Uri Armon, a Traditional Chinese Medicine practitioner from Israel, attends the online class by doctor Qiu Changlin on April 6. [Photo/hangzhou.com.cn]

Qiu Changlin, an experienced traditional Chinese medicine practitioner from Hangzhou, gave an online lesson to some 380 doctors from 10 countries involved in the Belt and Road Initiative on April 6, local media outlets reported.

Qiu shared his experience of treating Parkinson's disease with TCM therapies and discussed with his peers how a relapse of the disease could be prevented by integrating Chinese and Western medical approaches.

"Parkinson's has become the third most common disease for senior citizens following tumors and cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases," said Qiu. "Integrating Chinese and Western diagnoses and treatments is far more than just combining both approaches. It is about how they can complement each other and bring out the best results from either side."

Zhejiang province has in recent decades played an active role in promoting TCM overseas. In 1999, Zhejiang authorities set up an international TCM exchange center which has since cultivated over 5,000 TCM doctors from across the world. The province also launched TCM programs targeting countries involved in the BRI in 2018.