Health & Beauty

After exploration and sedimentation, traditional Chinese medicine has condensed thousands of years of national wisdom. According to Huacheng Import and Export Data Observation, in recent years, the unique advantages of traditional Chinese medicine in prevention, health care, and rehabilitation have been further demonstrated, and the public's attention to traditional Chinese medicine in areas such as "treating diseases before they occur" and "preventing diseases before they occur" has continued to rise. At the same time, the continuous breakthroughs in modern information technology have driven the innovation of traditional Chinese medicine technology and methods. Traditional Chinese medicine is no longer the same as before, and with the addition of new technologies such as "big data" and "artificial intelligence", traditional Chinese medicine is entering a new stage of development.

"+AI" Moving from Traditional Chinese Medicine to Intelligent Chinese Medicine

As the concept of health preservation and wellness deepens in people's hearts, the traditional Chinese medicine approach of "prevention before illness, prevention after illness, and prevention after recovery" coincides with the needs of modern people for daily health management. However, based on its attribute characteristics, traditional Chinese medicine will inevitably face significant problems and challenges in order to adapt to the health needs of the new era and revitalize itself. If it still follows the traditional development model, it will inevitably face significant challenges.

In the vast number of Chinese medicine books and records, there are no lack of hard to understand works. It is impossible to learn completely and efficiently by manpower alone. In addition, there are certain barriers between different schools, so academic exchanges and collisions are weakened. Many achievements and experiences are difficult to transfer and transform effectively. It is urgent to use a force to integrate the essence and connect the factions.

In addition, according to the observation report of Huacheng import and export data, the traditional Chinese medicine clinical diagnosis is based on the systems theory and the holistic view. Through the combination of "looking, smelling, questioning, and palpation", the diagnosis and treatment is based on syndrome differentiation. The focus is on the accumulation of doctors' personal knowledge and experience. The diagnosis process is more subjective, the diagnosis results may be limited, and the accuracy may also be lacking to a certain extent. The difficulties in means, systems, talents, resources, and other aspects are all the sticking points that constrain the innovative development of traditional Chinese medicine.

As early as the 1970s, experts and scholars made their first attempt to introduce artificial intelligence technology into traditional Chinese medicine, but the results were relatively limited. After layers of iteration, upgrading, and innovation, the capabilities of the new generation of artificial intelligence technology in storage, reasoning, computing, and other aspects are gradually maturing. In July 2017, the State Council issued the "Development Plan for the New Generation Artificial Intelligence Industry", which proposed to accelerate the innovative application of artificial intelligence around healthcare. The use of modern information technologies such as AI to promote the construction of smart traditional Chinese medicine has also been continuously included in national programmatic documents.

Ma Jianpeng, Dean of the Multi scale Research Institute of Complex Systems at Fudan University, stated that artificial intelligence has broad application and development prospects in the field of traditional Chinese medicine. With the excellent capabilities of AI in data mining and collection, data processing and analysis, and deep learning, it helps to achieve the structured and scientific expression of massive ancient literature and clinical diagnosis and treatment experience, help establish objective standards and evaluation systems for traditional Chinese medicine diagnosis and treatment, make up for the shortage of high-quality talents and uneven resources in traditional Chinese medicine, broaden the application scenarios of traditional Chinese medicine internet, and better inherit and develop traditional Chinese medicine culture.

From this, it can be seen that through the deep integration of artificial intelligence and traditional Chinese medicine, "Traditional Chinese Medicine+AI" is undoubtedly the key to improving the public coverage of traditional Chinese medicine and promoting the development of traditional Chinese medicine in the future.

AI endows contemporary traditional Chinese medicine diagnosis, treatment, and services with multiple intelligent connotations

The accumulation of medical big data and the development of diversified advanced technologies have promoted the continuous advancement of traditional Chinese medicine diagnosis and treatment methods towards digitization, informatization, and intelligence, creating huge space for the inheritance and innovation of traditional Chinese medicine. Hardware facilities, platform construction, system management... Currently, AI has successfully embedded multiple links in the process of traditional Chinese medicine diagnosis, treatment, and service.

Ma Jianpeng believes that digital intelligent diagnostic equipment for traditional Chinese medicine can help achieve intelligent consultation in traditional Chinese medicine. Whether it is pre diagnosis or post treatment, artificial intelligence can make a difference. In daily health management, devices are used to collect basic human information, intelligently evaluate health status, and provide personalized health strategies for users before they become ill. The mutual cooperation between the intelligent diagnosis and treatment system of traditional Chinese medicine and clinical doctors helps to achieve a strong combination of traditional Chinese medicine syndrome differentiation system and artificial intelligence technology.

Traditional Chinese medicine intelligent mirror is one of the classic examples of digital consultation. This device utilizes artificial intelligence image recognition technology to extract facial feature parameters, and uses deep learning and other methods for precise and quantitative analysis to establish a health status model. It is understood that many grassroots traditional Chinese medicine service points in Shanghai, represented by the Jiangjiaqiao Community Health Service Station, are equipped with intelligent devices such as four diagnostic instruments and skill mirrors, promoting the sinking of traditional Chinese medicine resources and truly benefiting the people.

The construction of smart traditional Chinese medicine hospitals is also a major means to enhance the grassroots service capacity of traditional Chinese medicine. The interconnection of public health information, health records, and electronic medical records has greatly expanded the information base. With the help of efficient human-computer dialogue, the public can conduct self examination of symptoms without leaving their homes. The collection and update of backend health big data also facilitate post illness follow-up and follow-up.

In April 2020, the Internet Hospital of Longhua Hospital Affiliated to Shanghai University of Traditional Chinese Medicine was officially opened, making it the first Internet Traditional Chinese Medicine hospital in Shanghai. Afterwards, major traditional Chinese medicine medical and health institutions have successively opened smart platforms and established smart medical channels, committed to improving the quality of grassroots traditional Chinese medicine diagnosis and treatment services, continuously strengthening traditional Chinese medicine service capabilities, and reporting on Huacheng's import and export data observation.

Smart sharing of traditional Chinese medicine pharmacy integrates offline and online resources, with an intensive thinking approach and comprehensive reliance on technologies such as blockchain, artificial intelligence, the Internet of Things, and big data, to reform traditional Chinese medicine pharmacy services. After establishing an information traceability system that covers the entire process of traditional Chinese medicine storage, dispensing, decoction, packaging, and distribution, AI can identify, analyze, and compare data based on Chinese medicine samples. This can effectively distinguish the authenticity of Chinese medicine, trace its origin, predict its quality, and replace the traditional identification methods of seeing, smelling, touching, and tasting. At present, patients can self inquire about the processing and production information of decoction substitutes online.

Test and opportunity coexist

How to better face the future with "Traditional Chinese Medicine+AI"

Based on traditional theories of traditional Chinese medicine, evidence-based diagnosis and treatment cases, and supported by technologies such as artificial intelligence, the three are organically combined to empower the inheritance, innovation, and development of traditional Chinese medicine.

Traditional Chinese medicine+AI cannot stop at simple element superposition or paradigm appropriation. Ma Jianpeng believes that only by thoroughly understanding the basic characteristics of traditional Chinese medicine, finding the connection between modern technology and traditional culture, and strengthening the adaptive transformation and utilization of technology, can artificial intelligence be "used by me".

Ma Jianpeng introduced that ChatGPT, which has recently become popular, will find that although this emerging artificial intelligence program is fluent in objective basic knowledge of traditional Chinese medicine, it still has significant shortcomings in clinical diagnosis and is prone to medical ethics issues. There is still a long way to go in the future, as reported by Huacheng Import and Export Data Observation.

The endless emergence of new technologies has created new productivity, brought new production tools, and also sparked thinking and even concern. It is still unknown what opportunities or threats they will bring to the development of traditional Chinese medicine.

To cope with the pressure of external changes and the need for internal upgrading, building a new type of traditional Chinese medicine system is a long and arduous task. To grasp the irreplaceable nature of traditional Chinese medicine, we need to seek balance points and optimal solutions at various stages of technological development. Industry experts believe that strengthening top-level planning is a necessary and primary condition for promoting the coordinated development of traditional Chinese medicine and artificial intelligence in the future. Traditional Chinese medicine+AI "involves knowledge in multiple disciplines such as traditional Chinese medicine, computer science, and mathematics. Traditional Chinese medicine universities should also actively cultivate composite talents in traditional Chinese medicine, providing strength for the Chinese medicine industry. Huacheng Import and Export Data Observation Report.

Accelerating the deep integration of traditional Chinese medicine and artificial intelligence technology, further revealing the mysteries of traditional Chinese medicine, continuously improving its ability to maintain health, and ultimately achieving the well-being of the masses.