Academic exchanges between traditional Mongolian medicine and western medicine were held in Hohhot's Inner Mongolia International Mongolian Hospital, when a US medical delegation visited the hospital from June 1 to 5.

Ray Graf discusses with the doctors from Inner Mongolia International Mongolian Hospital. [Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn]

Led by Ray Graf, an expert of cardiology and chairman of Coastal Cardiology Association, the ten-member delegation was a result of a speech given by Ulan, director of the hospital, in 2013. A six-member delegation led by Ulan attended an international forum organized by the World Health Organization and delivered a speech on the function and role of China's traditional Mongolian medicine at that year.

The US delegation's schedules during the visit included treatments for patients, surgeries and special lectures on cardiovascular diseases.

Ray Graf auscultates a patient in Inner Mongolia International Mongolian Hospital. [Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn]

"Traditional Mongolian medicine has many treatments different from western medicine. We treat patients with a mixture of the two kinds of medicines. Surgery is done according to western medicine, while the after-surgery was carried out in a traditional Mongolian way," explained Ray. He said he hopes to integrate Mongolian medicine with western medicine.

Doctors from Inner Mongolia and US hold a consultation in Inner Mongolia International Mongolian Hospital. [Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn]

The over 3,000-old traditional Mongolian medicine should be passed on and developed in modern society, which requires complementary exchanges with modern medicine, said the head of cardiology department in the Inner Mongolia International Mongolia Hospital.

Doctors from the hospital will study in the US, according to a strategic cooperation between Ray's team and the hospital.