Faculty of Traditional Medicine at Mashhad University of Medical Sciences hosted experts in Traditional and Complimentary Medicine in order to explore its place in medical sciences, WEBDA reported.

At the meeting, Deputy for Education at the faculty Mohammadreza Noros, PhD, said that in Iran’s educational system, one important condition to develop Traditional and Complementary Medicine is to arrange interdisciplinary communication.

“This communication requires yielding scientific evidences,” he added. 

“Faculty of Traditional and Complementary Medicine has sought to fulfill this goal via scientific and academic approaches as well as functional programs.”

“Thus, a meeting dubbed Modern Medical Science and Traditional and Complementary Medicine Dialogue is being held attended by distinguished professors at Faculty of Traditional and Complementary Medicine at Mashhad University of Medical Sciences.”

At the meeting, Faculty Member at Traditional and Complementary Medicine and representative of Traditional Medicine Bureau at Health Ministry, Mehdi Yousefi, PhD, elaborated current global approaches in Traditional and Complementary Medicine.

“Currently, in Iran Health Ministry follows a merged medical approach in order to adopt capacities in Traditional and Complementary Medicine and thereby certain services are provided by Traditional Medicine departments along with universities. The services are based on academic, research, and therapeutic approaches.”

Furthermore, Professor of Medical Faculty at Mashhad University of Medical Sciences Farid Hosseini, PhD, noted, “In the world, many measures have been taken in Traditional and Complementary Medicine and  it, too, ought to be attended in Iran.”

“However, many damages have been done to this sphere due to non-experts as well as their financial abuses, misleading patients, and unjustified interventions in treatment programs.” 

“Given fast advances in medical sciences, Traditional Medicine must try to fill in the gap. “

Mohsen Nemati, PhD, nutritionist and Faculty Member at Mashhad University of Medical Sciences noted, “In modern Medicine, treatment approaches and their dilemma, access levels and locations to provide medical services as well as medicines are quite clear; however, in Traditional Medicines these spheres have not been clearly defined.”

“Drugstores and drugs that should be provided have not been defined and trial evidences are not carried out in lots of treatment approaches.”

“Given the development of Traditional and Complimentary Medicine, there are many scientific evidences that ought to be codified.”

Also, noting on theoretical and basic foundations of modern Medical Science and Traditional Medicine Dr. Mousa-al-Reza Hajizadeh, Physiology Professor at Medical Faculty, said, “Modern Medicine is based on molecule theories and dynamic changes whereas Traditional Medicine is based on teaching medicine.”

“Merging these two schools requires scientific and knowledge-based plans,” he maintained.

Dr. Mohsen Foroughi, Professor of Neuroscience Department at Medical Faculty, stated, “The title ‘Traditional Medicine’ ought to be altered due to its potential to be abused by non-experts.”

“Experts in this field should distinct themselves from non-experts by expressing their own capabilities. They, also, ought to define their own real position and pay attention to treatment limits in Traditional and Complimentary Medicine.”

Dr. Majid Anoushirvani, Faculty Member at Traditional and Complimentary Faculty,also, elaborated on methods of merging traditional and modern medicines, therapeutic approaches, analysis and diagnosis methods, treatment failures, and trial evidences.

Furthermore, Dr. Hoda Azizi, Faculty Member at Traditional and Complimentary Faculty and specialist at Chinese Medicine explicated current global approaches to Traditional and Complimentary Medicine. She also elaborated on 25R project that is related to approaches of merging Traditional and Complimentary Medicine.

This project has been planned by National Health Institutes and its member states.

Concluding the meeting, Dr. Noros said that all members agree on developing Traditional and Complimentary Medicine. “However, they proposed altering the title of the field, yielding scientific evidences, defining limits of treatment claims, and holding joint meetings.”

“Holding joint scientific meetings with experts as well as journal clubs, planning research projects and joint theses, and teaching joint sources have been included in this year’s plans by the university,” he said.

Dr. Noros, also, hoped that the meeting could pave the way to merge training schools of traditional and modern medicines and to create a two-unit academic course in Public Medicine and higher levels, as well.