European Scientists Worried About Adding Chinese Traditional Medicine To ICD-11

European scientists worried about adding Chinese traditional medicine to ICD-11

Two leading scientific medical organizations in Europe have expressed concern about the inclusion of a chapter on traditional Chinese medicine in the International Classification of Diseases (ICD). Scholars believe that the influence of this document makes the irresponsible statements of representatives of this practice more legitimate.

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Two leading scientific medical organizations in Europe have expressed concern about the inclusion of a chapter on traditional Chinese medicine in the International Classification of Diseases (ICD). Scientists believe that the influence of this document makes the irresponsible statements of representatives of this practice more legitimate, CNN reports.

Traditional Chinese medicine is famous for its fantastic claims about the effectiveness of treatment: it "offers remedies" for a variety of diseases that mainstream medicine cannot currently cure. Including, we are talking about alternative methods of cancer treatment, which give false hope to patients. The originality of the means of Chinese traditional medicine is also known. Among the most scandalous of these are the rhino horn and the tiger's penis.

The Scientific Council of European Academies (EASAC) and the European Federation of Academies of Medicine (FEAM) made a statement on the inclusion of Chinese traditional medicine in the International Classification of Diseases.

“There is a risk of misleading patients and doctors, as well as increasing pressure on public health systems by paying for the services of this practice against the background of limited resources,” the statement said.

Infectionist George Griffin, a professor at the University of London who helped write the statement, told CNN that scientists are concerned that people who are not critical, not related to medicine and science, may take the inclusion of Chinese traditional medicine in the ICD as a sign of approval from the World Health Organization. …

When the WHO speaker announced the new revision of traditional Chinese medicine in the ICD, he stated that "this is not support for the scientific validity of any traditional medical practice or the effectiveness of any traditional therapeutic intervention."

Regardless, Dan Larhammer, president of EASAC, an umbrella organization representing the national academies of sciences in EU countries, told CNN that traditional Chinese medicine advocates are likely to interpret it differently.

“The most important risk is that people and patients rely on untested methods and deviate from the use of evidence-based medicine. They waste time and money on useless methods that produce a placebo effect at best. Some alternative methods, including Chinese traditional medicine, can cause side effects, especially with herbal extracts,”he added.