Cuba holds traditional Chinese medicine expo

Cuba held a traditional Chinese medicine(TCM) expo during the Chinese Culture Week from Monday to Friday at the University of Havana.

Organized by Havana's Confucius Institute, the outdoor event gathered university students, experts, doctors, and everyday Cubans.

Yorbelis Rosell, director of the Confucius Institute, said that the expo was aimed at expanding knowledge about the TCM across the country and improving the work links between scientific institutions.

"The research on the TCM has a paramount priority for our staff and students," she said. "We strongly believe that there are many topics we can still examine and many things we can learn from the Chinese culture."

The expo featured exhibitions, massage sessions, and acupuncture workshops.

Evelyn Gonzalez, president of the Cuban Society of Bioenergetic and Naturalist Medicine, told Xinhua that TCM practices have been very useful for the treatment of many diseases affecting the island's population.

"The efficacy of the TCM is undoubted," she said. "We are not only using herbal medicines to cure different illnesses but acupuncture, moxibustion, massage, guasha, among other techniques."

At present, traditional Chinese medicine is integrated into the public health system in the Caribbean nation from neighborhood doctor's offices to mainstream hospitals, according to Johann Perdomo, head of the Department of Natural and Traditional Medicine at the Cuban Ministry of Public Health.

"We are providing our experts with specialized training on the TCM, so it could help promote healthy standards of living among people," he said. "The study of the traditional medicine is an integral part of our health approach."