IgG4-Related Disease Explained: Integrative Medicine, Immunity, and Chinese Medicine | Ching-Mao Chang, MD, PhD
What is IgG4-related disease (IgG4-RD), and why can it affect so many different organs throughout the body?
In this English podcast episode, I introduce IgG4-related disease, a relatively newly recognized systemic immune-mediated condition characterized by chronic inflammation, organ enlargement, and, in some patients, progressive fibrosis.
Rather than discussing IgG4-RD only from the perspective of a single organ or specialty, I approach the disease from the standpoint of integrative medicine, bringing together modern immunology, conventional medical treatment, Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM), and my own clinical and research experience.
In this episode, we discuss:
• What IgG4-related disease is and how the concept of IgG4-RD developed
• Why IgG4-RD can involve multiple organs, including the pancreas, liver, kidneys, lymph nodes, and other tissues
• How IgG4-RD differs from ordinary inflammation
• The relationship between immune dysregulation, chronic inflammation, tissue repair, and fibrosis
• Why some patients initially appear to have several unrelated diseases
• The clinical relationship between IgG4-RD, Sjögren’s disease, autoimmune disorders, and other immune-mediated conditions
• Current Western medical approaches, including glucocorticoids and B-cell-targeted therapy
• Why treatment response and disease relapse remain important clinical challenges
• How Traditional Chinese Medicine interprets immune imbalance through concepts such as Yin-Yang balance, deficiency, heat, dampness, and blood stasis
• The importance of identifying the underlying disease mechanism rather than treating individual symptoms alone
• How Chinese herbal medicine and acupuncture may be incorporated into an integrative treatment strategy
• My clinical observations and experience in managing patients with complex autoimmune and IgG4-related conditions
• Why identifying environmental, dietary, sleep-related, and other potential triggers may be important in long-term disease management
One concept I emphasize throughout this discussion is that different clinical manifestations may arise from a shared upstream disturbance of the immune system.
In Western medicine, we increasingly investigate the molecular pathways responsible for inflammation and immune dysregulation. In Traditional Chinese Medicine, we approach the same patient from another perspective: identifying the overall pattern of imbalance and understanding why a particular individual develops a particular manifestation of disease.
These approaches do not have to compete with each other.
For complex immune-mediated diseases, my clinical approach is to first understand the disease itself—its pathogenesis, organ involvement, manifestations, biomarkers, and established medical treatment—and then determine where Traditional Chinese Medicine and integrative medicine may contribute.
Importantly, patients with autoimmune or IgG4-related disease should not discontinue established Western medical treatment without consultation with their treating physicians. Integrative medicine should complement appropriate diagnosis, monitoring, and evidence-based medical care.
About the Speaker
Ching-Mao Chang, M.D., Ph.D.
Director, Division of Integrative Medicine
Department of Traditional Medicine
Taipei Veterans General Hospital
Taipei, Taiwan
Associate Professor
School of Chinese Medicine
National Yang Ming Chiao Tung University
Associate Professor
Institute of Traditional Medicine
National Yang Ming Chiao Tung University
Principal Investigator
AIDDES Lab — Traditional Chinese Medicine Autoimmune Disease and Dry Eye Syndrome Objective Measurements Laboratory
My clinical and research work focuses on Sjögren’s disease, dry eye disease, autoimmune and rheumatic diseases, integrative Chinese-Western medicine, acupuncture, Chinese herbal medicine, and objective measurement of Traditional Chinese Medicine–related physiological phenotypes.
Our research integrates clinical medicine with modern biomedical approaches, including objective ocular measurements, autonomic nervous system assessment, microcirculation, tongue and pulse diagnosis, genomics, transcriptomics, proteomics, microbiome research, artificial intelligence, acupuncture, and Chinese herbal medicine.
The goal is simple: to better understand the biological heterogeneity of patients and to develop more precise approaches to integrative medicine.
AIDDES Lab
Traditional Chinese Medicine Autoimmune Disease and Dry Eye Syndrome Objective Measurements Laboratory
AIDDES Lab is not only a laboratory; it is a platform connecting patients, clinical medicine, Traditional Chinese Medicine, science, research, and education.
🌐 AIDDES Lab Website
https://aiddeslab.netlify.app/
My Blog
For articles on Traditional Chinese Medicine, integrative medicine, autoimmune diseases, Sjögren’s disease, dry eye disease, acupuncture, clinical research, and our latest publications:
📖 Ching-Mao Chang’s TCM & Integrative Medicine Blog
https://tcmcmc.blogspot.com/
🔬 Introduction to AIDDES Lab
https://tcmcmc.blogspot.com/2026/04/CMCAIDDESLAB.html
Support AIDDES Lab
National Yang Ming Chiao Tung University
TCM Autoimmune Disease and Dry Eye Syndrome Objective Measurements Laboratory
NYCU Donation Project Q120120
https://donate.nycu.edu.tw/contents/project_ct?page=1&p_id=63
Medical Disclaimer
This podcast is intended for medical education and public health education. It does not provide individual medical diagnosis or treatment recommendations. Patients with IgG4-related disease, Sjögren’s disease, autoimmune disease, or other medical conditions should discuss diagnosis and treatment decisions with qualified healthcare professionals.
Topics:
IgG4-related disease | IgG4-RD | autoimmune disease | immunology | chronic inflammation | fibrosis | Sjögren’s disease | dry eye disease | Traditional Chinese Medicine | Chinese herbal medicine | acupuncture | integrative medicine | precision medicine | immune dysregulation | AIDDES Lab
#IgG4 #IgG4RelatedDisease #AutoimmuneDisease #Immunology #IntegrativeMedicine #TraditionalChineseMedicine #ChineseMedicine #Acupuncture #SjögrensDisease #DryEyeDisease #AIDDESLab #ChingMaoChang
沒有留言:
張貼留言
感謝您的寶貴意見，張清貿醫師