photo: www.tcmrevue.cz/Dr. Ramon Maria Calduch

When did you met TCM for the first time personally?

1988 when I was residing in Beijing for almost a year.

History of TCM is very long in China. In Europe it is much shorter. What would be done in Europe, to share knowledge, practice and support between TCM and Western Medicine at first?

Although TCM arrived in Europe many years ago, it has been during the last 40 years that acupuncture and TCM have been really developed in different European countries. Thanks to the collaboration between European Schools, Associations and Institutions and Chinese Universities, Hospitals and Institutions, TCM and acupuncture in Europe have reached more than acceptable levels of safety and efficacy. In my opinion it’s not necessary to invent any model for the use of Acupuncture and Chinese Medicine in Europe, it’s enough to adapt to the idiosyncrasies of different European countries the Chinese model that consists of a 5-year undergraduate studies in TCM Universities with subsequent postgraduate and masters of 2-3 years and doctorates. Along with this, as in China, postgraduate studies (masters and doctorate) specially designed for doctors and other health professionals of Western medicine should be enabled. In the latter case, we’re talking about integrative Chinese medicine, which would provide patients with the most appropriate treatment (Western medicine, or Chinese medicine, or a combination of both) and which would be the gateway to Acupuncture and TCM in the national health systems of different countries.

It is known, Chinese TCM Universities and hospitals are the main centers of „sharing“ of research to combine TCM and WM. DO you mean, Western Universities would be focused to present acupuncture and TCM methods more?

Western Universities should include acupuncture and Chinese medicine in their undergraduate and postgraduate courses. Likewise, Western hospitals should incorporate them into their healthcare offerings. Both for the training and for the professional practice of acupuncture and TCM in the different European countries it’s absolutely necessary their regulation as it has been done recently in countries like Australia, New Zealand, most States of the USA, Chile, Portugal, …etc. 

TCM Students Spain / www.tcmrevue.cz

Could we think over European Medical University with TCM?

Yes, in my opinion, acupuncture and TCM are medical activities that should be part of an autonomous science and as a science in combination with Western medicine (integrative Chinese medicine) in the same shared space as the area of health science, both at University and hospital level.

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Team R. M. Calduch / www.tcmrevue.cz

Would it be helpful to prepare branch of for instance Shanghai TCM University or Beijing TCM University in Europe?

Of course, it would be very helpful. In this regard, we should learn from previous experiences not exactly successful as is the case of the establishment of a degree studies in UK through a collaboration between Beijing TCM University and Middlesex University with an official degree of both Universities. The same is true of the equally unsuccessful experience between Beijing University of TCM and the University of Barcelona with official master’s degrees for Western doctors. In my opinion, a regulation of both the study and practice of Chinese medicine in Europe is necessary (it could be a Community Directive) so that initiatives such as those mentioned above can be successful. In addition, with official regulation, Chinese universities could invest in Europe by creating branches with greater guarantees of success for the teaching of acupuncture and TCM, and acupuncture and TCM hospitals such as the one planned for Barcelona.

TCM Clinic Madrid / www.tcmrevue.cz

How many years do you support development of TCM in Spain?

Precisely this year is the same as the age of Jesus Christ, that is, 33 years from 1988 to date.

Clinic TCM Barcelona / www.tcmrevue.cz

Your position in „roof“ organisation is very strong. Do you feel, Chinese colleagues are interesting to develop TCM in Europe?

Yes, from my position in World Federations such as WFAS, WFCMS, PEFOTS and WTM Forum, and as a representative of Spain in ISO/TC249TCM, I have a privileged position to observe the evolution and the extraordinary development of acupuncture and Chinese medicine in different countries and regions of the world. From this perspective I can affirm that there’s indeed a high level of interest of many Chinese professionals and institutions in making TCM a reality internationally, in line with what President Xi Jinping expressed that TCM is a treasure of ancient Chinese science and has made important contributions to human health.

Are there some different between TCM education and treating in China and in Europe?

In China there’s a higher level and depth in the TCM education, which is reflected in the treatments applied, in addition to the fact that this science has its cultural roots in its country of origin. There’s an important work to be done so that this knowledge reaches the West in the best possible way. 

Are there different between TCM Asian countries and in China? I mean all of them, endemic, historical details, and national or state conceptions of healthcare. In Mongolia, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Vietnam, Japan, Korea.

There’re indeed differences between the TCM applied in different Asian countries and in China, although the root and origin is the same for all of them, that is, from ancient China. This is evident if we look at the existing reality of Kampo as official medicine in Japan and Korean traditional medicine in that country. But it is also evident its unique root based on its origins in ancient China, by the fact that the ISO/TC249 TCM incorporates all of them when making international standards for this ancient medicine.

What do you mean European people prefer – acupuncture, herbs, training…?

The European population prefers acupuncture for the simple reason that it’s the best known, but little by little Chinese herbal medicine is growing in its level of popularity and consequently its use by European citizens.

Students in China / www.tcmworld.cz

You have two schools of TCM. Are there teachers from Chinese Universities? From where?

Currently our TCM School has 6 branches in Spain (Madrid, Barcelona, Valencia, Seville, Navarra and the Canary Islands) as well as collaborations with different schools in Latin America. As for the teaching staff, we have Chinese teachers mainly from TCM Universities of Yunnan and Beijing, and also European teachers, most of them have received part of their training in China.

Spain students in Beijing / www.tcmrevue.cz

How many students are there?

Currently, adding the 6 branches of our School, there’re a total of approximately 900 students in the 4-year studies. In addition, each year more than 1000 students participate in the continuing education courses that we organize for TCM professionals.

Are they Spanish people or from other European countries?

Although there’re students from other European and Iberoamerican countries, the vast majority are Spanish people.

What about their future – are they official practitioners, medical doctors, private experts? Are TCM Methods official in Spanish health care system?

Many of our students are health professionals (WM doctors, physiotherapists, nurses...etc.) and most of them when finish their studies are dedicated to practice their profession incorporating acupuncture and TCM in their private health care centers or clinics. Those who are not health professionals also practice in private clinics because in Spain acupuncture and TCM are not regulated but not prohibited. In the absence of regulation, unfortunately, acupuncture and TCM have not been incorporated into the Spanish national health system, except in some very exceptional cases in the framework of research programs.

You are member of Top Management of WFCMS. What about the main role of this organisation, in view of the future in Europe?

The work being done by WFCMS is very important both from the perspective of the internationalization of TCM and from the perspective of the scientific evidence of TCM through the works developed by its different Speciaty Committees, including the work we do from the Working Committee of Promoting the Regulation of Chinese Medicine which I deign to chair.

Meeting TCM Spain / www.tcmrevue.cz

You are among founder of PEFOTS. Could we say generally, there is, or there will be TCM MADE IN EUROPE in future?

PEFOTS is a European organization that integrates both Associations of Chinese practitioners living in Europe and Associations of European practitioners of Acupuncture and TCM. In this sense, it’s the only one with these characteristics of those existing in Europe, with the aim that the level of training and practice of TCM in Europe becomes the same as that existing in China, and that both in China and in Europe we mutually benefit from the advances that are achieved thanks to the research carried out.

 By JAN HOVORKA, TCM WORLD

Prague

Czech Republic