryness syndrome" to the common type.

At the same time, because "Sanfang" has been approved as a Chinese patent medicine, the "Three Drugs" has also added indications for the treatment of mild and common new coronary pneumonia in the drug insert. Granules, Huashibaidu Granules, Jinhua Qinggan Granules, Lianhua Qingwen Capsules (granules) and other proprietary Chinese medicines and how to take them.