City first Western medicine and TCM center to treat Parkinson's launched
The city’s first one-stop Parkinson’s disease diagnosis and treatment center combining Western medicine and traditional Chinese medicine was launched at Xinhua Hospital on Sunday.
“Successful treatment of Parkinson’s patients’ motor complications is difficult," said Dr Liu Zhenguo, director of Xinhua’s neurology department. "The best choice is to prevent it happening and developing. The new center will better regulate and manage patients’ treatment. The longer we can help patients retain their ability of self care, the bigger the victory of the center.”
The hospital released a guideline on Western medicine and TCM treatment for Parkinson’s motor complications in July. It said the combination can alleviate non-motor symptoms like depression, pain, anxiety, inability to sit still and repetition of certain stereotyped behaviors.
“Parkinson’s patients need long-term management for monitoring and testing as well as changes in treatment plans," Liu said.
"The combination of Western medicine and TCM, plus a combination of medicine and sports and rehabilitation, can help patients better retain their ability for taking care of themselves and having a better quality of life."
In the new center, each patient will have his or her condition evaluated, and given an individualized treatment plan, doctors said.
There are 2.5 million patients with Parkinson’s disease in China, which has 100,000 new cases every year. Nearly 15 percent of patients go to the hospital after suffering symptoms for two years, missing the best time for intervention and treatment. Though Parkinson’s is not curable, its development can be controlled and delayed through early intervention and proper treatment.
A patient with Parkinson's disease receives advice from a doctor at Xinhua Hospital.
Two doctors check a patient with Parkinson's disease.
