A shot in the arm for TCM

In a major move to make traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) go global, Siemens yesterday said it has made substantial progress in turning the experience-based TCM into evidence-based medication.

A core team of Siemens China's Corporate Technology has developed what it believes is the world's first magnetic resonance imaging, or MRI-based system that directs practitioners to use a special acupuncture needle (acupotomy) in microsurgery, said Arding Hsu, head of Corporate Technology.

Acupotomy is a type of surgery that uses a small needle-scalpel invented by Professor Zhu Hanzhang three decades ago. The technique is used to treat chronic injuries, soft tissue disorders as well as abnormal bony growths that cause acute pain.