I love travelling as well as exploring TCM（Traditional Chinese medicine）whenever I go abroad. Meeting TCM practitioners from other countries and talking about the differences in our field is very interesting to me.
I have found that wherever there is a Chinese community, you will find TCM there. However, since there are Chinese everywhere, there is TCM in every country but at different levels of quality.
This article not only includes what I have learned during my travels but also from my chats with TCM practitioners from other countries such as China, Hong Kong, Korea, Japan, Canada, the United States, the United Kingdom, Australia and New Zealand.
TCM in Canada, the United States, the United Kingdom, Australia and New Zealand
The situation found in Canada, the United States, the United Kingdom, Australia and New Zealand is quite similar. In these countries, TCM practitioners are more like massage therapists rather than doctors. TCM is just an alternative and consists mainly of acupuncture treatment, which is mostly just for pain relief, not for internal diseases.
In these countries, Chinese herbs are classified as food - not medicine - and many herbs like ephedra and aconite are prohibited. Therefore, even collecting the necessary Chinese herbs is not easy. Health insurance covers only acupuncture but not Chinese herbs because their health benefits are not verified there.
TCM training in these countries is not very formal. The schools are often run by Chinese and it is very easy to get accepted.
Far from the standards of Western medical schools, the quality of these TCM degrees is questionable.
Being a TCM practitioner, but not familiar with Chinese...
There is no requirement to study the classics of Chinese medicine and if so, only the English version.
Also, it's unnecessary for TCM practitioners to learn Chinese, even if they are working with Chinese medicine. Could you imagine Western medicine doctors being unfamiliar with English?
Doctors? or massage therapists wearing white coats?
The clinics are very often located in shopping malls or Chinatown districts. Sometimes, there isn't even a TCM doctor there practicing , rather other "services" by female staff are offered, such as massage or even sexual service.
These low qualification requirements and quality, limited medical treatment options or lack of genuine treatment, result in the mainstream medical profession as well as the general public easily judging TCM in the Western countries as an unscientific and an ineffective treatment method.
TCM in Japan - good qiality of Kampo
In Japan, there aren't any TCM doctors. The Chinese herb used there is called Kampo, and is prescribed by Western medicine doctors as nutrition supplements or as an alternative treatment. These doctors do not study Chinese medicine at all. Therefore, although Japan has very high quality Kampo, Japan plays an insignificant role in the Chinese medicine field.
However, acupuncture and chiropractic treatment is very popular in Japan. Practitioners only need to go to vocational, not medical school in order to become qualified.
Kampo is very popular in Japan, you can easily buy it at the convenience store. The very well known 葛根湯 or "Puerariae decoction" is the first choice for the Japanese when they catch a cold.
TCM doctors in China, Taiwan, Hong Kong and Korea all need to go to medical school, however there are some differences among them.
TCM in China - more often prescribe Western medicine combined with Chinese herbs
In China, it is very common for TCM doctors to prescribe Western medicine combined with Chinese herbs. It is actually very rare for TCM doctors to prescribe purely Chinese medicine, because their revenue is highly dependent on their patient's medicine costs, and Western medicine is far more expensive than Chinese herbs.
Since doctors are used to prescribing Chinese herbs combined with Western medicine, they don't dare to prescribe only Chinese medicine, because they aren't sure as to which medicine actually is of benefit. Therefore, it's hard for them to deepen their level of expertise.
TCM In Hong Kong plays a role closer to health maintenance because of its unique colonial history.
In Korea, Chinese medicine is called Korean medicine instead. TCM doctors in Korea are very fluent in Chinese and can easily read Chinese medicine classics, which is very different compared to TCM practitioners from the Western countries mentioned previously.
It is very competitive to study Korean medicine. Korean medicine doctors have very high social ranking, and the clinics even have their own pharmaceutical factories.
Not only does it treat diseases, but Korean medicine also does well in cosmetics and longevity management. The Korean government also helps to produce the TV series “Jewel in the Palace” in order to promote Korean medicine worldwide.
Here in Taiwan, Chinese medicine is very well developed. TCM doctors need to be qualified by attending medical school for five to eight years of training（depending on whether they have a post-baccalaureate or not）.
Therefore, all TCM doctors in Taiwan are MDs. We are doctors, not just therapists.
TCM in Taiwan consists of not only acupuncture, which is, in turn, not just for pain relief, but also for the treatment of internal diseases.
TCM in Taiwan is completely covered by national health insurance, so it is a mainstream form of healthcare, not just alternative or complementary.
You can receive TCM treatment in every medical center in Taiwan. It is very common, no matter for inpatients or outpatients to combine TCM and Western medicine treatment at the same time, especially for cancer, infertility, stroke and post-operation patients.
TCM in Taiwan is successful not only in cosmetics and longevity management like Korean medicine, but also helps patients reduce chemo-related side effects, and relieve cancer-induced fatigue to have a better quality of life. Several research articles posted in international journals have shown that TCM in Taiwan even improves the survival rates of patients with several different kinds of cancer and chronic kidney disease.
Please read here, here, here, here, here, and here.
There is also a growing trend to rely more on TCM to deal with dermatological problems such as acne, atopic dermatitis, eczema, rosacea and psoriasis.
It is because traditional Western medicine treatment for these diseases has a limited selection of choices（steroids, antihistamine and antibiotics）. Moreover, Western medicine can only relieve discomfort but is unable to cure these diseases, not to mention that the side effects of long-term steroids usage is another nightmare.
Since all these diseases are related to lifestyle, diet, and stress, TCM can play a great role in this area to relieve the discomfort and significantly reduce relapse without the side effects of steroids.
Here are some examples.
Many of my international patients were amazed by the TCM care they had under my treatment（English-speaking Traditional Chinese Medicine doctor in Taipei）, and they rated it far above what they could receive in their own countries.
You can read about patient experiences here, here, here and here.
Now, I am sure that you can clearly see why TCM in Taiwan stands out internationally.
TCM in Korea - called Korean medicine instead
In Korea, Chinese medicine is called Korean medicine instead. TCM doctors in Korea are very fluent in Chinese and can easily read Chinese medicine classics, which is very different compared to TCM practitioners from the Western countries mentioned previously.
It is very competitive to study Korean medicine. Korean medicine doctors have very high social ranking, and the clinics even have their own pharmaceutical factories.
Not only does it treat diseases, but Korean medicine also does well in cosmetics and longevity management. The Korean government also helps to produce the TV series “Jewel in the Palace” in order to promote Korean medicine worldwide.
Why does TCM in Taiwan stand out internationally?
Here in Taiwan, Chinese medicine is very well developed. TCM doctors need to be qualified by attending medical school for five to eight years of training（depending on whether they have a post-baccalaureate or not）.
TCM in Taiwan, all MDs
Therefore, all TCM doctors in Taiwan are MDs. We are doctors, not just therapists.
TCM in Taiwan consists of not only acupuncture, which is, in turn, not just for pain relief, but also for the treatment of internal diseases.
TCM in Taiwan, not alternative but mainstream
TCM in Taiwan is completely covered by national health insurance, so it is a mainstream form of healthcare, not just alternative or complementary.
TCM in all medical centers in Taiwan
You can receive TCM treatment in every medical center in Taiwan. It is very common, no matter for inpatients or outpatients to combine TCM and Western medicine treatment at the same time, especially for cancer, infertility, stroke and post-operation patients.
TCM in Taiwan improves the survival rates of cancer and CKD patients.
TCM in Taiwan is successful not only in cosmetics and longevity management like Korean medicine, but also helps patients reduce chemo-related side effects, and relieve cancer-induced fatigue to have a better quality of life. Several research articles posted in international journals have shown that TCM in Taiwan even improves the survival rates of patients with several different kinds of cancer and chronic kidney disease.
Please read here, here, here, here, here, and here.
Trend in Taiwan to rely more on TCM to deal with dermatologic problems
There is also a growing trend to rely more on TCM to deal with dermatological problems such as acne, atopic dermatitis, eczema, rosacea and psoriasis.
It is because traditional Western medicine treatment for these diseases has a limited selection of choices（steroids, antihistamine and antibiotics）. Moreover, Western medicine can only relieve discomfort but is unable to cure these diseases, not to mention that the side effects of long-term steroids usage is another nightmare.
Since all these diseases are related to lifestyle, diet, and stress, TCM can play a great role in this area to relieve the discomfort and significantly reduce relapse without the side effects of steroids.
Here are some examples.
Many of my international patients were amazed by the TCM care they had under my treatment（English-speaking Traditional Chinese Medicine doctor in Taipei）, and they rated it far above what they could receive in their own countries.
You can read about patient experiences here, here, here and here.
Now, I am sure that you can clearly see why TCM in Taiwan stands out internationally.
