You probably know that Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) has been around for thousands of years. But unlike trepanning (having holes drilled into your skull), mercury drinking, and lobotomies, TCM has stood the test of time and continues to evolve and grow in use. I recently started writing for a website called Integrative Practitioner, a site that aims to increase dialogue and education between different types of health professionals. It was this opportunity that made me think to write an introduction to TCM, answering the question of how Traditional Chinese Medicine has “stuck” around for so long.

When patients come to see me, their first question is usually “Does acupuncture hurt?,” something I’ve answered in a previous blog. But even before that, we might ask ourselves, how has a medicine that involves poking people with needles (albeit very thin, smooth, and not painful ones) and drinking nasty-tasting herbs managed to survive?

In short…because it works.

And one of the reasons why it has stood the test of time is that it is founded on four dominant strengths that continue to allow it to benefit so many. To read what I think those strengths are, check out my article “How has Traditional Chinese Medicine ‘Stuck’ Around?”