Traditional Chinese Medicine has Advantage in Therapy of Scleroderma

Clinical and Experimental Research of Hebei Yiling Hospital shows——
Traditional Chinese Medicine has advantage in Treatment of Pulmonary Fibrosis

Recently, learned from the member of “Scleroderma Clinical and Research International Alliance (InSCAR)” of Hebei Yiling Hospital, the pure traditional Chinese medicine prescription of Shenmai Kaifei Power” developed by the Division II of the department of rheumatology of the provincial key special hospital of traditional Chinese Medicine has obvious advantages in the treatment of pulmonary fibrosis in scleroderma and in improvement of clinical symptoms and the quality of life.

Pulmonary fibrosis is a major disease caused by scleroderma, belonging to the category of “lung paralysis” and “pulmonary asthenia” in traditional Chinese medicine. Because there is no ideal drug and therapy at present, it is also the world difficult diseases. The clinical manifestations of the disease are shortness of breath, chest tightness, and thus leading to pulmonary hypertension, pulmonary function decline, pulmonary heart disease and right heart failure, or secondary pulmonary infection, pulmonary embolism, or arrhythmia cordis due to lack of oxygen and even threatening life. At present, western medicine mainly uses treatment of hormone and immunosuppressant therapy. Although these Therapy of scleroderma temporarily alleviate the clinical symptoms of some patients, because of the large side effects of toxicity, patients cannot be taken for a long time. After drug withdrawal, symptoms will relapse.

In order to find a more effective ideal Therapy of scleroderma, director of Division II of the department of rheumatism and immunity of Hebei Yiling Hospital Guo gang leads members of the expert group taking the disease as a key research project, digging the medicine treasure of our country. Considering the deficiency of lung and kidney, phlegm stagnation obstructing meridian and sluggishness of lung are the pathogeneses, they established the treatment therapy of supplementing qi and nourishing Yin, reducing phlegm, removing toxin and activating collaterials, opening the inhibited lung-energy, regulating the flow of vital energy and removing obstruction toit. They also developed "Shenmai Kaifei powder" traditional Chinese medicine preparation, which could nurse patient’s health from overall and fundamental basis to eliminate all kinds of clinical symptoms, meanwhile combined with part of the Western Medicine by way of aerosol inhalation and acupoint injection and so on. Through over 3000 cases of clinical treatment and observation, the clinical symptoms of patients with shortness of breath, cough, chest tightness etc. have been improved significantly. The lung function is improved obviously. Activity endurance is increased significantly. 6 minutes walk test results show that the walking distance is increased significantly. This promising therapeutic effect won high recognition and full recognition of "Scleroderma Clinical and Research International Alliance" including counterparts experts at home and abroad such as Professor Maureen D. Mayes and Professor John Reveille of the Houston Health Science Center of University of Texas.

The National Nature Science Fund Project " Pulmonary Fibrosis Pathogenesis Related to Scleroderma and CAKME Research in the Therapy Process " declared and developed jointly with School of Life Science College of Fudan University shows that the traditional Chinese medicine preparation of “Shenmai Kaifei Powder” for the treatment of scleroderma pulmonary fibrosis developed by Hebei Yiling Hospital can obviously inhibit pulmonary fibrosis in mice. And its effect is better than that of cyclophosphamide. The mechanism of action is that "Shen Mai Kai Lung San" can inhibit the inflammatory reaction by regulating the TGF- beta pathway, and can further regulate the oxidative stress balance to achieve the anti fibrosis effect.