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New Prospects—When Modern Technologies Meet Traditional Skills 35

located in big cities, whereas over 50% of the population live in rural areas
where people have little medical knowledge but more children Second, genetic
counseling in China is now not offered by professionally trained genetic coun-
selors but by clinicians such as pediatricians or obstetricians (Ren et al., 2002).
Third, there is no official genetic counseling program in China (Zhang and
Zhong, 2006). In 2007 the first website, named China Genetic Counseling
Network, on genetic counseling and genetic education was established in
China (http://www.gcnet.org.cn). It introduced the basic knowledge of genetic
diseases, their clinical symptoms, diagnosis, preventions, and treatments.

NEW PROSPECTS—WHEN MODERN
TECHNOLOGIES MEET TRADITIONAL SKILLS

The Concepts of Genomics and Traditional Chinese Medicine
TCM consists of a broad range of medical practices sharing common concepts
and an integrated theoretical system that has evolved through over 3000 years
of clinical and pharmacological trails; it is one of the oldest medical traditions
in China and the Asia-Pacific region (Yu et al., 2006). As the second most prac-
ticed medical system in the world, one-quarter of the world’s population uses
one or more TCM therapies, including acupuncture, moxibustion, Chinese
herbal medicine, Tui-Na massage, dietary therapy and physical exercise (Tai
Chi and Qi Gong) to maintain health and wellness. In China, TCM shares
equal status and has been integrated with Western medicine in the health care
system to diagnose, prevent, and treat many types of diseases. Meanwhile,
compared with Western medicine, the TCM approach has not been recognized
internationally because of a lack of systemic research and investigation show-
ing evidence of its effectiveness (Yun et al., 2012a). Nevertheless, scientists
have begun to provide novel insights into the essence and molecular basis of
TCM, with the globalization of life sciences (global health) and arrival of mega
data mining (big data) as well as the progress of genomics research (Wang and
Chen, 2013). The fast-emerging integration of the science of genomics and the
practice of TCM may provide an unprecedented opportunity to improve the
health of mankind (Wang, 2016; Yun et al., 2012b).
As an example of the rapidly expanding knowledge of the human genome to
clinical practice, genomic medicine plays an important role in the moderniza-
tion of TCM by combining TCM theory with modern biological and genomic/
genetic concepts, for example, by elucidating the active components of TCM
herbal medications and their pharmacodynamic mechanisms at molecular
level. Personalized medicine, an approach that emphasizes the customization
of health care, is used to help tailor interventions to maximize health out-
comes, and is rapidly becoming a reality for many patients suffering from a
variety of conditions.