The First Affiliated Hospital of Tianjin University of Traditional Chinese Medicine

The only national clinical research center for traditional Chinese medicine acupuncture, a national key clinical specialty, and a key discipline of the Ministry of Education, it is a leading institution in acupuncture in China. With the core theories of "awakening the mind and opening the orifices" and quantitative acupuncture techniques, it has constructed an integrated system for the prevention and treatment of brain diseases, pain syndromes, cognitive impairment, and multi-system chronic diseases using acupuncture. Benchmarking against the Korean Medicine Acupuncture Center of Kyung Hee University in South Korea and the Acupuncture Department of Yueyang Hospital of Shanghai University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, its "awakening the mind and opening the orifices" acupuncture treatment for stroke, acupuncture intervention for vascular dementia, acupuncture control of hypertension, and combined acupuncture and medication treatment for neuralgia are among the best in China. The Department of Acupuncture at the First Affiliated Hospital of Tianjin University of Traditional Chinese Medicine is the National Clinical Research Center for Acupuncture and Moxibustion (approved in 2019, the only one in the country), a key discipline of the Ministry of Education, and a National Clinical Research Base for Traditional Chinese Medicine (Stroke). It is the largest clinical, research, and teaching base and international exchange center for acupuncture in China. The department's signature core technology is the "Awakening the Brain and Opening the Orifices" acupuncture method created by Academician Shi Xuemin, a master of traditional Chinese medicine. Its original academic contributions include the quantitative theory of acupuncture techniques. The department positions itself as a leading "national team" in the global development of acupuncture and a core source of standardization and internationalization in acupuncture. For three consecutive years (2021-2023), the discipline of acupuncture has ranked first in the country in the academic influence evaluation of disciplines (specialties) of traditional Chinese medicine hospitals organized by the China Association of Traditional Chinese Medicine and the China Academy of Chinese Medical Sciences.

Historical Origins and Spiritual Inheritance:

The acupuncture discipline was founded in 1954. In 1962, the first acupuncture ward in the country was established. In 1988, it was approved as the only "National Clinical Research Center for Acupuncture" in China. In 2002, it became a key discipline of the Ministry of Education. In 2008, it became a National Clinical Research Base for Traditional Chinese Medicine (Stroke). In 2019, it was approved as the only National Clinical Research Center for Acupuncture and Moxibustion in China. Academician Shi Xuemin, as the founder and academic leader of the discipline, created the "Awakening the Brain and Opening the Orifices" acupuncture method and pioneered the quantitative theory of acupuncture techniques, leading to the standardization, dosage, and normalization of acupuncture techniques. He was awarded the titles of National Master of Traditional Chinese Medicine and National Intangible Cultural Heritage Representative Inheritor of Acupuncture.

Core business operational efficiency:

The department comprises 15 inpatient wards, outpatient clinics in the north and south campuses, the Acupuncture Research Institute, and the editorial department of the *Chinese Journal of Acupuncture and Moxibustion*. It has 1,000 beds, handles over 600,000 outpatient visits annually, and discharges 18,000 inpatients annually, ranking first in the country in acupuncture clinical service capacity. It boasts one academician of the Chinese Academy of Engineering, one National Master of Traditional Chinese Medicine, one National Renowned Traditional Chinese Medicine Practitioner, five experts receiving special government allowances from the State Council, four doctoral supervisors, and 47 master's supervisors.

Discipline Positioning and Benchmarking:

It is the only National Clinical Research Center for Traditional Chinese Medicine and Acupuncture in China, a key discipline of the Ministry of Education, an innovation team under the Ministry of Education's "Changjiang Scholars and Innovation Team Development Program" (the first in the acupuncture field), and a regional TCM treatment center (acupuncture) of the State Administration of Traditional Chinese Medicine. The discipline collaborates with renowned domestic and international universities such as Tianjin University, Nankai University, the Suzhou Institute for Advanced Study at Oxford University, Charlottenburg University School of Medicine in Germany, and the University of Zurich in Switzerland on interdisciplinary innovation in acupuncture, biology, computer science, and artificial intelligence. The international acupuncture community has reached a consensus that "the world looks to China for acupuncture, and China looks to Tianjin for acupuncture."

The First Affiliated Hospital of Tianjin University of Traditional Chinese Medicine does not have an independently established "Pain Rehabilitation Department." Pain treatment is handled by the "Pain" subspecialty within the Rehabilitation Center. Leveraging the hospital's profound acupuncture academic foundation as the only National Clinical Research Center for Acupuncture and Moxibustion in China (the only one of its kind nationwide), a comprehensive pain management system integrating traditional Chinese and Western medicine has been developed. This system uses acupuncture to relieve pain along the meridians as its core technique, and incorporates muscle and bone acupuncture to release trigger points and modern rehabilitation techniques. The department has a long academic tradition in pain management; Professor Wu Lianzhong, former director of the Pain Department, has accumulated rich experience in treating pain through his meridian-clearing and pain-relieving acupuncture methods.

Historical Origins and Spiritual Inheritance:

The academic foundation of pain management at the First Affiliated Hospital of Tianjin University of Traditional Chinese Medicine can be traced back to Professor Wu Lianzhong—Chief Physician of the First Affiliated Hospital of Tianjin University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, former Director of the Department of Pain Management, with over 40 years of medical experience, profound theoretical knowledge, and a unique approach combining traditional Chinese and Western medicine. His acupuncture method for relieving pain by unblocking meridians has proven effective in clinical practice. Professor Li Zhonglian, as a senior expert in pain management, has published 42 papers in the fields of nerve block therapy, epidural block, herpes zoster pain management, and patient-controlled analgesia, which have been cited 2851 times and have an H-index of 6, laying a clinical foundation for the standardized development of pain management at the hospital. Professor Han Ruxun has been engaged in TCM education and clinical practice for nearly 50 years, and is particularly skilled in acupuncture therapy. He has extensive experience in treating pain syndromes such as brachial neuralgia using meridian-clearing and pain-relieving acupuncture. In recent years, Professor Fu Lixin has continuously innovated in the field of pain diagnosis and treatment, proposing a new method of treating pain syndromes by releasing trigger points with musculoskeletal acupuncture, thus forming the intergenerational inheritance and continuous evolution of pain diagnosis and treatment techniques.

Core business operational efficiency:

The Pain Subspecialty operates on the platform of the Rehabilitation Center. Established in the early 1990s, the Rehabilitation Center comprises outpatient clinics, treatment centers, and wards, meticulously developing numerous specialized subspecialties including neurology, spinal cord, geriatrics, sports medicine, bone injuries, pediatrics, oncology, critical care, and pain management, forming a large-scale, comprehensive, and wide-reaching service system. The Pain Subspecialty's scope of treatment covers common pain conditions such as trigeminal neuralgia, sciatica, postherpetic neuralgia, neck, shoulder, back, and leg pain, and bone and joint pain, as well as complex pain conditions such as brachial plexus neuralgia. The department is equipped with advanced physical factor therapy equipment such as transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS), extracorporeal shock wave therapy (ESWN), infrared polarized light therapy (IPL), electro-interference therapy (EEG), and magnetic resonance thermotherapy (MRTH), providing diversified modern technological support for pain rehabilitation.

Discipline Positioning and Benchmarking:

It is a core clinical unit of the National Clinical Research Center for Traditional Chinese Medicine Acupuncture (the only one in the country). Relying on the academic foundation of Academician Shi Xuemin's "Awakening the Brain and Opening the Orifices" acupuncture method and Professor Han Jingxian's "Triple Energizer Acupuncture Method," it has formed a pain treatment system characterized by acupuncture to unblock meridians and relieve pain, and the innovative technique of releasing trigger points with musculoskeletal acupuncture. The academic tradition of Professor Wu Lianzhong, who once served as the director of the Pain Department, and Professor Fu Lixin's innovative exploration of releasing trigger points with musculoskeletal acupuncture to treat pain, have given the discipline a national academic influence in the field of TCM pain treatment.

The Rehabilitation Center of the First Affiliated Hospital of Tianjin University of Traditional Chinese Medicine was established in the early 1990s. It is one of the earliest clinical centers in China to systematically carry out integrated traditional Chinese and Western medicine rehabilitation. After decades of development, it has become a comprehensive integrated traditional Chinese and Western medicine rehabilitation center that combines medical treatment, scientific research and teaching. The discipline relies on the National Clinical Research Center for Traditional Chinese Medicine Acupuncture (the only one in the country) and the academic foundation of Academician Shi Xuemin's "Awakening the Brain and Opening the Orifices" acupuncture method. It takes the integration of traditional Chinese and Western medicine in stroke rehabilitation as its flagship advantage, and focuses on acupuncture rehabilitation for cognitive impairment (dementia) and acupuncture rehabilitation combined with convulsive state treatment as its characteristic directions. With "Awakening the Brain and Opening the Orifices" acupuncture method and "Triple Energizer Acupuncture Method" as its core technologies, it is positioned as the source of the "acupuncture and rehabilitation integration" model in the field of traditional Chinese medicine rehabilitation and a leader in the standardized promotion of traditional Chinese medicine rehabilitation technology nationwide. The department comprises a brain disease rehabilitation department (a ward that officially began operation in 2016) and a comprehensive rehabilitation department (established in 2014), forming a complete subspecialty matrix covering neurological rehabilitation, bone injury rehabilitation, geriatric rehabilitation, pediatric rehabilitation, tumor rehabilitation, critical care rehabilitation, and pain rehabilitation.

Historical Origins and Spiritual Inheritance:

Established in the early 1990s, the Rehabilitation Center is one of the earliest units in China's TCM system to combine modern and traditional rehabilitation techniques. The Neurological Rehabilitation Ward, located on the 11th floor of Building A in the Anshan West Road campus, officially opened on March 14, 2016, aiming to provide a more favorable treatment environment and conditions for cerebrovascular disease patients. The Comprehensive Rehabilitation Department, established by Professor Yu Tao in 2014, adheres to the integrated approach of TCM and Western medicine in rehabilitation, actively combining traditional rehabilitation techniques (acupuncture, moxibustion, massage, Chinese herbal medicine, etc.) with evidence-based modern rehabilitation techniques and equipment, forming a distinctive TCM-based integrated TCM and Western medicine rehabilitation treatment system. The department uses Academician Shi Xuemin's "Brain-Awakening and Mind-Opening" acupuncture method as the core technology for neurological rehabilitation and Professor Han Jingxian's "Triple Energizer Acupuncture Method" as the core technology for cognitive impairment rehabilitation, forming a unique "acupuncture-rehabilitation integration" discipline gene.

Core business operational efficiency:

The rehabilitation center comprises outpatient clinics, treatment centers, and wards, forming a comprehensive rehabilitation service platform. It has meticulously developed numerous specialized subspecialties, including neurology, spinal cord, geriatrics, sports medicine, orthopedics, pediatrics, oncology, critical care, and pain management. The neurology rehabilitation department currently has 29 medical staff, including 1 chief physician, 2 associate chief physicians, and 15 master's and doctoral degree holders, forming a technical backbone team mainly composed of master's and doctoral degree holders and young and middle-aged professionals. Under the leadership of Professor Yu Tao, the comprehensive rehabilitation department sees 20,000 outpatients annually. The department is equipped with advanced rehabilitation equipment such as transcranial magnetic stimulation devices, external shock wave therapy devices, transcranial direct current stimulation devices, swallowing therapy devices, lower limb continuous passive training systems, weight-loss walking trainers, and upper limb functional trainers, providing patients with comprehensive and multi-level modern rehabilitation treatment methods.

Discipline Positioning and Benchmarking:

It is a core rehabilitation unit of the National Clinical Research Center for Traditional Chinese Medicine Acupuncture and Moxibustion, and the undertaking unit of the National Administration of Traditional Chinese Medicine's project on the standardized construction of TCM rehabilitation service capabilities (2016-2019, led by Professor Yu Tao, successfully passed the acceptance in 2020). Professor Yu Tao serves as a standing committee member of the Neurology Professional Committee of the China Association of Integrative Medicine and the vice chairman of the Neurology Professional Committee of the Tianjin Association of Integrative Medicine, and has national influence in the field of TCM rehabilitation. The department holds a leading position in China in the fields of integrated TCM and Western medicine rehabilitation for stroke, acupuncture rehabilitation for cognitive impairment, and integrated acupuncture and rehabilitation treatment for spasticity. It is a core representative of the "acupuncture-rehabilitation integration" model in the "national team" of TCM rehabilitation.