Science / Medicine : Acupuncture as AIDS Therapy

China will send four experts in acupuncture and deep breathing to the United States next year to study and treat AIDS patients, according to Beijing Review. The four will be traveling under an agreement with Harvard University Medical School to study Chinese traditional herbal medicine as “a safe, cheap and effective way” to deal with acquired immune deficiency syndrome.

Only a few AIDS cases have been reported in China, and Chinese publications sometimes assert that cases of homosexuality, casual sex and drug addiction are less common than in the West. To prevent the spread of AIDS, China is “strictly forbidding illegal sexual contacts with foreigners.”

In 1985, an Argentine tourist died in Beijing as a result of AIDS. Subsequently, a Chinese man living in the United States who returned to China on a visit died of the disease, as did a Chinese hemophiliac who had received injections imported from the United States.

According to Beijing Review, Chinese experts believe that herbs that “lower the heat of the body, ease the mind and strengthen the body” could provide effective treatment. The magazine said traditional Chinese medical theory would argue that AIDS is caused by heat inside the body.

The Chinese art of deep breathing, or qi gong , goes back 2,000 years. Chinese regard it as effective in treating respiratory, digestive and nervous ailments as well as heart problems. The deep breathing is believed to create a vital, curative force.