中医药真的能治艾滋病吗？
http://tech.QQ.com 2009年12月10日09:56 科学新闻杂志 方舟子
导读：对中医药寄予厚望的人，往往声称中医是几千年的经验总结。通过长期的医疗实践，有时是可能摸索出针对某些疾病的某些治疗方法，但是这并不适用于像艾滋病这样的新型疾病。国家中医药管理局医政司司长许志仁近日声称：国家卫生部和财政部2004年开始实施的中医药治疗艾滋病试点项目，已为十七个省区的近万名艾滋病患者和感染者提供了免费中医药治疗。项目临床实践证明：规范的中医药治疗对艾滋病有确切疗效，可明显改善艾滋病病人发热、咳嗽、乏力、腹泻、气短、皮疹、粘膜溃疡等临床症状；改善和稳定艾滋病病人免疫功能，提高病人生活质量，减轻抗病毒药物的毒副作用。
这一新闻让我联想起另一事件。2007年，冈比亚卫生部发表声明，冈比亚总统根据“传统医药的家庭知识”和“古兰经的教导”，用草药和香蕉制成了一种治疗艾滋病的药物，“临床实践”证明这种药物有确切疗效，一些病人体内已经不存在艾滋病病毒。
自从艾滋病在国内成了重大社会问题以后，宣称能彻底治愈艾滋病就跟着成了中医、中药的新卖点。“中医泰斗”邓铁涛在2005年接受中央电视台访谈时曾预言一年半以后用中医攻克艾滋病。现在4年过去了，中医药对艾滋病的“确切疗效”在宣传中也不过是改善了某些临床症状、提高病人生活质量、减轻抗病毒药物（当然指的是西药）的毒副作用，离“攻克”还远着呢。
这些疗效是否“确切”，是非常值得怀疑的。所谓改善临床症状、提高病人生活质量，基本上都是些没有客观衡量指标、很模糊的描述，与病人的心理状态、生活状况有关，并受评判人员的主观倾向影响。这些所谓的改善，即使是真实可靠的，也无法排除是病人受到心理暗示产生的安慰剂效应，而不是中药真的产生了疗效。
要排除安慰剂效应和主观偏差，就必须进行严格的临床试验。国际医学界公认，临床经验（或所谓“临床实践”）并不能证明药物的疗效，最多只是为进一步的研究提供初步的参考。随机分组、有安慰剂对照、双盲、多中心的临床试验，才是证明疗效的可靠方法。用以治疗艾滋病的化学药都是通过了临床试验的，所以被包括中国在内的世界各国认可、使用。而国内用以治疗艾滋病的中药，并没有哪一种被临床试验证明了疗效。
把没有经过临床试验证明其有效性和安全性的药物直接用于临床实践，实际上是以治疗的名义对病人做人体试验，即使不收取费用，也是违反医学伦理的不人道做法。许多中药已被发现有毒副作用（其中相当一部分具有严重毒副作用），更多的中药由于缺乏研究，其毒副作用尚不明确。那么我们就不能不担心，这些被用来“改善临床症状”“提高病人生活质量”的中药，是否不仅没有疗效，反而会对病人的健康造成伤害？即使是把中药当成安慰剂给艾滋病病人使用，也应该首先保证其安全性。
对中医药寄予厚望的人，往往声称中医是几千年的经验总结。通过长期的医疗实践，有时是可能摸索出针对某些疾病的某些治疗方法，但是这并不适用于像艾滋病这样的新型疾病。对艾滋病古人闻所未闻，“几千年的经验”毫无用处。历史地看，中医药对治疗传染病乏善可陈，肆虐了几百几千年的老传染病最终都是靠现代医学通过疫苗接种、抗生素药物得到控制乃至消灭的。中医药对传统传染病束手无策，却能专治新型传染病（尤其是现代医学尚未解决的“疑难杂症”），这是不可思议的，从逻辑上就解释不通。
中医药不过是世界传统医学中的一支。其他国家、民族的传统医学，例如传统西医、印度医、阿拉伯医、非洲医，历史并不比中医短暂，它们的医学思想和治疗方式也是“博大精深”，与中医有很多相似之处，我们是不是也应该相信它们对艾滋病有确切疗效？我们是不是也应该相信、引进这种药物，免费提供给中国的艾滋病病人？如果不信非洲医药能治疗艾滋病，为什么就信中医药独能？科学是没有国界、没有民族文化属性的，医学科学也理当如此。只在某个国家流行、只对某个国家的病人有效的医学，肯定不是科学。
这些疗效是否“确切”，是非常值得怀疑的。把没有经过临床试验证明其有效性和安全性的药物直接用于临床实践，实际上是以治疗的名义对病人做人体试验，即使不收取费用，也是违反医学伦理的不人道做法。
中医药不过是世界传统医学中的一支。其他国家、民族的传统医学，例如传统西医、印度医、阿拉伯医、非洲医，历史并不比中医短暂，它们的医学思想和治疗方式也是“博大精深”，与中医有很多相似之处，我们是不是也应该相信它们对艾滋病有确切疗效？
Chinese medicine really can cure AIDS?
http://tech.QQ.com 2009 Nian 12 Yue 10 Ri 09:56 Science News magazine Fang Zhouzi
REVIEW: The high expectations of Chinese medicine are often those who claim that Chinese medicine is thousands of years of lessons learned. Through long-term medical practice, and sometimes it is possible to explore out for certain diseases, some of the treatments, but this does not apply to emerging diseases such as AIDS. State Chinese Medicine Administration Medical Administrative Secretary Xu Zhiren recently claimed: the Ministry of Health and the Ministry of Finance was launched in 2004 in Chinese medicine treatment of AIDS pilot project, has 17 provinces and infected nearly ten thousand AIDS patients were provided free of charge traditional Chinese medicine. Clinical Practice has proved that the project: standardization of Chinese medicine in the treatment of AIDS there is a genuine effect, significant improvement in AIDS patients may be fever, cough, fatigue, diarrhea, shortness of breath, skin rash, mucosal ulcers and other clinical symptoms; to improve immune function and stability in AIDS patients and improve the lives of patients quality, and reduce the toxicity of antiviral drugs.
This news reminds me of another incident. In 2007, the Gambian Ministry of Health issued a statement, President of the Gambia under the "family knowledge of traditional medicine" and "the teachings of the Koran," and using herbs and bananas are made of a cure for AIDS drugs, "Clinical Practice" to prove this drug there is a genuine efficacy, some patients with HIV the body no longer exists.
Ever since AIDS became a major social problem in the country after claiming to cure AIDS, along with his completely into Chinese medicine and Chinese medicine a new selling point. "Traditional Chinese Medicine dean," Deng Tie-tao China Central Television in 2005 to accept an interview when he predicted that a year and a half after the capture of AIDS with traditional Chinese medicine. Now four years later, Chinese medicine to AIDS, "the precise effect of" in propaganda, but also to improve certain clinical symptoms, improve patient quality of life, reduce the antiviral drugs (of course, referring to the western) and side effects, from the " capture "far go again.
The effect of whether "exact", it is very doubtful. The so-called improvement of clinical symptoms, improve patient quality of life, basically there is no objective measure of some very vague description, and the patient's psychological state, living conditions on and subject to judge the officer's subjective tendencies influence. These so-called improvements, even if true and reliable, it can not be excluded is that the patient's mind produced by the placebo effect, rather than the traditional Chinese medicine really wants to have a curative effect.
To rule out the placebo effect and subjective bias, we must be rigorous clinical trials. The international medical community recognized, clinical experience (or so-called "clinical practice") and can not prove the efficacy of drugs, most only provide a preliminary study for further reference. Randomized, there are placebo-controlled, double-blind, multi-center clinical trials to prove efficacy is a reliable method. The chemical used for treatment of AIDS drugs through clinical trials, they were countries in the world, including China, approved the use of. While domestic Chinese medicine for the treatment of AIDS, there is no clinical trial which has been proven effective.
Not gone through clinical trials to prove their efficacy and safety of the drug directly to clinical practice, is actually the name of the treatment the patient human trial, even if no charge is inhumane practice runs counter to medical ethics. Many Chinese medicines have been found toxic side-effects (of which a considerable portion of a serious toxic side effects), more because of the lack of research in Chinese medicine and its toxic side-effects is not clear. Then we can not help but worry, be used to "improve the clinical symptoms," "Improving patient quality of life" of Chinese medicine, is not only not effective, but would be harmful to the health of patients? Even if the traditional Chinese medicine to AIDS patients as a placebo, it should first ensure their safety.
High hopes on Chinese medicine are often those who claim that Chinese medicine is thousands of years of lessons learned. Through long-term medical practice, and sometimes it is possible to explore out for certain diseases, some of the treatments, but this does not apply to emerging diseases such as AIDS. AIDS ancients unheard of, "thousands of years of experience," useless. Historically, Chinese medicine for treatment of infectious diseases is weak, and rampant hundreds of thousands of years old infectious diseases are ultimately adopted by modern medicine, vaccinations, antibiotics under control and even eliminated. Infectious diseases, traditional Chinese medicine do nothing, but it can tyranny of new infectious diseases (in particular, modern medicine has not yet resolved, "incurable diseases"), which is incredible, from the logical interpretation of unreasonable.
Chinese medicine is the world of traditional medicine, but in a. In other countries, the national traditional medicine, such as traditional Western medicine, Indian medicine, Arab medicine, African medicine, Chinese medicine a brief history of no less than their medical thought and treatment is also a "profound" and the traditional Chinese medicine there are many similarities, we are not should also believe that they have the exact effect of AIDS? Should we not believe that the introduction of the drug, free of charge to AIDS patients in China? If you do not believe that medicine can cure AIDS in Africa, why the letter of Chinese medicine alone can be? Science knows no borders, no national cultural property, medical science has rightly so. Only prevalent in a country only for patients in a country of effective medicine, certainly not a science.
The effect of whether "exact", it is very doubtful. Not gone through clinical trials to prove their efficacy and safety of the drug directly to clinical practice, is actually the name of the treatment the patient human trial, even if no charge is inhumane practice runs counter to medical ethics.
Chinese medicine is the world of traditional medicine, but in a. In other countries, the national traditional medicine, such as traditional Western medicine, Indian medicine, Arab medicine, African medicine, Chinese medicine a brief history of no less than their medical thought and treatment is also a "profound" and the traditional Chinese medicine there are many similarities, we are not should also believe that they have the exact effect of AIDS?