11 REASONS TO TRY CHINESE MEDICINE

1) Chinese medicine is the most widely used system of medicine in the world. It is estimated that over 1/2 of the world's 6 billion people population utilize Chinese medicine in over 120 countries.

2) Chinese medicine and acupuncture are recognized and sanctioned by the National Institutes of Health and the World Health Organization. To read the full report from the WHO (PDF file, 689 KB, 87 pages), click here. To read the NIH Consensus report on the NIH website, click here.

3) Chinese medicine does not rely on animal or human testing. Almost all western pharmaceuticals and medical procedures rely on both animal and human testing which is often harmful at best, and is frequently unnecessarily cruel.  Chinese medicine relies on a model of health and treatment that does not require such testing.

4) Chinese medicine is old. It has over 2000 years of literate, documented history. Most of the body of written knowledge of Chinese medicine is still available today. This means that the vast majority of issues regarding safety, effectiveness, long-term studies, etc., have already been worked out. Chinese doctors depend on, and have respect for, the work of great physicians from the past. In the west, knowledge is disregarded and changed continually. For more on this topic, please see the article What's New In Chinese Medicne.

5) Chinese medicine is one of the fastest growing professions in the United States. As of June 2006, there are over 50 accredited schools of Chinese medicine in 18 states. 40 states have laws recognizing and regulating the practice of acupuncture. There are currently an estimated 20,000 practitioners in America, administering over 20 million patient visits per year.

6) Chinese medicine is safe. Acupuncture and herbal medicine have a long history of proven safety. It is difficult to cause any serious harm through the use of these medicines. Acupuncture stimulates the body's own healing capabilities. Herbal medicine uses substances which are unrefined and relatively mild compared to pharmaceuticals. Properly prescribed by a trained practitioner, these therapies are gentle, effective, and work without causing harm.

7) Chinese medicine is cost effective. Compared to western therapies such as pharmaceuticals and surgery, acupuncture, herbal medicine, and especially dietary and lifestyle changes are much less expensive. Click here to read a summary of several studies documenting the cost effectiveness of acupuncture.

8) Chinese medicine is individualized. Even for the same condition, Chinese medicine diagnoses and treats with consideration to factors which are specific to the individual. This results in a more precise treatment without side-effects.

9) Chinese medicine is holistic. It is the perspective of a medical system, not necessarily the tools, that define it. Chinese medicine is holistic because it considers the effects of and the relationships between all factors (such as constitution, diet, lifestyle, environment) and levels (physical, mental, emotional) in a person's health.

10) Chinese medicine is empowering. Chinese medicine begins with the concept of health, and what that means for each person. It teaches how we lose this state, and how to move back towards it. It is not focused only on disease, and in fact functions very well as a preventative system. The role of any Chinese doctor is to teach their patient why they are sick, how they got that way, and what they need to do to get well and stay that way. Although Chinese medicine is complex, these teachings are fairly simple and easy to use.

11) Chinese medicine works. In the end, what matters the most is whether or not a treatment works. Chinese medicine is effective for a wide variety of complaints, including those which are often undiagnosable and untreatable with western medicine. To see a list of successfully treated conditions, click here.

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