Traditional Chinese Medicine

The Department of Traditional Chinese Medicine of the Second Hospital of Harbin Medical University was established in 1960. In 1978, under the leadership of Professor Zhang Fengshan, it began research into the diagnosis and treatment of rheumatic diseases through integrated traditional Chinese and Western medicine. It was one of the earliest specialties in China established with integrated traditional Chinese and Western medicine for rheumatic diseases as its distinctive focus, and compiled and published the country’s first monograph on “Connective Tissue Diseases.” In 1980, the Department of Traditional Chinese Medicine became a “Key Discipline for Learning Western Medicine through Traditional Chinese Medicine” in Heilongjiang Province, approved by the provincial bureau. In 1985, Professor Zhang Fengshan was elected Deputy Chair of the Rheumatology Professional Committee of the Chinese Association of Integrated Traditional Chinese and Western Medicine and a Standing Committee member of the Rheumatology Special Committee of the Chinese Medical Association. In 2000, he was elected Chair of the Professional Committee for Rheumatic Diseases of the Chinese Association of Integrated Traditional Chinese and Western Medicine, while Professor Wang Zhenyu served as Secretary-General. This gave our department an important influence in the fields of Western medicine, traditional Chinese medicine, and integrated traditional Chinese and Western medicine for rheumatic diseases in China. We held research-methodology training courses and rheumatology training courses on many occasions and became the provincial center for rheumatology medical care, teaching, and research. Many rheumatology specialists from hospitals throughout China have received further training and study in our department.

In 2011, the Department of Traditional Chinese Medicine was designated a first-level key discipline for integrated traditional Chinese and Western medicine by the Heilongjiang Provincial Department of Education. It mainly conducts clinical and basic research on rheumatic diseases and peripheral vascular diseases using integrated traditional Chinese and Western medicine. Outstanding therapeutic results have been achieved in the diagnosis and treatment of difficult rheumatic diseases, including systemic lupus erythematosus, rheumatoid arthritis, ankylosing spondylitis, Sjögren syndrome, systemic sclerosis, and vasculitis.

The department currently has 2 provincial-level renowned traditional Chinese medicine physicians, 2 provincial young renowned traditional Chinese medicine physicians, and 1 national-level academic successor instructor for renowned senior traditional Chinese medicine physicians. At present, 1 doctoral student and 7 master’s students are enrolled in the department, and nearly 20 postgraduate students have been trained in total.

The discipline leader, Professor Yu Huimin, is a doctoral supervisor, a Longjiang renowned physician, Heilongjiang Province’s first Young Renowned Traditional Chinese Medicine Physician, a fourth-batch national successor of the academic thought of renowned senior traditional Chinese medicine physicians, a national backbone professional in distinctive traditional Chinese medicine technologies, and a national first-batch Young Expert with Outstanding Contributions to Integrated Traditional Chinese and Western Medicine. Under the leadership of the department director, the department emphasizes multidisciplinary exchange, innovation in clinical skills, and the cultivation of research capabilities. It currently undertakes multiple provincial- and ministerial-level projects and has published dozens of SCI-indexed and domestic core-journal papers.

Introduction to the Department of Traditional Chinese Medicine:

The department currently has 40 authorized beds, 8 clinical physicians, and 10 nurses, including 3 doctoral students, 5 master’s students, 2 chief physicians, 3 associate chief physicians, and 1 specialist nurse. The department currently has three subspecialties: Traditional Chinese Medicine Rheumatology, Traditional Chinese Medicine Pulmonology, and Comprehensive Traditional Chinese Medicine Diagnosis and Treatment. The department is currently a vice-chair unit of the Heilongjiang Chronic Disease Management Association, and a member unit of the Heilongjiang Traditional Chinese Medicine Cardiovascular Disease Specialist Alliance, the Specialist Alliance for Rheumatic and Immune Diseases in the Three Northeastern Provinces, the Heilongjiang Specialist Alliance for Rheumatic and Immune Diseases, and the Heilongjiang Specialist Alliance for Traditional Chinese Medicine Rheumatology. It has received multiple groups of visiting scholars from Russia, participated in MDT outpatient clinics, and repeatedly participated in major hospital surgeries and rehabilitation treatment for critically ill patients.

Distinctive Diagnosis and Treatment:

Under the outstanding leadership of Director Yu Huimin and Head Nurse Wang Sisi, the department not only carries forward the essence of traditional Chinese medicine but also actively innovates by combining traditional Chinese medicine theory with modern medical technology. It has vigorously promoted a series of distinctive traditional Chinese medicine diagnosis and treatment programs, providing patients with more diverse and individualized treatment options. A brief introduction to these distinctive programs follows:

1. Noninvasive diagnosis and treatment programs

1) Auricular acupoint pressure beads: Specific points on the ear are stimulated by the pressing action of small particles such as semen vaccariae seeds, with the aim of regulating the internal organs, unblocking the meridians, harmonizing qi and blood, and preventing and treating disease.

2) Herbal heat packs: Heated herbal packs are applied to affected areas or specific acupoints. Through the warming effect and medicinal action, they promote local blood circulation and relieve muscle tension or pain. They are commonly used for rheumatic bi pain and spleen-stomach deficiency-cold conditions.

3) Thunder-fire moxibustion, moxibustion with an insulating medium, and fire-dragon cupping: These therapies are all variants of moxibustion. Through different forms of moxa-fire stimulation, they warm the meridians and dispel cold, promote qi circulation and blood circulation, support healthy qi, and eliminate pathogenic factors. They are suitable for regulating various deficiency-cold diseases and subhealth conditions.

4) Auricular gua sha: Gua sha is performed on the ear. By stimulating the meridians and reflex zones of the ear, it promotes blood circulation and regulates the functions of the internal organs, while unblocking the meridians and awakening the spirit and opening the orifices.

5) Cupping: Using the principle of negative pressure, localized congestion or blood stasis is created on the skin surface to promote the circulation of meridians and collaterals, circulate qi and blood, reduce swelling and relieve pain, and dispel wind and cold.

6) Tuina: Manual techniques are applied to specific areas or acupoints on the body surface to regulate the body’s physiological and pathological conditions and achieve the goals of treating disease, maintaining health, and strengthening the body.

2. Invasive diagnosis and treatment programs

1) Acupuncture and moxibustion: As one of the traditional therapies of traditional Chinese medicine, it treats disease by inserting needles into acupoints to regulate the body’s qi and blood and the functions of the internal organs. The department may also combine electroacupuncture, warm needling, and other modern techniques to improve therapeutic effects.

2) Needle-knife therapy: This is a new medical instrument combining the characteristics of acupuncture needles and surgical scalpels. It is used to treat soft-tissue injury disorders and osteoarticular lesions and is characterized by minimal trauma and rapid recovery.

3) Acupoint catgut embedding: Absorbable threads are implanted into acupoints. By continuously stimulating the acupoints, this treatment achieves long-term regulation and therapeutic effects and is commonly used for weight loss and endocrine regulation.

4) Ultrasound-guided embedding at the stellate ganglion and sphenopalatine ganglion: Ultrasound imaging is used to precisely locate the ganglia for accurate thread-embedding treatment, effectively avoiding the lack of visual guidance and risks of traditional procedures and improving treatment accuracy and safety.

5) Ultrasound-guided visualized needle-knife therapy: Needle-knife treatment is performed under ultrasound guidance, making the procedure more direct and safer. It can reach the lesion precisely and reduce injury and complications.

The implementation of these distinctive diagnosis and treatment programs has not only enriched the department’s therapeutic methods but also provided patients with more diverse treatment choices, further embodying the core concepts of traditional Chinese medicine: “people-centered care” and “treatment based on syndrome differentiation.”