Why do we need to investigate TCM in Boston?
Although TCM (i.e. traditional Chinese medicine) has been continuously used and clinically evaluated in China over five thousand years up to date, we feel it should be evaluated again specifically for the American population in their native environment. Our research centers on the safety and efficacy of TCM therapies including acupuncture, herbal medicine, and Tuina massage. There are four rationales behind our research program:

1. TCM emphasizes on personalized treatment and the harmony of the body, mind and environment. America is radically different from China in their racial makeup, diet, work and living conditions. We expect many diseases manifest differently in the U.S. than in China.

2. American people have certain health conditions that are not common in China. Thus there are not sufficient clinical data for those conditions in China.

3. Boston is the leading medical center in the world. Many local institutions including MGH have been conducting NIH-sponsored clinical trials on acupuncture. Therefore, we have distinct advantages to do clinical research in Boston than other U.S. cities.

4. Many patients are actively seeking treatments from TCM or other alternative medicines. Because traditional Chinese medicine is a potent form of medicine, it is important for patients to use TCM in such a way it will enhance their conventional healthcare rather than weaken it. It is necessary to study an optimal way for TCM to compliment the Western medicine, and develop a therapeutic synergy between the two.

How can Chi Wellness Clinic conduct research?
Chi Wellness Clinic, although focusing exclusive on traditional Chinese medicine (TCM), have clinicians and investigators who have experience in integrating TCM with Western medicine in China and in scientific research. We will also participate in activities organized by Boston Institute of Traditional Chinese Medicine (BioTCM), which is a virtual institution that bring together investigators from clinics, hospitals and medical schools in greater Boston areas.

What research projects are going on at Chi Wellness Clinic?

First project is to compile a list of potential interactions between Chinese herbs and pharmacenticals th. We are especially interested in Chinese herbs and drugs that are used in treatment of infertilities. We will collaborate with researchers at Massachusetts College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences, Boston, MA. At the end of this project, we will publish a review paper in a scientific journal.

Second project is to develop a curriculum and a computer-assisted learning system of anatomy for blind Tuina massage therapists. We have submitted a grant proposal to the U.S. Department of Education's National Institute on Disability and Rehabilitation Research (NIDRR) in May 2005. We collaborate with a researcher at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Boston, MA.

Third project is to prepare for a study on the effect of acupuncture on acute shingles pains and prevention of post-herpetic neurogia. We plan to work with a group of clinicians at Brigham and Women's Hospiral, Boston, MA.

How can physicians collaborate with us?
Since our inception, Chi Wellness Clinic has set a policy to encourage its patients to communicate openly with their physicians. Through their patients, many physicians have first-hand opportunity to evaluate safety and efficacy of our TCM treatment.

For example, one of our patients had a previlige to deliver a lecture joinly with her physician, Dr. Brown, the head of MGH neuromuscular unit, at Harvard Medical School. She had a rare degenerative condition for which there were no drugs available; our sole remedies had brough her significant improvement.

We welcome physicians and researchers in the U.S. to exchange views and collaborate on research projects with us. They can share with us their interests and concerns in traditional Chinese medicine. In addition, we invite clinicians from China, who specialize in integration of traditional Chinese medicine and western medicine in treating chronic conditions, to visit and work at Chi Wellness Clinic.

By collaborating with physicians and researchers in the Longwood Medical Area, Chi Wellness Clinic will apply for funding from the National Institutes of Health. Together with physicians we hope to publish the safety and efficacy of TCM therapies for a number of chronic conditions.

How can patients help in case study?
With its continuous use for thousands of years in China, TCM has been proven safe and effective for many conditions. In the established paradigm of randomized clinical trials, a gold standard in the U.S., TCM is facing new challenges in demonstrating its efficacy and potency. There are many potential issues that ought to be resoved in research, such as placebo control, personalized diagnosis, and holistic healing.

For example, at Chi Wellness Clinic, we observe many patients who are severely impaired by "quick-fix" treatments and by side effects of medications. We hope to build a treatment procedure that allows patients as well as their physicians to evalaute the effect and prognosis of their treatment.

We look for patients who have been evaluated by their physicians. At the recommendation of their physicians, we will treat patients with TCM therapies, and keep detailed record of our diagnosis and treatment. At the endpoint of our treatment at Chi Wellness, patients ask their physicians for a thorough examination of the symptoms. Physicians can determine the efficacy of our treatment.

This is a practical way to accumulate case studes of a disease catagory. Later around, it may be possible to establish clinical evidence of TCM using placebo-controlled trials in the U.S.

How can you help fund a research project?
We are working hard to apply for funding through various Federal Govenment-sponsor programs. But Funding is very limited in research of traditional Chinese medicine, and tends to favor established institutions such as Harvard Medical School. Chi Wellness Clinic, as a small business, is in serious disadvantage.

If you have a special interest in research on the effect of TCM on a specific health condition, you are welcome to contact with "Miles" Chong Chen, director of Chi Wellness Clinic ( milescchen@chiwellness.com) for discussion. We will make sure the funding is used specifically for the designated project and the related work will be accompanished with highest scientific and ethical standards.