Traditional medicine passes WHO health checks

Making a better leech. And it's about time, too.

"Health representatives from more than 70 countries gathered in Beijing on Friday to swap ideas on how to make traditional medicine, ranging from acupuncture to leech treatment, more widely available.

The two-day World Health Organization (WHO) event, built around seminars on regulatory standards and folk medicine in cultures from South Africa to Japan, is expected to end with member countries agreeing to expand traditional medicine in their health care systems.

WHO officials at the event said blending traditional and Western medicine could make each more effective.

'Integration of traditional medicine into national health systems will not only bring benefits to patients, but will also ensure safety and proper use,' assistant WHO director-general Carissa Etienne told reporters at a briefing."

Can't wait to see the grant proposals for leech genetic engineering.

"Leech therapy is used in parts of India to treat pain and skin diseases, and hospitals in China often offer both Western treatment and traditional cures like acupuncture or herbal antidotes."

And the comparison studies of acupuncture and botox.

Clearly, this can only be a good thing.

Not.