TCM is an ancient, complete medical system that has been used for thousands of years. It sees health as a balance of energy, organs and body systems. It uses acupuncture, herbal medicine, diet, and lifestyle advice to treat the root cause of problems, not just the symptoms.

No — acupuncture is one part of Traditional Chinese Medicine, but TCM is a much broader system of medicine.TCM includes acupuncture, Chinese herbal medicine, dietary therapy, moxibustion, cupping, gua sha, tui na (therapeutic massage), and lifestyle guidance. A qualified TCM practitioner is trained across all of these modalities and will select the most appropriate approach — or combination of approaches — based on your individual diagnosis.Some practitioners offer acupuncture only; others work with the full range of TCM modalities. At your first appointment, your practitioner will explain which approaches are most relevant for your situation.

TCM acupuncture is based on traditional Chinese theory and treats the whole person. Dry needling is a modern Western technique that targets tight muscles. They use similar needles but work very differently. For a more detailed comparison, see our page on Dry Needling vs Acupuncture.

TCM is used for a broad range of conditions — from pain and musculoskeletal issues to stress, sleep problems, digestive complaints, hormonal health, and more. The World Health Organization recognises acupuncture as beneficial for a wide variety of conditions.See: Acupuncture research