I remember now why I was reluctant to post in this thread.

@tiger no problem. It appears to have stimulated the conversation which is what I've been going for all along.

@Ksmqueen - Yes please update on how that goes for you. I agree 140 rmb seems high, but sounds like you were aware of this fact going in. And like you said if it works the price will be well worth it.

I enjoyed reading the different perspectives. I think its a tough subject to discuss because its so broad, and easy to generalize. The acute vs chronic thing makes sense to me. In fact going into a tcm hospital I've wondered what they even do for things such as car accidents and gunshot wounds? It doesn't look like they are at all prepared for emergency medicine. Maybe its just where I went I dont know.

Was also unaware of the economic dynamic in play, and that TCM can generally be considered "poor peoples medicine". Bottom line for me is despite some of the pitfalls mentioned.... including a lack of hard science backing it. I am willing to give it a try because I've got chronic health problems and have run the gauntlet of western medicine already.

My specific interest isn't so much with herbal tx as it is balancing Qi. Some might dismiss this, but over the course of 6 years of medical treatment I've come to believe that my problems stem from stagnate energy(Qi). So my interest at the moment is focused on things like acupuncture and moxibustion. Or really anything that might effect the body's electromagnetic energy.

@HFCAMPO think your post mentioned something about Qi balancing, so I guess you share my belief to some extent. How did you achieve this? What specifically did your doctor do that makes you say that? I am also reading a text right now about Qigong but am finding it confusing and a little bit inaccessible. Thoughts anyone?

Agreed tiger, I knew going in that this could easily devolve into an east vs west debate, or allow conspiracy theorists to come out and start attacking the pharmaceutical industry. Hope we can keep it a useful discussion.

The GOOD TCM doctors know how to evaluate and prescribe the herbs according to your individual body needs. For me, my body is usually HOT, part of this is because of my diet and also because of biology. So I require herbs that cool me.

Over the last 10 years here in China I have used TCM to relieve my allergies that I suffer from every September and October. The medicine the TCM doctor gave me in Dali was very good and I felt 80% better then before. However, in the last 2 years I now see a doctor here in Kunming and he gives me herbs that not only relieve the allergies but also balance my Qi and restore my immune system.

www.tcmwiki.com/wiki/chinese-herbal-medicine

My immune system has been destroyed by the hundreds of shots I had to get over the 20 years I was in the Marine Corps. My allergies got worse in the last 5 years as we prepared for Desert Storm and had to get jabbed with anthrax and other garbage.

I feel the difference in my body. I do NOT drink alcohol or smoke so I am very aware of minor changes in my body and I know first hand that the TCM medicine prescribed is responsible for these changes. I know my body and I am atuned to any changes like environment, diet, exercise and so on. My body does not lie and I can see and feel the difference after taking these herbs.

Over the last 10 years I have maintained a record of every herb used in my treatment. I research every herb and read about their efficacy. My treatment has changed the last 2 years and I am aware of what those herbs are and what they do. I have a keen interest in TCM and my wife has recently began attending the TCM school near Baita Road because she shares in my interest.

As for doctors who do not divulge the herbs they prescribe, this is NOT a problem because both my wife and I are familiar with the herbs used and this knowledge has come because of interest and vigilance over the last 10 years. In total I have been prescribed about 30 different herbs over the past 10 years and 2 of them had an adverse reaction.

After 10 years of learning and research I now go to the doctor with my list of herbs and they give me my meds and they do not require me to be evaluated and ask no questions or hassle me. Also, you just can't go to a different doctor every time and expect to get good results. I used the same doc in Dali for 8 years and the same doc in Kunming for 2 years now. My doc is a graduate of the TCM school on Baita Road many years ago.

If I had relied on TCM and local doctors I would not be alive today.

My ex-gf's sister worked for Jody Foster. This is a true statement but it is meaningless and only used to try to impress. In fact, I never met my ex-gf sister nor did I ever meet Jody Foster. This is as meaningless as stating that my wife's family comes from a long line of TCM doctors yet when asked to comment I claim the 5th. Or just as meaningless as someone who wents to a TCM doctor once and felt he was ripped off. When I was young and dumb I thought all chinese people were like Bruce Lee or like David Carridine in Kung Fu. I guess the 1.4 billion of chinese people walking around who used TCM are not alive.

And then some people grew up and became older but just a dumb. There is none so ignorant as them what chose to be.

I believe I saw the same sentence above in an english textbook in an exercise to find the grammatical errors.

and you still didn't take it on board.

sorry, but what the hell does "stagnate energy/qi" mean?

have you tried like, i dunno...... EXERCISE maybe?