Traditional Chinese Medicine Spleen and Stomach Diseases Department

Department development history: The department was established in 2007, became a member of the Key Specialty Collaboration Group for Spleen and Stomach Diseases under the National Administration of Traditional Chinese Medicine’s 11th and 12th Five-Year Plans, became a designated institution for the National Administration of Traditional Chinese Medicine’s 12th and 13th Five-Year Key Specialty Development Projects in 2012, and was renamed from the Department of Traditional Chinese Medicine Gastroenterology to the Department of Traditional Chinese Medicine Spleen and Stomach Diseases; it has now developed into a key collaborative department for the integrative treatment of digestive diseases at China-Japan Friendship Hospital and an important component of the hospital’s "Integrative Chinese and Western Medicine Discipline Group".

Department personnel composition: The deputy department director (presiding over work) is Zhang Zhe, and the head nurse is Qi Hongying. The department has 8 currently employed physicians, including 2 deputy chief physicians, 4 attending physicians, and 2 resident physicians, as well as 7 nurses and others; educational qualifications: 7 hold doctoral degrees and 1 holds a bachelor’s degree. Department members hold multiple concurrent academic appointments in the Digestive System Diseases Professional Committee of the Chinese Association of Integrative Medicine, the Professional Committee of Integrative Digestive Diseases of the Beijing Medical Association, the Digestive Diseases Professional Committee of the World Federation of Chinese Medicine Societies, the Spleen and Stomach Diseases Branch of the China Association of Chinese Medicine, the Spleen and Stomach Diseases Professional Committee of the Beijing Association of Chinese Medicine, the Digestive Integrative Medicine Branch of the Chinese Association for the Promotion of Chinese Medicine Research, and several other societies.

Zhang Zhe, deputy department director (presiding over work), holds a doctorate in clinical medicine and trained under Professor Jiang Liangduo, a nationally renowned TCM physician. He is a council member of the Digestive Diseases Professional Committee of the World Federation of Chinese Medicine Societies, a member of the Expert Committee on Acute Pancreatitis of the Digestive System Diseases Professional Committee of the Chinese Association of Integrative Medicine, a member of the Respiratory Professional Committee of the Beijing Association of Integrative Medicine, and a young editorial board member of Journal of Traditional Chinese Medical Sciences. He has led 1 provincial- or ministerial-level project and contributed to the compilation of books including Chinese Medicine and Microecology, Jiang Liangduo’s Clinical Insights into Internal Medicine Formulas and Medicines, and A Compilation of National TCM Prescriptions. His research achievements have received the Third Prize for Science and Technology of the Chinese Anti-Cancer Association, the First Prize of the Science and Technology Award of the Chinese Ethnic Medicine Association, the Third Prize of the Jiangxi Provincial Science and Technology Award, and others.

Yao Shukun, the department’s chief physician, professor, and doctoral supervisor, formerly served as deputy president of China-Japan Friendship Hospital. He has trained more than 30 doctoral students and more than 50 master’s students, and has published more than 20 SCI papers and more than 300 academic and scientific papers. He developed various Chinese patent medicines, including Qinggan Huayu Formula, Zhiganning, and Qingre Liqi Granules; led multiple national- and provincial/ministerial-level projects; won multiple provincial- and ministerial-level Science and Technology Progress Awards, including first, second, and third prizes; was editor-in-chief of Clinical Oncology and other works, and contributed to multiple books including Fundamentals and Clinical Practice of Gastrointestinal Motility. He concurrently serves in multiple academic positions, including deputy chair of the Infectious Diseases Branch of the China Association of Chinese Medicine, executive council member of the Chinese Association of Integrative Medicine, deputy chair of the Professional Committee of Integrative Digestive Diseases of the Chinese Association of Integrative Medicine, member of the Professional Committee of Integrative Liver Diseases of the Chinese Association of Integrative Medicine, standing committee member of the Integrative Medicine Physicians Branch of the Chinese Medical Doctor Association, member of the Expert Committee on TCM Consultation of the National 11th Five-Year Science and Technology Support Program, and review expert for the National Natural Science Foundation of China.

Fu Si, chief physician, professor, and master’s supervisor of the department, specializes in the TCM prevention and treatment of digestive system diseases including fatty liver, hyperlipidemia, ulcerative colitis, and functional dyspepsia. Fu Si formerly served as director of the Department of TCM Spleen and Stomach Diseases, has published more than 90 academic papers, and has led or participated in multiple provincial/ministerial-level and hospital-level projects. Fu Si concurrently serves as vice president of the Traditional Medicine Branch of the Beijing Society of Rehabilitation Medicine, a standing committee member of the Geriatric Diseases Professional Committee of the Chinese Association of Integrative Medicine, and a member of the Digestive Diseases Professional Committee of the Chinese Association of Integrative Medicine.

Outpatient and inpatient facilities: The department operates specialty clinics for constipation, gastroesophageal reflux disease, abdominal distension, functional dyspepsia, and other conditions. There are 25 inpatient beds in total. There is 1 C13 breath-test examination room and 1 treatment room for the fatty liver treatment instrument.

Introduction to diagnostic and treatment equipment: The department has 1 advanced 13C breath-test device and 1 fatty liver treatment instrument.

Department diagnostic and treatment specialties:

Diseases in which the department has strengths: Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease and functional dyspepsia are currently diseases in which our hospital has strengths and are key development projects; gastroesophageal reflux disease, constipation, abdominal distension, gastrointestinal dysfunction, and other conditions are diseases in which our department has strengths.

Advantageous disease 1. Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease falls within the TCM category of "Gan Pi". The department has the Jingtian Hugan Formula, supported theoretically by "supplementing the spleen and kidneys and transforming stasis and turbidity", as well as Zhiganning, which clears the liver, benefits the gallbladder, strengthens the spleen, and resolves dampness; these treatments address fatty liver and prevent its formation from multiple theoretical perspectives and dimensions.

Advantageous disease 2. Functional dyspepsia falls within the TCM category of "abdominal distension" and is a common clinical disease. Among patients with symptoms of dyspepsia, examination shows that 79.5% are diagnosed with functional dyspepsia. It develops slowly, relapses easily, affects patients’ normal lives and work, and reduces their quality of life. Functional dyspepsia is a disease in which TCM treatment has advantages; our hospital has extensive clinical experience in treating functional gastrointestinal diseases, including functional abdominal distension and functional dyspepsia, with good efficacy and high safety; the department is skilled in intervention with classical formulas such as Xiangsha Liujunzi Decoction and Banxia Xiexin Decoction. At the same time, on the basis of the 12th Five-Year Support Program and through long-term work, it formulated multiple theories, including the "Xinxiang Tongluo Method", "Six Stagnations", and "Tongjiang Method", and developed hospital preparations including Jiawei Sanxiang Decoction, Qingre Liqi Granules, Xiaozhang Patch, and Tongfu Enema Formula, with clear clinical efficacy; it has also conducted in-depth research from multiple dimensions, including liquid nutritional meals, gastric emptying, and adaptive function testing technologies, and has published more than 40 papers.

Distinctive TCM medical technologies: These include TCM herbal enemas, external application of TCM medicines, TCM foot baths, acupuncture, acupoint application, and low-frequency acupoint therapy, among other distinctive TCM diagnostic and treatment techniques. The main applications include:

TCM herbal enema treatment for incomplete intestinal obstruction, gastrointestinal dysfunction, ulcerative colitis, and other conditions; foot-bath treatment for constipation;

Comprehensive treatment with external application of TCM medicines, acupoint application, and enemas for acute pancreatitis and ascites;

Low-frequency therapy device treatment for nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (fatty liver treatment instrument) and preventive care before disease onset;

Acupoint application treatment for epigastric pain; enema, acupoint application, and acupuncture treatment for constipation, abdominal distension, and dyspepsia.

Hospital preparations and agreed prescriptions: The agreed prescriptions Jiawei Sanxiang Decoction, Xuanfu Daizhe Xiaozhang Formula (oral formula), and Xiaozhang Formula (acupoint patch) are used to treat gastrointestinal motility disorders such as functional dyspepsia and abdominal distension; the agreed prescription Tongfu Enema Formula is used to treat increased intra-abdominal pressure, gastrointestinal dysfunction, incomplete intestinal obstruction, and other conditions caused by acute pancreatitis, after abdominal surgery, and other conditions; the hospital preparation Kuijiekang is used to treat ulcerative colitis; the agreed prescription Chufan Anmian Decoction is used to treat insomnia; the agreed prescription Qingre Huashi Formula is used to treat abnormal liver function; and others have demonstrated clear efficacy.

Existing specialty clinics: The department operates specialty clinics for constipation, gastroesophageal reflux disease, abdominal distension, dyspepsia, and other conditions.

Department research achievements: Important scientific research achievements obtained by the department and when they were obtained (listed in reverse chronological order or by importance).

The department has led 1 special research project on TCM science and technology of the National Administration of Traditional Chinese Medicine, 1 Capital Medical Development Fund project, 1 Tibet Autonomous Region Natural Science Foundation project, and multiple hospital-level projects of China-Japan Friendship Hospital. Department members have published more than 60 papers in SCI journals and core journals.

Department teaching: The Department of TCM Spleen and Stomach Diseases is a mandatory rotation department at the standardized residency training base for TCM internal medicine of China-Japan Friendship Hospital and is an important component of the base. The department has a standardized teaching management system, including 1 teaching director, 1 teaching secretary, and 6 teaching instructors (appointed). Each year, it supervises more than 100 standardized residency trainee rotations, with strict management in clinical reasoning, clinical knowledge, management ability, communication ability, learning ability, and other areas; the department undertakes TCM internal medicine teaching for undergraduates of Beijing University of Chinese Medicine, as well as clinical guidance for advanced-study trainees and international students. Since 1990, Wang Wei, Gao Min, and others have repeatedly been recognized as outstanding teachers and outstanding teaching administrators by Beijing University of Chinese Medicine and China-Japan Friendship Hospital. The department undertakes the Chaoyang District continuing education project for integrative Chinese and Western medicine in digestive diseases and actively conducts various health science-popularization activities, including large public health lectures.

Department honors: In 2020, it received the Third Prize of the Jiangxi Provincial Science and Technology Award; in 2018, it received the Third Prize for Science and Technology of the Chinese Anti-Cancer Association; in 2017, it received the First Prize of the Science and Technology Award of the Chinese Ethnic Medicine Association; in 2011, it received the First Prize of the Science and Technology Award of the China Association of Chinese Medicine.

Other important matters: Several department members have previously gone to Tibet, Shaanxi, and other regions to support border areas; in 2020, resident physician Li Yijie went to Hubei to provide assistance during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Location in the hospital: The department’s outpatient clinic is located on the 2nd floor of Building M of China-Japan Friendship Hospital, and the inpatient ward is located on the 3rd floor of Building L of China-Japan Friendship Hospital.