Can Chinese Medicine “treat” diseases?

When the question arises, Can Chinese Medicine treat asthma? High blood pressure? Psoriasis? the most technically correct answer would be: No.

At least not in the way conventional Western medicine understands the treatment of disease.

Chinese Medicine does not treat defined diseases such as “asthma” or “hypertension.” Instead, it works with functional patterns — for example, a Taiyin pattern, heat in the blood, or insufficient anchoring of yang within yin. These so-called disease patterns describe relationships, dynamics, and imbalances within the organism rather than isolated disease labels.

Yet it is precisely this apparent contradiction that opens up a fascinating field of understanding. It highlights how differently two medical systems think, speak, and diagnose — and why, in practice, they can often complement each other very well.

A glance into a conventional medical textbook reveals statements such as:

“Diffuse (non-purulent) inflammation of the liver caused by various viruses. There is no cross-immunity between the individual forms of hepatitis (HA, HB, HC, HD, HE).”¹

By contrast, classical texts of Chinese Medicine may state:

“The lesser yáng disease marks the transition from exterior to interior and the transformation from cold into heat.”²

The differences are clear:

• Conventional medical language is precise, descriptive, and pathogen-oriented.
• Chinese Medicine uses a symbolic, metaphorical, and contextual language that focuses on processes and relationships. It uses, for example, phenomena observed in nature to describe and understand functional relationships within the body.

In Chinese medicine, one might speak of ‘dampness’. This does not necessarily mean that oedema or swelling is present. Rather, the concept of dampness in the body encompasses a whole complex of symptoms—it may include swelling, but also something as simple as a feeling of heaviness in the limbs.

Similarly, when Chinese medicine refers to ‘blood deficiency’, it does not necessarily mean anaemia or iron deficiency. In TCM, blood has many functions—so a blood deficiency can also indicate that not all of the associated functions are being carried out adequately in the body.

Another key difference lies in the diagnostic approach:

• Conventional medicine relies on objectively measurable methods such as laboratory results, imaging techniques, or microbiological evidence.
• Chinese Medicine is based on the perception of symptoms, pulse and tongue interpretation, and the practitioner’s assessment.

In Chinese Medicine the diagnostic process is inherently subjective. The overall picture – comprising of perceived symptoms, eating and sleeping habits, bodily functions, as well as pulse and tongue findings – is interpreted by the TCM practitioner. A Chinese medicine diagnosis cannot be measured objectively.

While a conventional medical diagnosis usually remains stable once it has been correctly established, diagnosis in Chinese Medicine is process-oriented.

Multiple patterns are often present simultaneously. Over the course of treatment, symptoms change, priorities shift — and with them, the diagnostic assessment. Treatment here means working layer by layer, rather than “eliminating” a fixed condition.

A direct translation between the two systems is only possible to a limited extent:

• Ten people with the same conventional medical diagnosis may present ten different patterns from the perspective of Chinese Medicine.
• Conversely, several people with the same Chinese medical pattern may have very different — or no — conventional diagnoses.

Nevertheless, conventional medical findings are often valuable for Chinese medical case-taking. They provide context, timelines, and exclusion criteria — without replacing the Chinese diagnostic system.

Modern medicine follows a scientific paradigm: there is an objective reality that can be described with increasing precision using appropriate methods. The goal is to identify the correct cause (or multiple factors) leading to the disease.

Chinese Medicine, by contrast, does not rely on a single explanatory model. Within its system, multiple theories and perspectives coexist — such as the Zang-Fu theory, the Six Layers, the Four Levels, or the Five Phases.

These models do not necessarily contradict one another. Instead, they can illuminate the same issue from different angles. The focus is less on absolute truth and more on meaningful, coherent interpretation.

Conventional medicine searches for detail:
Which bacterium? Which hormone? Which neurotransmitter?

Chinese Medicine, on the other hand, looks at the bigger picture and the interaction of systems:
What do digestion, sleep, emotions, temperature regulation, and energy distribution reveal about which processes are currently exerting the strongest influence on the body as a whole?

Both perspectives are valid and valuable — they simply answer different questions.

In clinical practice, advantages emerge when conventional medicine and Chinese Medicine are not viewed as opposites.

Conventional diagnostics and treatment, acute care and emergency medicine are indispensable. Chinese Medicine can be used as a complementary approach to explore functional relationships, accompany processes, and address individual patterns.

The role Chinese Medicine may play in an individual case cannot be determined in general terms. It depends on many factors — symptoms, previous illnesses, current findings, and personal resources.

A personal consultation provides clarity and allows for a realistic and well-grounded assessment.

1. Gerd Herold und Mitarbeiter; Innere Medizin: Eine vorlesungsorientierte Darstellung. Köln 2020, page 520 ↩︎
2. Craig Mitchell, Féng Yè, Nigel Wiseman; Shang Han Lun: On Cold Damage. Translation & Commentaries. Taos, New Mexico 2014, page 404 ↩︎

The term TCM (Traditional Chinese Medicine) is used in everyday language as a collective label for Chinese Medicine as a whole. For clarity and simplicity, I also use the term TCM synonymously with “Chinese Medicine” on my website.

Strictly speaking, however, the term only refers to one specific approach within Chinese Medicine. There is a lot more to Chinese Medicine than just ‘TCM’ – behind this umbrella term lie important historical, conceptual, and philosophical distinctions.

In this article, we take a closer look at where TCM originates, how Chinese medical knowledge reached the Western world, and how this differs from what is often referred to as Classical Chinese Medicine.

Understanding these differences helps to better appreciate how Chinese medical thinking developed — and why different approaches exist today.

Although the roots of Chinese medicine go back more than two thousand years, Traditional Chinese Medicine as a standardized system is relatively modern.

The term TCM emerged in the 20th century, particularly after the founding of the People’s Republic of China in 1949. At that time, Chinese medicine became:

• systematised
• standardised
• integrated into state education and healthcare

This process aimed to preserve traditional medical knowledge while making it teachable, examinable, and compatible with modern institutional structures.

As a result, TCM today refers less to one ancient tradition and more to a structured synthesis of selected historical theories, diagnostic models, and treatment methods — organised into textbooks, curricula, and clinical guidelines.

This systematisation made Chinese medicine accessible worldwide, including to Western countries.

Chinese medical knowledge reached Europe and North America in several waves:

As early as the 17th and 18th centuries, missionaries, traders, and scholars described practices such as acupuncture. These early reports, however, were often fragmented and filtered through Western worldviews.

From the 20th century onward, especially from the 1970s, Chinese medicine entered Western countries primarily through the framework of TCM:

• via official teaching programmes
• through translated textbooks
• within regulated medical and educational systems

To be understandable and acceptable in Western contexts, Chinese medical concepts were often explained using biomedical terminology, linear models, and diagnostic categories familiar to Western medicine.

This translation process helped Chinese medicine spread — but it also shaped how it was understood.

Western education tends to favour:

• clearly defined categories
• fixed diagnoses
• standardised treatment protocols

TCM, as taught internationally, often reflects these expectations. While highly useful for structured learning, this approach can sometimes simplify or narrow the original ways Chinese medicine described health, illness, and change.

Classical texts, by contrast, often use:

• metaphorical language
• contextual reasoning
• dynamic relationships rather than fixed entities

This difference in thinking is one reason why some practitioners and scholars distinguish between TCM and Classical Chinese Medicine.

Classical Chinese Medicine is not a formal legal or institutional category, but rather a term used to describe approaches that are directly rooted in early medical texts such as:

• Huangdi Neijing (The Yellow Emperor’s Inner Classic)
• Shang Han Lun (Treatise on Cold Damage)

Key characteristics include:

• Closer engagement with original sources
• The patterns described are more overarching and less categorised
• A view of the human being as part of natural, seasonal, and environmental processes
• Less reliance on standardisation

Both TCM and Classical Chinese Medicine draw from the same historical roots — but they differ in emphasis, language, and method.

Neither approach is “better” in a general sense. However, understanding the distinction allows for:

• greater transparency and precise communication
• more varied treatment options
• a deeper appreciation of Chinese medical thinking

For patients and practitioners alike, it can be helpful to know which conceptual framework is being used and why.

Chinese medicine cannot be reduced to one label alone. Whether referred to as TCM, Chinese Medicine, or Classical Chinese Medicine, its depth lies in its long tradition of observing patterns, relationships, and change. Chinese medicine has never been a single, static system, but a living body of knowledge shaped by history, philosophy, and culture.

Understanding its historical development helps us engage with it more consciously — and with a better understanding of both tradition and modern context.

1. World Health Organization (WHO). Traditional Medicine Strategy
   https://www.who.int/teams/traditional-complementary-and-integrative-medicine
2. Unschuld, P. U. Medicine in China: A History of Ideas
   University of California Press
3. Taylor, K. Chinese Medicine in Early Communist China
   Routledge
4. Journal of Chinese Sociology (Springer).
   https://journalofchinesesociology.springeropen.com
5. Sivin, N. Traditional Medicine in Contemporary China
   University of Michigan Press
6. Nature Humanities & Social Sciences Communications (2023).
   https://www.nature.com/articles/s41599-023-02484-2
7. PubMed – Cultural translation of Chinese medicine
   https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/3306940
8. Scheid, V. Chinese Medicine in Contemporary China
   Duke University Press
9. Kaptchuk, T. J. The Web That Has No Weaver
10. Huangdi Neijing (Yellow Emperor’s Inner Classic) – historical editions
11. Shang Han Lun – Zhang Zhongjing
12. Classical Chinese Medicine resources
    https://classicalchinesemedicine.org
13. Encyclopaedia Britannica – Traditional Chinese Medicine
    https://www.britannica.com/science/traditional-Chinese-medicine

Among the core treatment methods of Chinese Medicine are acupuncture, Chinese pharmacology, and Tuina. Depending on the diagnosis and the individual situation, these methods may be used on their own or in combination, always with the aim of supporting the body’s natural regulatory capacity.

Acupuncture is the best-known treatment method of Chinese Medicine in the Western world. It is used to apply regulating, moving, or balancing impulses within the body. Its theoretical foundation is the meridian system – a network of pathways that connects the internal organs with the musculoskeletal system.

From a Chinese medical perspective, functional imbalances are reflected along the course of these meridians. Through the targeted selection and combination of acupuncture points, specific processes can be influenced and harmonised. These points are not necessarily located where symptoms are perceived, but where regulation is considered effective according to Chinese medical principles.

Acupuncture needles are very thin and flexible and have a rounded tip. They find their way through the tissue gently. How acupuncture is experienced varies from person to person: some feel almost nothing, while others notice a brief prick, tingling, or a mild sensation of pressure. Many people describe the overall experience as calming and relaxing.

The needles usually remain in place for around 20 to 30 minutes. The impulse of the acupuncture points holds on for a while after the needles are removed, which is why it can be helpful to take the rest of the day at a slightly slower pace. In certain patterns, acupuncture may be complemented by moxibustion to gently warm and activate specific points or body regions.

Chinese herbal medicine may be less widely known in Western countries, however it is the most extensive and central branch of Chinese Medicine. It is often referred to as Chinese ‘herbal’ medicine, although this term is somewhat misleading. While most ingredients are plant-based substances, Chinese herbal medicine also includes mineral and animal-derived components.

The selection of medicinal substances is always based on the individual Chinese medical diagnosis. Chinese herbal formulas are used in particular when deeper or more complex patterns are present. The individual ingredients in a formula are combined according to their Chinese medical properties.

Traditionally, the ingredients are cooked over an extended period to produce a concentrated decoction. As an alternative, granules are available – pre-cooked and dried extracts in powder form that are dissolved in hot water. Granules can also be pressed into tablets or filled into capsules.

Which form of preparation and which therapeutic approach is most appropriate is determined by the diagnosis and discussed on an individual basis.

Tuina encompasses the manual treatment techniques of Chinese Medicine. These include classical massage techniques such as circular movements and pressure on tense muscles, as well as Gua Sha (scraping techniques applied to the skin), cupping, and techniques using massage tools, towels, or silk cloths. External herbal ointments are also commonly used.

Tuina is often applied alongside acupuncture and/or Chinese herbal medicine, particularly in cases of functional restrictions of the musculoskeletal system or blockages within the meridian system. Depending on the therapeutic aim, techniques may be very gentle or applied with greater pressure.

As with all branches of Chinese medicine, the most important aspect in Tuina is its holistic approach. The body is viewed as an interconnected whole, and areas of discomfort are not considered in isolation. This understanding is informed by the principles of T’ai Chi, which teaches how the body moves in harmony, allowing new movement patterns to develop and supporting the free flow of energy. In Tuina, this understanding of movement is applied to encourage natural and functional patterns in others.

The Li style is a very comprehensive and detailed family tradition, encompassing not only Tuina but also T’ai Chi, Qi Gong (K’ai Men and Dao Yin exercises), and martial arts (Feng Shou, Chi Shu, and Shuai Jiao). The Taoist Arts Organisation has been teaching the full scope of the Li Style since 1995 – you can read more about it on the TAO Website.

Acupuncture, Chinese herbal medicine, and Tuina are very often used in combination. Which method or combination is appropriate in an individual case depends on the underlying pattern, the current condition, and personal circumstances.

In my practice, we take the time to discuss which treatment methods appear suitable and how they can be applied appropriately in each individual situation.

A Chinese Medicine treatment begins with a detailed medical history and an individual diagnostic assessment. This is followed by regular treatment sessions. During the treatment process, the Chinese medical diagnosis is continuously reviewed and adjusted.

The diagnostic methods described are rooted in Traditional Chinese Medicine and do not replace conventional medical diagnosis.

Every treatment begins with a thorough initial consultation. During this first session, we take time to discuss your main concerns and current symptoms in detail, as well as your general state of health.

This may include topics such as:

• Sleep quality (falling asleep, staying asleep)
• Sensitivity to temperature (feeling cold or warm easily)
• Digestion (for example bloating, discomfort, or pain)

These aspects help build a comprehensive picture of your individual situation.

A key element of Chinese Medicine is pulse diagnosis. Functional patterns in Chinese Medicine are reflected in the qualities of the pulse. For this purpose, the pulse is gently assessed at three positions on each wrist. Characteristics such as depth, tension, and rhythm provide information that supports the diagnostic process.

Tongue diagnosis is another important diagnostic method. The colour, shape, and coating of the tongue can offer additional insights. For this reason, it is recommended to avoid tongue scraping and strongly colouring foods or drinks (such as coffee or black tea) before your appointment.

After the assessment, we discuss which treatment approaches may be suitable and how frequently sessions should take place.

If appropriate, the first treatment then follows. An initial appointment usually lasts 90 to 120 minutes, depending on how much needs to be discussed.

During follow-up sessions, we review any changes or developments since your last visit. Pulse and tongue diagnosis are always a part of this.

Through acupuncture, the use of Chinese herbal formulas, and possible dietary or lifestyle guidance, the body’s functional patterns may shift over time. In Chinese Medicine, diagnosis is therefore understood as a snapshot of a dynamic system and is continually adjusted throughout the course of treatment.

Depending on the treatment approach, follow-up sessions may take place weekly or every two to four weeks. These appointments typically last around 45 to 60 minutes.

As a treatment phase comes to a close, it may be appropriate to continue supporting the body for a period of time. In such cases, appointments at intervals of around six weeks can be advisable.

Chinese Medicine is often considered when symptoms are already present — often various other treatment approaches have been tried out. At the same time, it has a long tradition in supporting health and resilience, because functional patterns can be identified before clear symptoms develop. Supportive treatment may therefore be considered during times of increased physical or emotional stress, following infections that have not fully resolved, during hormonal transitions such as menopause, or after surgery.

Natural cycles and seasonal changes are also taken into account in Chinese Medicine. Under certain conditions, they can be used to support the body in a targeted way. Special herbal formulas around periods such as the summer or winter solstice are only considered when no acute patterns need to be addressed first and are usually discussed towards the completion of a treatment process.