Although the foundations and evolution of Chinese medicine and Western medicine are very different

an increasing amount of research has revealed that those Eastern medicine principles practiced over thousands of years are confirmed by new technologies applied to the basic science of the human body. Recent scientific discoveries present enticing opportunities to reconcile Chinese medicine theories with Western biomedicine. Is there a trend toward the convergence of Eastern and Western medicine? Four studies which exemplify the potential for convergence are described in this article. The studies present findings in regard to mesentery

interstitium

a gut-lung axis

and lung-centered hematopoiesis

and were published recently in leading journals such as Science

Nature

and Lancet.