1. Proposal of the Model

1. Proposal of the Model

In terms of theoretical exploration, basic research, and clinical studies on the integration of Western and TCM medicine, scholars both domestically and internationally have published numerous reports and papers. Especially over the past decade, various regions' TCM and integrated TCM communities have held a series of academic conferences on these topics, creating a vibrant and diverse academic environment. However, "a journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step." In clinical practice, how should we get started? Can we propose a concrete clinical model for integrated Western and TCM medicine? This model serves not only as the standard procedure for daily ward and outpatient patient care but also as the guiding principle for writing integrated TCM-Western medical records. More importantly, it should have forward-looking significance in promoting the cause of integrated Western and TCM medicine and advancing the modernization of TCM. With these considerations in mind, I proposed the "Six-Character Method" for integrated Western and TCM clinical practice. These sixteen characters are "Western diagnosis, TCM syndrome differentiation, TCM as the mainstay, Western medicine as the auxiliary." In 1984, this method was first implemented in the Department of Integrated Western and TCM Medicine at the Gansu Provincial Institute of New Medicine, becoming the established guideline for inpatient and outpatient diagnosis and treatment in that department. Eight years of clinical practice proved that this method could unify the thinking of all TCM and integrated TCM medical staff and fully leverage the strengths of combining macro and micro perspectives, holistic and local perspectives, and pathogen and body response perspectives. Starting in 1990, with strong support from the Gansu Provincial Health Department, an annual provincial training course for resident physicians in TCM hospitals was organized, focusing on implementing the "Six-Character Method." Through lectures on common and frequently occurring diseases, the diagnostic and treatment work of inpatient departments in 73 TCM hospitals across the province was unified under the "Six-Character Method," showing significant improvement compared with before. Everyone agreed that this method had universal guiding significance for clinical practice in TCM hospitals, so the "Six-Character Method" came to be known as the "Six-Character Policy." In July 1987 and August 1990, I was invited to deliver academic presentations on the "Six-Character Method" at national academic conferences in Beijing, Kunming, Guiyang, and Dalian, receiving recognition from fellow scholars. In April 1992, experts in integrated Western and TCM medicine from the five northwestern provinces, led by me, initiated the compilation of a practical textbook on integrated Western and TCM internal medicine. At the plenary editorial meeting held in Lanzhou, the editorial committee unanimously approved the outline, format, and detailed rules drafted by me, and also determined that the guiding principle for compiling this book would be the "Six-Character Policy" of "Western diagnosis, TCM syndrome differentiation, TCM as the mainstay, Western medicine as the auxiliary," which I had proposed and proven effective through many years of practice.