Ni hao!

I've just returned from a month in Sichuan, China where I completed 88 hours of study at Chengdu University of Traditional Chinese Medicine (and trekked a 10,000' mountain- my first ever!) My focuses in acupuncture, tuina (massage), and internal medicine included gastrointestinal, geriatrics, oncology, and pediatrics.

It was reassuring to see that what I have been learning these last four years is exactly what is being practiced in China. Though I do not speak Mandarin, and very little English is spoken in Chengdu, those of us in the hospital were definitely speaking the same language: TCM.

A major difference I observed, however, is patient compliance. In China, patients will go in for daily treatments, 5-7 days per week for a month or longer; however long it takes to resolve their condition. Acupuncture and massage is performed on people of all ages including infants, and herbal formulas are taken as directed. By contrast, in the U.S., we are lucky to see patients once per week, and it's rare to treat someone who actually takes their herbs. It's unfortunate because, if administered correctly, this medicine works. 

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