The Effectiveness Of Traditional Chinese Medicine

If you are wondering about the effectiveness of Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM), and whether you should embark on treating your ailments using TCM, here’s our answer.

There is much support for the effectiveness of TCM, but not if you view the evidence through the lenses of current western scientific standards.

The number of properly designed scientific trials (i.e. designed based on western scientific standards) on the effects of TCM methods and remedies in the West is currently small in number [1]. But this does not mean that there is no evidence on the effectiveness of TCM.

The vast majority of data about the effects and benefits of using TCM in treating a large range of illnesses (including those that conventional medicine has been ineffective for) are actually published in China in the Chinese language. [1]

Unfortunately, access to this wealth of knowledge could be limited for the non-Chinese reader, or for someone who lacks understanding of Chinese culture and philosophies (this is important since TCM theories are very much tied to the Chinese philosophy of Tao, or 道 [2]).

As such, understanding about the works of TCM, least of all its potential, in the western scientific community is limited. It is hence not surprising that some western scientists or doctors come to the erroneous conclusion that Traditional Chinese Medicine is all mythical and superstition, and not scientific and effective.

Nonetheless, even if a Chinese-reading western scientist is able to plow through the wealth of Chinese records on TCM theories and records, he or she could still be dissatisfied with the data.

This is because many Chinese studies on TCM admittedly fall short of current western scientific standards of using double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled clinical study design [1]. In fact, most of the records of TCM’s effectiveness are empirical data rather than experimental studies. This leads scientists to consider Traditional Chinese Medicine to be experience-based rather than evidence-based. The grounds are much stronger to conclude that proper evidence for the effectiveness of TCM in illness treatment has yet to be established.

Though proper evidence for TCM’s effectiveness is not yet widely available, it does not mean that TCM is not effective. Despite its shortcomings in terms of scientific records, TCM has proven its efficacy in other ways.

As mentioned above, Traditional Chinese Medicine has allowed the Chinese to establish an effective and affordable system of health-care for billions of people over many centuries [3]. The Chinese has used TCM to treat virtually all illnesses known to them, including those that modern western medicine has been found to be minimally effective in treating.

In addition, TCM has been selected by the World Health Organization for worldwide propagation to meet the health-care needs of the 21st century. [3].

Recent research also show that when TCM is used in combination with modern western medicine for the treatment of certain illnesses (eg. liver cancer), the outcome is much better than when modern western medicine is used alone. Traditional Chinese Medicine can help reduce the harmful side effects of western medication, at the same time reinforce their positive therapeutic effects. [3]

All these add weight to the empirical data that TCM is effective in the treatment of illnesses.

Pages: 1 2 3 4