Dongguan People's Hospital

Traditional Chinese Medicine

1. Basic information The Department of Traditional Chinese Medicine at the Tenth Affiliated Hospital of Southern Medical University (Dongguan People's Hospital) is a clinical department at the hospital’s first organisational level specializing in Chinese herbal medicine, acupuncture, tuina and traditional rehabilitation, with a particular strength in coordinated Chinese and Western medical care. It is a national demonstration unit for traditional Chinese medicine work in general hospitals; a Guangdong key traditional Chinese medicine specialty for the 13th Five-Year Plan, in traditional Chinese medicine nursing; a development department for Guangdong's 14th Five-Year Plan key specialty in acupuncture; a Guangdong flagship department for Chinese–Western medicine collaboration; and a Dongguan key specialty in acupuncture, spleen–stomach disorders and traditional Chinese medicine nursing. The department currently undertakes development projects for one national renowned senior traditional Chinese medicine practitioner studio, two Guangdong renowned practitioner studios and five municipal renowned practitioner studios. It has one inpatient ward with 47 beds in operation. Across the hospital's three outpatient departments, it offers specialty clinics in traditional Chinese internal medicine, spleen–stomach disorders, gynecology, andrology, pulmonary disease, preventive care before disease onset, acupuncture, tuina, neck–shoulder–lower back–leg pain, traditional Chinese medicine nursing and Jin's Three-Needle Therapy. It treats more than 1,000 inpatients and records over 60,000 outpatient visits annually. The department has strong technical expertise and 43 medical and nursing staff, including three provincially recognized renowned traditional Chinese medicine practitioners, one municipally recognized renowned practitioner, one doctoral supervisor and one master's supervisor. There are six Chief Physicians of Traditional Chinese Medicine, six Associate Chief Physicians of Traditional Chinese Medicine, three Attending Physicians of Traditional Chinese Medicine and six Physicians of Traditional Chinese Medicine; two hold doctoral degrees and nine hold master's degrees. The team includes 17 nursing staff and five therapists. Equipment includes pneumatic compression therapy devices, electrocardiographs, multifunction treatment beds, traditional Chinese medicine constitution assessment devices and meridian assessment devices, supporting varied clinical needs. The clinical scope includes stroke recovery, cervical and lumbar disc herniation, facial neuritis, herpes zoster, hypertension, diabetes, gastrointestinal disorders, gouty arthritis, chronic cough and pneumonia. In acupuncture, the department retains traditional techniques while incorporating modern medical concepts and technologies. According to the patient's constitution, condition, meridians and zang-fu functional status, it uses abdominal acupuncture, electroacupuncture, plum-blossom needling, scalp acupuncture, fire needling, warm-needle moxibustion, moxa-cone moxibustion, moxibustion boxes, indirect moxibustion and fire-dragon cupping to tailor individualized treatment plans for optimal outcomes. The department continues to strengthen its core capabilities, medical standards and services, and conducts clinical research and promotes applications of traditional Chinese medicine for disease prevention and treatment. In recent years, it has undertaken nine provincial and municipal research projects and two drug clinical trials, offering patients more simple, convenient, effective and affordable traditional Chinese medicine services while advancing the specialty. 2. Outpatient clinics (1) Traditional Chinese internal medicine: Primarily treats common and frequently occurring internal conditions, including colds, chronic cough, asthma, chronic gastritis, indigestion, enteritis, habitual constipation, stroke, dizziness, insomnia, edema, lin syndrome, wasting-thirst syndrome, sweating disorders, lower back and leg pain, and bi syndrome. (2) Traditional Chinese andrology: Its scope includes prostatitis, seminal vesiculitis, inflammation of the vas deferens, epididymitis, orchitis, sexual dysfunction, male infertility, sexually transmitted diseases and late-onset male hypogonadism. (3) Traditional Chinese gynecology: Primarily treats menstrual disorders, vaginal discharge disorders, infertility, premature ovarian insufficiency, perimenopausal syndrome, polycystic ovary syndrome, pelvic inflammatory disease, pregnancy-related disorders and postpartum disorders. (4) Acupuncture clinic: Acupuncture combined with electroacupuncture is used for peripheral nerve injury, limb dysfunction caused by cerebrovascular accidents or fractures, and neck, shoulder, lower back and leg pain. Acupuncture with plum-blossom needling is used for facial neuritis and oculomotor nerve injury; warm needling for menstrual irregularities and knee arthritis; fine fire needling for paronychia, tenosynovitis, ganglion cysts and chronic soft tissue injury; and abdominal acupuncture for chronic gastritis, chronic enteritis, chronic pelvic inflammatory disease, obesity, menstrual irregularities, uterine fibroids and infertility. (5) Neck, shoulder, lower back and leg pain clinic: Primarily treats spinal soft tissue injuries, vertebral joint malalignment, synovial impingement and disc herniation. Conditions include cervical spondylosis with symptoms such as cervicogenic dizziness, insomnia, palpitations, chest tightness, neck pain, headache, limb numbness and weakness, tinnitus or hearing loss; and lower back and leg pain such as low back pain, sciatica, osteoarthritis and lower limb weakness associated with wei or bi syndromes. (6) Tuina clinic, including pediatric tuina: Primarily treats cervical spondylosis, lumbar disc herniation, frozen shoulder and chronic back pain. Pediatric tuina is used for constitutional regulation in conditions including externally contracted illnesses, cough, constipation, indigestion, torticollis and adenoid hypertrophy. (7) Preventive care before disease onset clinic: Uses traditional Chinese medicine constitution assessment equipment to evaluate individual health status, provide constitution-based examination conclusions and reports, and propose corresponding health-preservation principles and advice. Its focus is traditional Chinese medicine prevention, health maintenance and management for chronic conditions such as hypertension, diabetes, malignant tumors, chronic gastritis, irritable bowel syndrome and insomnia. 3. Services offered (1) Traditional treatment services 1. Needling therapies: Body acupuncture, bloodletting, scalp acupuncture, abdominal acupuncture, wrist–ankle acupuncture, plum-blossom needling, fire needling, electroacupuncture, needle therapy listed in the source as “锨针”, fine fire needling and rounded-sharp needle therapy. 2. Autologous blood injection into acupuncture points and acupuncture-point thread embedding. 3. Tuina and massage: Spinal manipulation, spinal pinching, back-spine therapy, massage, tendon-plucking techniques, Long's spinal treatment and pediatric tuina. 4. Moxibustion: Du-meridian, Ren-meridian and tian moxibustion. 5. Cupping: Fire cupping, balanced cupping and fire-dragon cupping. 6. Warming and unblocking gua sha. 7. Auricular seed acupressure and embedded needles. 8. Chinese herbal patches applied to acupuncture points. (2) Specialized services 1. Multifunction basin moxibustion Introduced in 2022, this technique uses a moxibustion basin to hold burning moxa sticks at selected acupuncture points or painful areas. In the hospital’s account using traditional Chinese medicine concepts, the warmth and medicinal action of mugwort stimulate the area to clear heat and resolve phlegm, regulate yin and yang, unblock meridians, improve circulation, dispel dampness and cold, and move qi and blood. It is used for deficiency-cold and bi conditions, including colds, constipation, diarrhea, menstrual irregularities, insomnia and lower back pain. Approximately 500 treatment visits are provided annually, with favorable clinical feedback. 2. Moxibustion box treatment A box holds burning moxa sticks above selected acupuncture points or painful areas. The hospital describes heat as stimulating meridians and points to warm and unblock the channels, promote blood and qi movement, and dispel cold and dampness. It is used for deficiency-cold patterns such as colds, cough, abdominal pain and diarrhea, and bi conditions including shoulder and neck pain and lower back and leg pain. Approximately 1,000 treatment visits are provided annually, with marked clinical effects. 3. Indirect moxibustion Slices of fresh ginger and moxa wool are placed over the treatment area. The hospital describes the warmth of the lit moxa and the medicinal action of ginger as being conducted through meridians, promoting penetration and absorption and carrying effects into the relevant acupuncture points. The therapy is used for colds, lower back pain, abdominal pain, diarrhea, vomiting and bilateral knee pain attributed to wind, cold, dampness and bi patterns. Its effects include regulating qi and blood in the meridians, resolving phlegm and dampness, and relieving obstruction from blood stasis. Approximately 2,200 treatment visits are provided each year, with favorable reputation and feedback. 4. Integrated fire-dragon cupping moxibustion Introduced in 2020, this method combines tuina, gua sha, moxibustion, massage, heated pressing and acupressure with ten techniques: kneading, rolling, pushing, pressing, point pressing, rocking, flashing, vibrating, warm pressing and hot application. The hospital describes the use of near-infrared radiation from moxibustion and photoelectric chemical effects as avoiding the pain of traditional gua sha and moving suction cups, as well as blood stasis and cold stagnation that traditional fire cupping may cause. It is described as producing immediate dispersal and reduction during scraping, and as an almost painless approach combining treatment and comfort. It is used for gynecologic conditions such as menstrual irregularities, spinal conditions such as cervical and lumbar disorders, gastrointestinal conditions such as constipation and bloating, and chronic conditions such as stroke sequelae. Approximately 1,500 treatment visits are provided each year. The department attributes its important place within its traditional Chinese medicine services to what it describes as safety, effectiveness, comfort and near-painlessness. 5. Balanced fire cupping This therapy uses heat to expel air and create suction at the skin surface. Combining traditional fire cupping with modern techniques, dynamic negative pressure is used to balance and regulate the meridian system through mechanical stimulation, warmth and biofeedback. It is mainly used to treat colds, insomnia, obesity, frozen shoulder, neck and lower back soreness, chronic fatigue syndrome and acute gastroenteritis, and to regulate damp-heat constitution. The department provides over approximately 400 visits annually. The hospital describes notable advantages in pain relief, immune regulation and constitutional improvement, and is an important non-drug external traditional Chinese medicine approach for disease prevention, treatment and constitutional regulation. 6. Kaitianmen technique Kaitianmen uses specific tuina manipulations on head and facial acupuncture points, drawing on neural reflex regulation and meridian conduction to unblock channels, promote circulation and enhance metabolism. In the hospital’s description using traditional Chinese medicine terminology, its effects include balancing yin and yang, opening the orifices and calming the spirit, calming the liver and extinguishing wind, raising yang and stabilising collapse patterns, dispersing wind and releasing the exterior, unblocking channels and benefiting vision, and relieving pain. Healthy people may use it to strengthen constitution for preventive health care. It can also relieve dizziness, headache, migraine, neurasthenia, insomnia and hypertension-related symptoms. About 200 treatment visits are provided annually, with favorable patient reviews. 7. Ziwu Liuzhu time-based acupuncture-point selection This acupuncture approach combines traditional meridian theory with chronomedicine. Based on the circulation of qi and blood through the twelve meridians, particular points are needled at selected times to enhance treatment effects. It is used for various conditions, including pain such as headache, joint pain and abdominal pain; respiratory conditions such as cough and COPD; nervous system conditions such as insomnia and anxiety; and gynecologic conditions such as menstrual irregularities and infertility.