Symposium 3: Evidence-Based Chinese Medicine in Neurological Disorders & Rehabilitation Medicine

Symposium 3: Evidence-Based Chinese Medicine in Neurological Disorders & Rehabilitation Medicine

Date: 12 July 2025, Sunday | Time: 1545 - 1730 | Venue: The NAK Auditorium, Academia 

Co-Chairs: Dr Deidre Ann De Silva (NNI-SingHealth) & TCMP WONG Ying Xin (ACMS)

TOPIC 1:

Update in the use of Acupuncture for Stroke Recovery

Speaker: Dr & Acupuncturist KONG Keng He (TTSH)

A significant number of stroke survivors seek acupuncture to facilitate recovery after a stroke.. Yet the role of acupuncture within evidence-based practice remains debated.  This update reviews current clinical and mechanistic evidence regarding acupuncture as an adjunctive therapy in post-stroke recovery.  Recent systematic reviews and meta-analyses suggest that when combined with rehabilitation, acupuncture may confer modest improvements in motor recovery and activities of daily living compared with rehabilitation alone.  Emerging neuroimaging and neurophysiological studies propose mechanisms including modulation of cortical excitability, enhancement of neuroplasticity and regulation of cerebral blood flow.  However heterogeneity in acupuncture protocols, variability in sham controls, small sample size and methodological limitations  reduce overall certainty of evidence to low-to-moderate quality in many analyses. Questions on optimal timing, dosing and patient selection remain.

TOPIC 2:

Adjunctive Chinese Herbal Medicine in Epilepsy Care: Mechanisms, Evidence, and Clinical Integration

Speaker: TCMP NG Hui Ping (SCHMI)

While conventional anti-seizure medications (ASMs) are the cornerstone of epilepsy treatment, a significant portion of patients experience drug-resistance, develop refractory epilepsy or debilitating side effects. Chinese Herbal Medicine (CHM) offers a complementary, syndrome-differentiated approach that may improve seizure control, reduce side effects, enhance quality of life, and address the root patterns of imbalance according to TCM theory. By shifting the focus from solely suppressing seizures to rectifying the individual's underlying pathological patterns, CHM offers a holistic strategy to not only improve seizure outcomes but also to enhance overall resilience and quality of life for people living with epilepsy. Its integration into contemporary care calls for more high-quality translational research and structured interdisciplinary collaboration.

TOPIC 3:

Tuina Therapy for Insomnia

Speaker: Dr (TCM) LAM Man Sze (CGH & ACMS)

Insomnia is one of the most common sleep disorders affecting modern populations, often leading to fatigue, reduced cognitive performance, and diminished quality of life. With growing interest in non‑pharmacological and integrative approaches to sleep health, Tuina—an essential manual therapy within Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM)—offers a gentle, effective, and accessible option for addressing insomnia.

This presentation explores how Tuina therapy can improve sleep disturbances. Key therapeutic strategies will be discussed. Evidence from clinical practice and emerging research will be highlighted to illustrate Tuina’s impact on improving sleep quality and reducing sleep latency.

TOPIC 4:

Acupuncture and TCM Exercises for Mild Cognitive Impairment

Speaker: TCMP HO Chin Ee

Mild Cognitive Impairment (MCI) is a transitional stage between normal cognitive aging and dementia, characterized by measurable decline in cognitive domains such as memory and executive function. Despite its growing public health burden, effective pharmacological interventions are limited. This prompt increasing interest in non-pharmacological and integrative approaches. Emerging evidence have suggested that acupuncture and TCM exercises like Baduanjin and Tai Chi may improve global cognition, memory, and executive function in MCI through multiple mechanisms. We will review current clinical evidence and discuss what lies ahead for integration of acupuncture and TCM exercises for MCI in Singapore.