TCM · Conditions
What does TCM
actually treat?
Twelve condition categories, each graded by evidence quality — from NICE-endorsed (chronic pain, migraine) to adjunct (post-cancer fatigue). Honest, sourced, and free of marketing.
Evidence-graded review
Twelve conditions, graded.
Chronic low back pain
Acupuncture: NICE recommends; Vickers 2018 meta-analysis confirmed effect over sham. Tuina + herbal as adjuncts.
Course: 10–15 sessions
Migraine & tension headache
Cochrane reviews: acupuncture comparable to prophylactic drugs with fewer side effects. Strongly recommended.
Course: 8–12 sessions
Knee osteoarthritis
Multiple RCTs show pain and function improvement vs sham and standard care. Useful pre-/post-arthroplasty.
Course: 12–20 sessions
Chemo-induced nausea
PC6 acupressure/needling reduces CINV. Standard adjunct in Chinese integrative oncology wards.
2–3 sessions / cycle
Post-stroke rehabilitation
Combined with physiotherapy, accelerates motor recovery in upper-limb hemiparesis. Standard in China.
20–40 sessions
IBS & functional dyspepsia
Herbal formulations (e.g. modified Sini San) and acupuncture: positive trials, Cochrane partial endorsement.
8–12 weeks
Allergic rhinitis
Brinkhaus 2013 RCT showed symptom reduction vs sham. Common adjunct to antihistamines.
12 sessions
Insomnia & anxiety
Acupuncture, herbal (e.g. Suanzaoren Tang variants), qi gong combined. Useful adjunct to CBT-I.
6–12 weeks
Menopausal symptoms
Effect size below HRT; useful where HRT contraindicated. Acupuncture + herbal individualised.
8–16 weeks
IVF support
Pre-/post-transfer acupuncture; meta-analyses suggest modest improvement in clinical pregnancy rates.
4–8 sessions
Diabetic neuropathy
Acupuncture and herbal (e.g. Huangqi Guizhi Wuwu Tang) reduce neuropathic pain in some trials.
8–16 weeks
Post-cancer fatigue
Standard care in Chinese oncology wards. Acupuncture + tonifying herbal formulations + qi gong.
8–24 weeks
Sources: WHO Acupuncture Review, NICE clinical guidelines, Cochrane reviews, Vickers 2018 IPDMA, ChiCTR registry. Evidence grades reflect aggregate quality of randomised trials and systematic reviews as of 2024.
FAQ
What TCM does — and doesn’t — treat.
- What conditions does TCM treat best?
- TCM has the strongest evidence for chronic pain (musculoskeletal and headache), digestive functional disorders (IBS, dyspepsia), women's health (menstrual disorders, menopause, IVF support), allergic conditions, post-stroke rehabilitation, sleep disorders, and oncology supportive care for chemo-induced symptoms. It is not a replacement for surgery, antibiotics, oncology drug therapy, or emergency medicine.
- Is TCM good for cancer?
- TCM is widely used as supportive care alongside Western oncology in China — for chemotherapy-induced nausea, fatigue, neutropenia, neuropathy, and quality of life. It is not a stand-alone cancer treatment. Class A integrative oncology programs (e.g. Guang'anmen Hospital, Beijing) combine surgery, chemotherapy, radiotherapy and TCM herbal/acupuncture support, with growing evidence of improved tolerability.
- Does TCM help fertility and IVF?
- Multiple meta-analyses suggest acupuncture (typically 4–8 sessions across the IVF cycle) may modestly improve clinical pregnancy rates as an adjunct. Chinese herbal medicine for unexplained subfertility has positive small-trial data but variable quality. TCM clinics in Shanghai, Beijing and Chengdu run dedicated reproductive integrative programs alongside leading IVF centres.
- Can TCM help with chronic pain?
- Yes — chronic pain is TCM's strongest evidence area. The Vickers et al. 2018 individual-patient meta-analysis (n=20,827) showed acupuncture's effect over sham for chronic low back pain, neck pain, knee osteoarthritis, and chronic headache. NICE recommends acupuncture for tension headache and migraine prophylaxis.
- Does TCM help with menopausal symptoms?
- Multiple RCTs and Cochrane reviews suggest acupuncture and selected herbal formulations reduce hot-flush frequency and severity, with effect size below HRT but useful for patients with HRT contraindications. Common formulations include Liuwei Dihuang Wan (六味地黄丸) variants individualised to constitutional pattern.
- Can TCM treat infectious disease?
- TCM is generally adjunctive, not first-line, for infectious disease. The notable exception is artemisinin (青蒿素) — derived from the Chinese herb Artemisia annua and now the WHO's first-line antimalarial. For acute bacterial infections, antibiotics remain first-line; some TCM formulations are used adjunctively for symptom management and recovery.
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