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Landmarks and Highlights in Traditional Chinese Medicine and HIV/AIDS Treatment in the US (Part 2)
By Misha Cohen, OMD, LAC

Chinese traditional medicine has been a mainstay of treatment for people with AIDS since the beginning of the epidemic over twenty years ago. People with AIDS used Chinese medicine along with other natural therapies for years prior to the advent of HIV-specific medications. Chinese medicine treatment is not a fad- there has been documented exponential increase in the use of acupuncture, herbs, Chinese exercise, and nutritional therapy. Chinese medicine has helped to relieve suffering and symptoms for many thousands of people with HIV/AIDS. Also during this period, Western research has begun to show the benefits of using Chinese medicine in treating HIV/AIDS. Over the past twenty years, Chinese medicine treatment has also come to be covered by health insurance (in some states it is reimbursed by Medicaid) and has become part of HIV/AIDS medical treatment programs supported by the Ryan White CARE Act in a large number of cities in the US.

The following listing is my personal historical summary of the development of HIV/AIDS treatment using Chinese medicine during the period 1992 through 2001  (Developments  through 1991 appeared in the last issue). Chinese medicine has been used for centuries in treating immune function, chronic viral illness, and the Chinese syndromes associated with HIV/AIDS; therefore, the history begins prior to twenty years ago. Also, this listing it has a strong focus on landmarks in, and major influences on, the evolution of the Quan Yin Healing Arts Center and Chicken Soup Chinese Medicine protocols forHIV/AIDS treatments.

> 1990s

1992 The CDC issues a new definition of AIDS as evidenced by a CD4+ count below 200.

1992 The Treatment of AIDS and Chinese Medicine by Dr Huang Bing Shan, based on observational studies at the Austin Immune Clinic, is published by the Blue Poppy Press.

1992 The Treatment of AIDS and Chinese Medicine is translated by Wang Qi Lang and is published by Shandong Science and Technology Press

  A double-blind study funded by UCSF on the use of Chinese herbal therapies for HIV disease is conducted at San Francisco General Hospital. The study is administered by Jeff Burack, MD, PI, with Misha Cohen, OMD, Donald Abrams, MD, and Judith Hahn, MS.

1992 The first Chinese medicine clinics are funded by CARE (Ryan White) Funds for direct care to people with HIV/AIDS in San Francisco and the American College of TCM are funded in the newly created Alternative Health Category.

1993 The International AIDS Symposium (Berlin) breaks new groundÑincludes an official presentation on HIV and Chinese medicine and alternative therapies by Donald Abrams, MD, David Baker, MSN, RN and Misha Cohen, OMD.
"An SFGH poster exhibition, Herbal Therapies for HIV Disease, presented by J Burack, M Cohen, D. Abrams, and J Hahn, shows the results of important collaborative work between Chinese medicine and Western practitioners.
"A Poster exhibition on Chinese herbal observational treatment at IEP is presented by David Baker, RN.

1993 The First International HIV/AIDS and Chinese Medicine Conference is held at San Francisco State University.

1993 Treating AIDS with Chinese Medicine, by Mary Kay Ryan and Arthur D Shattuck, is published.

1994 The Second International HIV/AIDS and Chinese Medicine Conference is held at San Francisco State University.

1995 The Third International HIV/AIDS and Chinese Medicine Conference is held at Columbia University in New York.

1996 The Fourth International HIV/AIDS and Chinese Medicine Conference is held in Los Angeles.

1996 The Quan Healing Arts Center receives CARE funds under the Primary Care Category for TCM. A number of acupuncture and TCM programs around the United States are currently funded by Ryan White CARE funds, including five programs in San Francisco.

  Government/university-funded studies are conducted
"CPCRA 022ÑAcupuncture, Elavil
A multicenter study of peripheral neuropathy and acupuncture, funded by the NIH.
"Herbs and Acupuncture versus Antibiotic Therapy in HIV-Related Sinusitis
Thomas Sinclair, LAc, IEP, SF, funded by OAM (NIH).
"Chinese Herbal Treatment for HIV-Related Symptoms Rainer Weber, MD, PI, Z&Mac217;rich University Hospital, Zurich, Switzerland, with Silvio Schaller, MD, and Misha Cohen, OMD, funded by the National Swiss AIDS Foundation.
"Herbal Treatment for HIV-Related Diarrhea Donald Abrams, MD, PI, San Francisco Community Consortium, Thomas Mitchell, MPH, Misha Cohen, OMD, funded by UCSF.
"Herbal Treatment for Mild to Moderate Anemia in HIV-Disease Donald Abrams, MD, PI, San Francisco Community Consortium, with Misha Cohen, funded by Bastyr University's Office of Alternative Medicine Grant (NIH).

Other studies are funded.
"Chronic Hepatitis and HIV Acupuncture Study Misha Cohen, OMD, LAc, PI, Quan Yin Healing Arts Center, funded by Thomas OÕConnor Foundation.
"Acupuncture and Moxibustion in Chronic HIV Diarrhea New School for Acupuncture, Long Island, New York, private funding.

1997 Protease inhibitors and triple combination therapy is widely introducedÑpowerful Western medicine treatment requires additional Chinese medicine treatment of increased side effects.

1998 The HIV Wellness Sourcebook by Misha Cohen with Kalia Doner is published by Henry Holt.

1998 The International AIDS Symposium (Geneva) is held.
"The Quan Yin Healing Arts Center runs the acupuncture clinic in the exhibitors' area.
"The Community Program sponsored by Natural and Alternative Therapies Caucus is focused on Chinese traditional medicine, Tibetan medicine, and African indigenous medicine.
"Poster #42381 Treatment of HIV-Infected Persons with Chinese Herbs: A Randomized, Placebo-Controlled Trial. Rainer Weber, L Christen, S Schaller, S Christen, C Joyce, U Ledermann, B Ledergerber, R Cone, R L&Mac217;thy, M Cohen.
"Poster #22483 Traditional Chinese Medicine Increasing in Popularity as Complementary Therapy in HIV/AIDS. Carla J Wilson, M Cohen.
"Poster #42383 The Recent Advanced Treatment of AIDS Terminal Cases by Using Thai-Chinese Alternative Medicines in ThailandÑThe First-Year Study (1997). Phra Alongkot Tikkapanyo, PD Lai, S Biggs, S Kaensuwan, U Khumnualthong, S.F. Phounsavan.
"Poster #24270 Acupuncture: An Alternative to Acting Out or Violent Behavior in HIV-Infected Inmates. Yvette Taylor, L Stern.
"Print-only abstract #60048 Experimental Research on Traditional Chinese MedicineÑZY-II Recipe for SAIDS Treatment. Chongfen Guan, SL Xu, RX Wen, YX Zhang, H. Shen, H. Wang, P Li.
"Print-only abstract # 60453 Efficacy of a Standardized Acupuncture Regimen for Neuropathic Pain in HIV Patients. Paola Nasta, GP Carosi, R Favalli, S Perini, G Lazzaroni.
"Print-only abstract #60211 Acupuncture Treatment in People with HCV and HIV Co-Infection and Elevated Transaminases. M Cohen, CJ Wilson, A Surasky.
1999 Randomized, Placebo-Controlled Trial of Chinese Herb Therapy for HIV-1 Infected Individuals is published. R Weber, L Christen, S Schaller, S Christen, C Joyce, U Ledermann, B Ledergerber, R Cone, R L&Mac217;thy, M Cohen.
J AIDS 1999;1:56-64. Use of a Chinese Herbal Medicine for Treatment of HIV-Associated Pathogen-Negative Diarrhea is published. M Cohen, T Mitchell, P Bachetti, C Child, S Crawford, A Gaeddert, D Abrams. Integrative Medicine. 1999;2,(2/3):79-84.
Bastyr University begins pilot studies of individual herbs and other aspects of Chinese Medicine with private and NIH funding.

> 2000

2000 The 13th International AIDS Conference is held in Durban, South Africa.
"The Quan Yin Healing Arts Center runs the acupuncture clinic in the exhibitors' area as well as at the Satellite WomenÕs conference.
"Oral poster presentation from the UCSF Community Consortium, Use of a
Chinese Herbal Medicine for Treatment of HIV-Associated Pathogen-Negative Diarrhea, by M Cohen, D Abrams, T Mitchell, P Bachetti, C Child, A Gaeddert.

2000 The White House Commission on Complementary and Alternative Medicine Policy meets. All national Chinese medicine organizations and many colleges of Chinese medicine participate. The Quan Yin Healing Arts Center director presents a paper on the need for acupuncture and Chinese medicine in the public health arena, particularly in HIV/AIDS treatment.

2001 The study Traditional Chinese Medicine for Anal Dysplasia in both HIV+ and HIV®¢ People will begin in the summer of 2001 at the UCSF Cancer Center, San Francisco. Barbara Klencke, MD, PI, Naomi Jay, RNP, and M Cohen, OMD, LAc.

After reviewing the contributions made by Chinese traditional medicine and its practitioners to the treatment of people with HIV and AIDS, I think that we can acknowledge that Chinese medicine can be an important partner to Western medicine in the treatment of many aspects of HIV/AIDS. It is necessary that this collaboration continues because we constantly work toward better treatment of people with HIV/AIDS as well as toward a cure. Also, I would like to recognize all the people and programs who have contributed to the overall development of the treatment of HIV/AIDS using Chinese traditional medicine in the United States. In particular, I would like to dedicate this article to the life of Thomas Sinclair, a Chinese medicine pioneer in the world of AIDS. Until his death, he was an AIDS hero and remains an inspiration to all of us who want to end the suffering of people with AIDS and, moreover, end AIDS.

For more detailed information, please see The HIV Wellness Sourcebook: An East/West Guide to Living Well with HIV/AIDS and Related Conditions, Henry Holt, 1998.

Misha R. Cohen, Doctor of Oriental Medicine and Licensed Acupuncturist, is an internationally recognized practitioner, lecturer and leader in the field of traditional Chinese medicine. She is the author of The Chinese Way to Healing: Many Paths to Wholeness (Perigee 1996), The HIV Wellness Sourcebook (Holt 1998) and The Hepatitis C Help Book (St. MartinÕs Press 2000). She is Clinical Director of Chicken Soup Chinese Medicine, Research and Education Chair of Quan Yin Healing Arts Center, Faculty at the Institute for Health and Aging at the University of California, and Research Consultant to the UCSF School of Medicine Cancer Research Institute, all in San Francisco. 

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