An innovative model for integrated traditional Chinese and Western medicine: state-target differentiation and...

Facing the health challenges posed by global population aging and the increasing burden of chronic non-communicable diseases, Integrated Traditional Chinese and Western Medicine (ITCWM) in China has achieved notable progress over the past 70 years. However, the traditional "combination of disease and syndrome" model exhibits several limitations, including the disconnect between syndrome differentiation and disease stages, insufficient precision in the targeting of Chinese herbal medicines, inconsistencies in disease nomenclature between Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) and Western Medicine (WM), and fragmentation in diagnosis and treatment. The "state-target differentiation and treatment" (STDT) model, proposed in 2015, enables the organic integration of TCM's macroscopic state modulation and WM's microscopic targeting. Under the guidance of this theory, Tong Xiaolin classified diabetes into four stages: stagnation, heat, deficiency, and injury. This classification has been incorporated into the International Guideline for Diagnostic and Treatment Principles of Chinese Medicine in Diabetes, issued by the World Federation of Chinese Medicine Societies. By reconstructing the diagnostic and treatment system of ITCWM, reconstructing a modern system for Chinese herbal medicine, and promoting alignment between TCM and WM disease spectra, this approach facilitates the transformation of TCM from experience-based medicine to precision medicine. It also advances the internationalization of TCM and provides a "Chinese solution" for the development of ITCWM and global health governance.