Summarizing Professor ZUO Zhensu's Practice In Treating Rheumatism And Applying “Preventive Treatment” Theory In Preventing And Treating Knee Osteoarthritis

Objectives:To summarize Professor ZUO Zhensu's clinical practice in treating rheumatism and to apply “preventive treatment” theory in knee osteoarthritis' prevention and treatment.Methods:1. Through reading Professor Zuo's publications, learning with the teacher, teachers organize clinical medical records, finishing with teacher notes, I summarized the teacher's academic thoughts and clinical experience in diagnosing and treating rheumatoid arthritis, rheumatoid arthritis, ankylosing spondylitis, and systemic lupus erythematosus, such as rheumatoid arthritis.2. My teacher pay attention to “ preventive treatment ” theory, I summarized her practice under this theory's direction in preventing and treating knee osteoarthritis. My sample included overweighed patients aged 50 and older without any conditions or with mild conditions. Patients without any conditions were randomly assigned into the intervention group and the control group. Treatment to the intervention group included education, lifestyle intervention, whereas the control group was not given any lifestyle intervention. Patients with mild conditions were randomly assigned into the traditional Chinese medicine treatment group and the control group. The traditional Chinese medicine group was given traditional Chinese medicine that helps with kidney functioning and bone fortifying. Results showed that the traditional Chinese medicine given to patients had significantly positive treatment effects.Results:1. The teacher's summary of academic thought includes: First, “keep up with new views on etiology”. She points out several new risk factors to health, which include pollution, pathogenic pestilence diseases, psychiatric diseases, diet, drug abuse, and excessive pathogenic treatment. Second, “combining disease and syndrome is a new dialectical thought in disease treatment.” This means, a disease has different syndromes. The similarity across syndromes is called the disease; and the heterogeneity within a disease is called syndromes. Combing disease and syndrome allows simultaneity between similarity and heterogeneity and a better understanding of the disease nature. In addition, Professor Zuo encourages combining traditional Chinese medicine and western medicine together in treating diseases. Third, “know medicine well and use it correctly.” Select medicine carefully and with cautiousness. Be familiar with medication's characteristics, carefully select the does, understand how the body processes the medication, and know the medication's making process. Fourth, “practice diligently and explore how the wet phlegm and blood stasis cause diseases.” Understand that “body fluid and blood shares the same origin” and “phlegm and blood stasis are correlated.” Dampness, phlegm, and blood stasis are from the same source. Dampness is the cause of phlegm and blood stasis is the results of phlegm. Applying this theory into clinical practice often significantly improve treatment outcomes. Fifth, “Pay attention to prevention and treat miscellaneous conditions.” Diseases' treatment should set prevention as the core, adapt the body to natural changes, and enhance its resistance to disease. Applying these basic principles and using methods and measures in practice to prevent diseases when they haven't occurred yet, to prevent existing diseases from progressing, and to take good care of patients with severe diseases can help improve patients' quality of life.2. Professor Zuo's practice in treating rheumatism:(1) Rheumatism's causes and pathogeneses: Professor Zuo believes that the fundamental reason for rheumatism is the falling of vital qi; the condition is the invasion of the evil qi; phlegm, blood stasis, and toxin are not only the pathological products, but also the causes. The basic mechanism of the disease includes wind, cold, heat, phlegm, blood stasis, qi, and blood.(2) Therapy: expelling wind and clearing away cold dampness is the basic rule to treat rheumatism. Professor Zuo emphasizes that the treating rheumatism requires strengthening the body and cultivating the vital qi, and the treatment needs to be individualized.(3) Select the treatment by identifying the disease; select the medication by identifying the location; pay attention to the disease; and advocate for the mixed treatment methods. In the paper, I summarized Professor Zuo's diagnosis and treatment of osteoarthritis, rheumatoid arthritis, ankylosing spondylitis, systemic lupus erythematosus and other diseases following the above principals and make a three-dimensional interpretation of Professor Zuo's experience in differentiating syndromes and treatment, identifying disease location, paying attention to the disease, and advocating the treatment of miscellaneous.3.Clinical experimental research results: Life style intervention and weight control can significantly reduce the disease incidence and improve the quality of life among patients with mild conditions. Effective life style intervention and application of traditional Chinese medicine to fortify bones and help kidney's function can significantly slow down the disease's progress. Adherence to all the interventions was good and the costs were low.