In ancient China which was far away from modern medical technology, Chinese people    1    (cure) themselves by a wide range of traditional Chinese medical practices,    2     (include) herbal medicine, acupuncture, cupping, Qigong and so on.

According    3    research, Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) was very popular during the Qin and Han dynasties and many books on TCM    4     (write), which are lost today. In the following dynasties, more medical writings came out gradually, among    5    the “Sheng Nong’s Herbal Classic” and the “Compendium of Materia Medica” are the most famous ones.

Nowadays, TCM is still very popular among Chinese people even if the western medical technology produces effect    6     (fast). The most important reason for that is Chinese people believe that TCM makes less side-effects. For a long time, TCM makes    7     deep influence on Japanese, Korean and Vietnamese medical science. Today, TCM is classified as alternative medicine. In China,     8    (course) of both western medicine and TCM are    9     (common) provided in medical colleges, and students can even choose a college of traditional Chinese medicine where they have a chance    10    (study) more about TCM.

Hua Tuo was a famous physician in the later years of the Eastern Han Dynasty. He is     1     (wide) known as the first doctor in traditional Chinese medicine to invent some anesthetic (麻醉的) herbal formulas and the first surgeon to conduct abdominal (腹部的) operations. Hua also created     2    set of therapeutic qigong exercises called Wuqinxi,    3     imitate the movement of tiger, deer, bear, ape and bird, and are still popular today.

Hua later appeared in many     4     (legend) stories. One of them is about how Hua did surgery on Guan Yu, a famous general of the Kingdom of Shu, without using any anesthetic.

According to the story, after Guan’s right arm    5     (wound) in a battle by a poisonous arrow, he invited Hua to help treat the wound. First, Hua wanted the general    6     (take) his anesthetic. The general laughed and sad that it was unnecessary since he was not afraid     7     pain. So, without applying any anesthetic, Hua used a scalpel (手术刀) to cut off the poisoned flesh from Guan’s arm and then scraped the affected bones while the general calmly played chess.    8     (listen) to the sound of bone scraping, the onlookers’ faces turned pale,    9    the general never uttered a single sound of discomfort throughout the operation.

This popular story shows both the doctor’s exceptional skill and the rare    10     (brave) of the general.

Prihardinni, from the Indonesian city of Surabaya, is amazed at how traditional Chinese medicine (TCM)     1    (continue) to develop since she began studying it a year ago.

The 20-year-old arrived in China in 2019 and initially studied Chinese in the eastern Chinese city of Wuxi. She is     2     (current) a freshman at the Gansu University of Chinese Medicine, the only university in Northwest China permitted to grant a doctoral degree in TCM,     3     is a medical system with thousands of years of history and widespread international     4     (popular).

When Prihardinni was 10 years old, she suffered     5     continuous headaches. So, her mother took her to see a TCM doctor near their home. The doctor checked her pulse, examined her face and tongue, and wrote down a prescription (处方). After several     6     (week)of consuming the bitter herbal medicine, her symptoms were relieved, and she found comfort.

“His medical skills were like magic.” Prihardinni recalls. The memory of being cured by TCM was remembered in Prihardinni’s heart and it encouraged her     7    (pursue) TCM study majoring in the clinical science of Chinese and Western medicines.

“People in my country are becoming increasingly interested in TCM.     8     (vary) social media vloggers are documenting their experiences with Chinese medicine.” Prihardinni says,     9     (add) that she plans to return to her hometown after graduation and open a TCM clinic. “I want to tell my friends and relatives that Chinese medicine is also     10     good and trustworthy choice.”

8 . There was a time when the word “surgery” used to scare people, and they would try their best to avoid a surgical procedure. The feeling is understandable, as the idea of a large cut on your body is discomforting in many ways. However, thanks to the advances in medical science, surgical techniques have improved considerably.

Compared with the traditional open surgery, minimally invasive surgery (微创手术)has several benefits to offer. Not only is the procedure quick and less painful, but also ensures rapid recovery. Now, surgical procedures, either big or small, are done within a few minutes to a few hours. The best part about the minimally invasive surgery is the painless procedure. The advanced techniques are helping with quality treatments to patients who have to undergo (进行) surgical procedures.

Unlike the traditional open surgery that requires a large cut, a surgeon makes multiple tiny cuts of less than an inch. For the process, the surgeon uses small surgical instruments, such as a tiny tube with a mini camera at one end. Once the surgeon marks the cuts, he then passes the tiny tube through one of the cuts. The doctor monitors the images taken by the mini camera on the screen and uses them as a reference. These images give the surgeon a clear picture of the area undergoing the surgery. After the surgery, the surgeon cleans the cuts and sometimes places a bandage for additional support.

Minimally invasive surgery has become the first choice of patients with multiple medical conditions. In fact, it would not be wrong to say that these surgeries are now the standard surgical procedures for many routine operations. Whether you have a minor issue or want a surgical intervention for a major health condition, it is the best option.