A Preliminary Study on Legitimacy Identification Standards for Unconventional Treatment Technologies in Traditional Chinese Medicine

Compared with western medicine with objective and standardized theories, traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) places more emphasis on subjective thinking. Moreover, there are several academic schools under TCM, and ancient secret prescriptions and proven prescriptions play important roles in TCM treatments. However, the drugs used by some academic schools and some ancient secret prescriptions and proven prescriptions often contradict mainstream theories, and some TCM treatment methods do not significantly conform to the methods that are considered safe by the Chinese Pharmacopoeia (2015 edition), medical textbooks and other canonical books. Despite the long history and abundant successful experiences of TCM treatments, controversies regarding these unconventional treatment technologies, specifically when these breach the safety standards of treatment, exist considering that several medical adverse effects are observed when performing these unconventional treatments. In view of this, distinguishing “well-defined technological breakthrough” from “medical fault” is considered necessary. This study discusses the issue and raises constructive suggestions on the corresponding identification standards for unconventional treatment strategies in TCM.