If you know someone is suffering from Chronic Wound, please share our number 02 9446 7220 to them, or make a booking online with Dr. Harry Wu, we can help.
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Chronic wounds: a growing concern
Chronic wounds, defined as those unhealed after three months, represent a significant and growing healthcare burden. Conditions such as venous ulcers, diabetic foot sores, and pressure sores affect 1–2% of people in developed countries. In the U.S., an estimated 6.5 million people live with these wounds, with treatment costs exceeding $25 billion annually. The UK faces similar challenges, with approximately 2.2 million individuals affected and annual expenses nearing £5.3 billion. In Australia, chronic wounds impact around 450,000 people at any given time, costing the healthcare system $3.5 billion annually—approximately 2% of the nation’s health budget. Direct costs include supplies like dressings, antibiotics, and wound care treatments, along with advanced options such as hyperbaric oxygen therapy. Indirect costs—such as prolonged hospital stays, lost productivity, and reduced quality of life—add to the financial strain. With aging populations and increasing rates of diabetes and vascular diseases, these expenses are expected to continue rising.
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Health conditions like diabetes significantly contribute to chronic wounds, increasing the likelihood of serious issues such as diabetic foot ulcers. Around 15-25% of those with diabetes may experience foot ulcers, which come with a significant risk of amputation. Pressure ulcers are also common, especially in older or immobile individuals, and are associated with high morbidity and mortality rates. Existing treatment options, such as dressings, wound-cleaning procedures, and antibiotics, are often limited by high costs, prolonged healing process, and the risk of antibiotic resistance.
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TCM treatment could be a very promising alternative treatment for chronic wound patients.
From the following case report we can see TCM treatment was quite effective to Qi Deficiency and Blood Stasis type of Chronic wound. But the efficacy relies on accurate diagnosis from the recognition of different patterns of symptoms defined in TCM, and pulse diagnosis performs a very important role in the diagnostic process.
​Attention: the following case report contains images that may be disturbing to some viewers
