台灣傳統中醫及公共衛生實務

Traditional medicine has a long history and is extensive and profound. It not only has a complete medical theory but also accumulates the clinical wisdom of countless doctors. It is still widely used by the world. Most of the contents of traditional Chinese medicine are contained in the four classics. "The Yellow Emperor's Inner Canon" is the earliest medical book. It interprets the physiology and pathology of human beings, nature, and categories such as mechanism and health preservation; "Nan Jing" mainly explains the more difficult parts of "The Yellow Emperor’s Inner Canon", including pulse studies, meridians, Zang-Fu studies, and acupuncture and other disease treatment methods; "Shennong's Materia Medica" is the first pharmacological book. Chinese herbal medicines are divided into upper, middle, and lower grades. The book outlines the basic theories of pharmacology, such as the monarch, the minister, the assistant, the seven emotions, and the four qi and five flavors. The two articles "Treatise on Febrile Diseases and Miscellaneous Diseases" systematically expounded the principles of TCM syndrome differentiation and treatment and laid a theoretical foundation for the methods and principles. When SARS broke out in Taiwan in 2003, it was found that conventional medical treatment combined with traditional Chinese medicine could help improve symptoms; in 2015, the Nobel Prize in Medicine was awarded to the research on traditional Chinese medicine that is effective in treating malaria; when the global Corona Virus Disease (COVID-19) epidemic in 2021, the Domestic herbal medicines were found to be useful for critically ill patients. At the same time, public health systems have been integral to the development and security of nations. In recent years, health issues have transcended the realm of domestic affairs and are now intricately linked with international concerns. Global health security has become a top priority in mainstream policy discussions across various international communities. Therefore, this course is designed to not only enhance participants' knowledge and practical skills in addressing public health issues, offering an overview of Taiwan's health progress and practices, but also to foster an understanding of the richness of Chinese culture and instill accurate knowledge of healthcare practices. The program aims to assist international students in fortifying their healthcare knowledge. Through studying Chinese medicine and exploring ancient wisdom using modern scientific research methods, participants will gain valuable insights and truly fulfill the objective of achieving optimal healthcare.

This course is a general course in the field of life sciences. It mainly focuses on traditional medicine and the public health system in Taiwan. It introduces the origin and development of the theory of traditional Chinese medicine in a series. We will use traditional Chinese medicine and diet therapy that can be seen daily to illustrate the phenomenon and application of Chinese medicine theory. We hope to provide comprehensive and correct knowledge and concepts of health preservation for students. Meanwhile, this course would combine academic with practical practice to make international students more familiar with the Taiwan health system. The Taipei public health system would be the main study domain, and using interactive teaching mode would promote understanding of the different national public health cultures.