San Francisco: May 31 Overview of Hepatitis and AIDS Conference in China

Misha Cohen, O. M. D., L. Ac., clinical director of Quan Yin Healing Arts Center in San Francisco, recently returned from Beijing, China, where she attended the International Symposium of Viral Hepatitis and AIDS. Dr. Cohen will present an overview of the results of the conference on May 31, 8:00 p.m., at Quan Yin, 1748 Market Street (near Valencia), San Francisco. She will also show slides on the history of China and of traditional Chinese medicine. A donation will be requested.

About 180 papers, mostly on hepatitis, were presented at the Beijing conference, April 15 to 18, which was sponsored by the Beijing Association of Integration of Traditional and Western Medicine and by the Chinese Medical Association. Participants came from all provinces of China, and from Japan, Singapore, the Philippines, Taiwan, Hong Kong, Canada, and the United States. The language of the conference was English. Most of the participants were from Asia, where hepatitis is a major problem; for example, that continent has about three quarters of the world's cases of hepatitis B. Research, prevention, and treatment of hepatitis in China are usually well ahead of practice in the United States.

The large majority of the presenters were medical doctors who, despite their Western training, also believe that Chinese medicine is very important. Many of the papers concerned laboratory work (such as virology), animal tests, epidemiology, and prevention of hepatitis and AIDS; there were also presentations on herbal formulas and other treatments. Dr. Cohen presented papers on Chinese herbal medicine and on acupuncture in the treatment of HIV infection and AIDS.

For more information on Dr. Cohen's May 31 talk about this conference, call Quan Yin, 415/861-4964.