What TCM is
Traditional Chinese Medicine is a complete system of practice that has evolved in China for more than two thousand years. It includes herbal pharmacology, acupuncture and moxibustion, manual therapy (tuina), cupping, dietary therapy and movement therapy (qigong, taijiquan). In modern Chinese hospitals it is delivered by physicians who hold a medical degree in TCM and who work alongside colleagues in biomedicine, with shared records and shared imaging.
Where the evidence is strongest
- Chronic musculoskeletal pain — low back pain, neck pain, knee osteoarthritis: acupuncture has randomised trial evidence and is recommended in several national guidelines for selected patients.
- Post-stroke rehabilitation: acupuncture as an adjunct to conventional rehabilitation is widely used in Chinese hospitals and studied in trials; it is adjunct, not replacement.
- Chemotherapy-induced nausea and vomiting: acupuncture at the PC6 point is recommended in oncology supportive-care guidelines.
- Chronic headache and migraine prophylaxis: evidence is moderate and inconsistent; some patients benefit.
- Sleep and stress-related conditions: evidence is weaker; benefit is often reported but hard to separate from expectation and routine.
Where the evidence is thin or absent
- Cancer treatment: TCM is used as supportive care in Chinese hospitals, but it does not replace surgery, chemotherapy, radiotherapy, targeted therapy or immunotherapy.
- Acute infections, acute cardiac events, trauma and surgical emergencies: TCM has no role in emergency management.
- Claims that a formula “cleanses toxins” or “restores the immune system” are not measurable claims and should be treated with caution.
Safety
Serious adverse events from acupuncture in licensed hospitals are rare but real: pneumothorax, infection, and bleeding in patients on anticoagulants. Herbal medicine carries specific risks — liver injury from certain plants, contamination with heavy metals or banned substances in unregulated products, and drug interactions, particularly with warfarin, immunosuppressants and digoxin. This is why the source of the herb matters: hospital-dispensed formulae are tested; online or market-bought products are not.
What to tell the physician
- All medication you take, including anticoagulants, antihypertensives, immunosuppressants and hormones.
- Pregnancy, planned pregnancy, or breastfeeding.
- Any implanted device — pacemaker, cochlear implant, spinal stimulator.
- Previous adverse reactions to acupuncture or herbal medicine.
This page is general information, not medical advice for your case. Suitability is decided only by the treating hospital’s physicians after reviewing your records.