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This page is for patients seeking TCM-based treatment for chronic conditions — typically without hospitalization. If you have a complex diagnosis requiring specialist hospital care or surgery, see our Disease Treatment page.
Disease TreatmentWestern medicine is extraordinary at acute care. For chronic conditions, Traditional Chinese Medicine offers something different: treating the underlying cause, not just the symptom.
Millions of Americans live with chronic conditions that Western medicine manages but doesn't resolve — autoimmune disease, chronic pain, digestive disorders, insomnia, fertility challenges. The treatments exist. The prescriptions get refilled. The symptoms continue. Traditional Chinese Medicine approaches these conditions differently. Rather than suppressing symptoms, TCM works to identify and address the underlying imbalance that is causing them. For many chronic conditions, this means real improvement — not just management. We won't promise TCM will work for you. What we can tell you is what conditions have shown the most consistent results, what a realistic treatment course looks like, and what patients with your condition have experienced.
Herniated discs · Chronic back and neck pain · Rheumatoid arthritis · Ankylosing spondylitis · Frozen shoulder · Sciatica · Fibromyalgia
What Western medicine offers: Pain management, anti-inflammatories, surgery (in severe cases). Most patients are told to "learn to live with it."
What TCM offers: Acupuncture for pain relief is endorsed by the WHO and by the UK's NICE guidelines as a first-line therapy. Beyond pain relief, TCM works to reduce systemic inflammation through individualized herbal formulas — addressing why the inflammation keeps returning, not just suppressing it when it does.
A realistic treatment course: 10–14 days of intensive daily acupuncture and herbal prescription, followed by a take-home herbal protocol to continue at home. Many patients report significant improvement within the treatment period; results continue to develop over the following 3–6 months.
"I'd been on NSAIDs for six years for my back. Two weeks of daily acupuncture and a custom herbal formula in Beijing — I came home and haven't needed the medication since. That was 14 months ago."
— R.T., Colorado
Rheumatoid arthritis · Lupus · Psoriasis · Eczema · Ulcerative colitis · Crohn's disease · Hashimoto's thyroiditis
What Western medicine offers: Immunosuppressants and biologics — often $1,500–$2,500/month, with significant side effect profiles. They reduce symptoms but require lifelong continuation.
What TCM offers: TCM views autoimmune conditions as a pattern of internal imbalance rather than a malfunction to be suppressed. Individualized herbal medicine works to modulate immune response from within — many patients see inflammatory markers improve and, in some cases, reduce or eliminate their dependence on biologics (always in coordination with their prescribing physician).
A realistic treatment course: 14 days intensive, with a 3–6 month herbal protocol to continue at home. We assist with arranging compliant international shipment of herbal preparations.
"I spent 12 years being told my psoriasis was manageable, not curable. Fourteen days in Guangzhou changed that sentence for me. I'm not saying it works for everyone. I'm saying it worked for me."
— S.L., Oregon
IBS · Chronic gastritis · Ulcerative colitis · Crohn's disease · Functional dyspepsia · Acid reflux · SIBO
What Western medicine offers: Dietary management, PPIs, immunosuppressants for IBD. Symptom management, rarely resolution.
What TCM offers: The digestive system is one of TCM's areas of deepest clinical experience. "Spleen and stomach" theory in TCM encompasses the entire digestive tract and its relationship to immunity, energy, and mental clarity. Many IBS and chronic gastritis patients experience complete resolution of symptoms with TCM treatment.
Chronic insomnia · Anxiety · Stress-related disorders · Chronic fatigue · Post-COVID neurological symptoms
What Western medicine offers: Sleep medications (habit-forming, not restorative), SSRIs, cognitive behavioral therapy. Often effective short-term, less so long-term.
What TCM offers: TCM sees insomnia not as a brain chemistry problem but as a reflection of overall systemic imbalance. Acupuncture and herbal treatment address the root — whether it's Heart-Kidney disharmony, Liver Qi stagnation, or other pattern presentations — rather than sedating the symptom. Many patients discontinue sleep medications during or after treatment.
Infertility · IVF support · PCOS · Endometriosis · Menopause syndrome · Menstrual disorders · Perimenopause
What Western medicine offers: IVF ($15,000–$30,000 per cycle), hormonal treatments, surgery for endometriosis.
What TCM offers: TCM has supported female reproductive health for over 2,000 years. Multiple clinical studies have shown that acupuncture and herbal medicine improve IVF success rates — particularly for women who have experienced failed cycles. For women not pursuing IVF, TCM offers a non-hormonal path to regulating cycles, reducing endometriosis symptoms, and supporting natural conception.
Chemotherapy side effect management · Immune recovery · Post-radiation fatigue · Quality of life during treatment · Recurrence prevention support
TCM does not treat cancer. What it does — with strong clinical evidence — is help the body recover from the trauma of cancer treatment. Guang'anmen Hospital, our partner institution, is China's #1 TCM oncology center and has published extensively on integrative oncology protocols. Specifically: reduction of chemotherapy nausea and fatigue, immune system support during treatment, improved appetite and nutrition absorption, and quality-of-life improvement throughout the treatment period. Note: All TCM oncology support is coordinated with your oncologist's treatment plan. We do not offer TCM as a primary cancer treatment.
TCM practiced at its source is different from TCM practiced in the US. In America, TCM practitioners work with limited time, limited herbal resources, and often without the diagnostic depth of classical training. In China's top TCM institutions, you are seen by physicians who have trained for 7–10 years in classical TCM theory, who prescribe individualized herbal formulas from a full pharmacopeia, and who can order Western diagnostic tests alongside TCM diagnosis. A two-week intensive course of treatment in China is the equivalent of 6–12 months of weekly sessions in the US — at a fraction of the cost.
Rheumatoid arthritis biologics (US)
$18,000–$30,000/yr
2-week intensive TCM trip (all-in)
$3,000–$5,000
Chronic back pain management (US, ongoing)
$3,000–$8,000/yr
2-week intensive acupuncture + herbal treatment
$2,500–$4,000
IVF cycle (US)
$15,000–$30,000
IVF + TCM support package in China
$8,000–$15,000
Tell us about your condition and we'll give you an honest assessment — at no charge.