My Relationship with TCM

A Spanish businessman becomes a dedicated advocateof traditional Chinese medicine after witnessing itseffects in treating his terminally ill young son.

MY relationship with traditional Chinesemedicine （TCM） – and with China –began in 1988， when I traveled to Beijingwith my two-year-old son Joan. He wassuffering from an extremely rare disease called leukoencephalopathy，in which the brain is affected， andwe wanted to explore treatment possibilities.

I am not actually a TCM practitioner. I am a Spanish economist and lawyer. I also analyze Chinesemedicine-related regulations in different countries， asubject on which I have given numerous conferences，written numerous articles and on which I defendedmy doctoral thesis.

In 1988 I visited the most authoritative Westernmedicine experts in Europe and it was predicted thattreatments would not work for Joan. They gave hima life expectancy of less than a year， and said duringthis period he would suffer muscle atrophy， whichwould become increasingly severe and painful.

Faced with such a terminal illness， I decided totravel with Joan to Beijing on the recommendation ofa friend. Chinese medicine treatment was his last rayof hope. We lived in the Beijing Friendship Hotel fora year， and doctors from the Dongzhimen Hospitalof Beijing Institute of TCM， （now the Beijing Universityof Chinese Medicine，） carefully treated him withacupuncture， qigong （a system of coordinated bodyposture and movement， breathing， and meditation），TCM and tuina （a complementary massage therapy）with gratifying results.

Therefore， I decided to promote TCM in Spainand signed a cooperation agreement with the Beijing Institute of TCM with the aim of widely spreadingTCM treatment and education by opening clinicsand schools in Spain to benefit Spanish and otherEuropean citizens.

Once I opened the first TCM clinic in my hometownAmposta in 1989， I took Joan back home and，with the tireless treatment by doctors from theDongzhimen and Guanganmen hospitals in China，his life was prolonged for five years. His pain wasalleviated very significantly， his quality of life wasgreatly improved and he finally passed away peacefullyat home.

In 1990， I founded the Higher School of TCM inSpain to carry out， together with TCM services， afour-year advanced study program. Since then， thetherapeutic efficacy of TCM and acupuncture hasgained the trust of more and more Spanish people.Subsequently， we have opened more than 10 clinicsin the main cities of Spain， including Madrid， Barcelona，Valencia， Tarragona and Alicante.

Through the more than 15，000 patients treated annuallyand our cooperation with the Beijing and Yunnanuniversities in TCM， local people have learnedthat acupuncture and TCM are a complete medicalsystem and a formal higher education career. Thenumber of people interested in learning TCM is alsoincreasing. Every year， more than 500 students enrolfor TCM studies at the Higher School of TCM of the Universidad Europea del Atlántico， which is affiliatedto the European Foundation of Traditional ComplementaryIntegrative Medicine （FEMTCI）.

Aware of the need and importance of legislationfor the proper development of TCM in Spain andother Western countries， together with FEMTCI professionalsI have worked over the last 35 years. In mydoctoral thesis I analyzed the legal situation of thisancient medicine in different countries with the aimof promoting a law that regulates the higher educationand professional practice of Chinese medicine inSpain.

In June 2017， I defended my doctoral thesis at theAbad Oliva CEU University of Barcelona and obtainedmy PhD in law with my thesis “Towards a Europeantraining in Chinese medicine： Its incorporation intothe Spanish university system.”

Over the years， the FEMTCI has established collaborativerelationships with various academic andscientific institutions in China， Latin America andother continents. Likewise， through the FEMTCI， Icollaborate with the main international TCM organizationssuch as the World Federation of ChineseMedicine Societies （WFCMS）， World Federation ofAcupuncture-Moxibustion Societies and the WorldTraditional Medicine Forum.

In 2009， the WFCMS awarded me the InternationalPrize for Contribution to TCM and in 2022， theChina International Culture Exchange Center andGlobal People magazine gave me the title of Ambassadorof Silk Road Friendship.

Many years of work and dedication have broughtrecognition， regulations and prestige for TCM inSpain and Europe at large. I am well aware of thework that still remains to be done to promote understandingand recognition of these ancient medicalpractices among different audiences， including politicians，health professional associations and patientassociations， in order to generate support and awarenessfor the regulation process.

As Sun Tzu’s classic book The Art of War pointsout， perseverance and determination are the cornerstonesof success.

RAMóN MARIA CALDUCH is president of the EuropeanFoundation of Traditional Complementary and IntegrativeMedicine and president of the European Chamber of Commercefor TCM.