What makes Oriental medicine stand out compared to Western medicine？

“Western medicine treats symptoms, Oriental medicine treats the root.” This catchy phrase has convinced a lot of people, even those unfamiliar with Oriental medicine, that it can heal illnesses—but only with long, drawn-out herbal brews. For emergencies, they think you need Western medicine. That’s a big misconception.

So, what are the real differences between modern Oriental medicine and Western medicine today？ First off, treating emergencies. Yes, you heard that right. Aside from cases like car accidents that clearly need surgery, many acute conditions—like gastroenteritis, food poisoning, stroke first aid, meningitis, severe colds, high fevers, or even new COVID variants—can be handled by Oriental medicine. No matter how viruses evolve, we stick to time-tested Oriental medical theories, using acupuncture and herbs. I’ve seen patients come in vomiting, diarrheic, pale as a ghost, and after just a few minutes of taking herbs, they feel noticeably better.

Since emergency treatments cover a wide range, let me share one example. In 2021, a friend came back from a trip feeling awful. When I saw him, I could tell from his face and pulse that he was in a dangerous state. I had him lie down, gave him acupuncture for 30 minutes, and he said he felt completely fine afterward. Later, he told me he’d been to a Western hospital before coming to me. They ran tests but couldn’t diagnose anything on the spot. A week later, the hospital called, urgently telling him to go to the ER because his test results showed he was in critical condition. He showed me the report from that day.

His cholesterol levels were sky-high, with triglycerides hitting a whopping 1488—no wonder his Western doctor was freaking out. He asked me if he still needed to go to the ER. I told him, “No need. You already got emergency treatment with me, and I bet you’re feeling a lot better already.”

Just follow the doctor’s advice carefully. After sticking to acupuncture, herb medicine, and a healthy diet, he got tested again in September:

Back then, we didn’t have the full lab report, so we went by a text screenshot. His triglycerides dropped to 89—super healthy! With that, I wrapped up his treatment since the numbers were just too perfect. Even he was a bit shocked and wondered if the levels might creep back up after stopping treatment. So, he went to a different professional lab in November for another test. The results are shown in the image:

Even better than two months ago, his triglycerides dropped to 69. This shows that Oriental medicine isn’t just fast at handling emergencies—pulling someone out of a critical state in just tens of minutes—but it’s also just as effective as Western medicine at treating the root cause, with remarkably stable results. Plus, with the guidance of Oriental medicine’s wellness principles, he can maintain long-term health through a normalized diet and lifestyle.

Another area where Oriental medicine really shines is in treating pain—all kinds of pain, pretty much across the board. Simple issues like headaches, stiff shoulders, tennis elbow, golfer’s elbow, knee or leg sprains, inflammation, cold-induced joint pain, neck and shoulder soreness, sciatica, and even complex cases like chest and back pain from heart disease, pain from liver or gastrointestinal issues, gynecological inflammation, reproductive system disorders, urinary tract stone pain, post-surgical wounds, inflamed incisions, and even phantom limb pain after amputation can be treated incredibly quickly. Acupuncture can often ease pain in just minutes, and herbal medicine typically brings noticeable relief within ten minutes. This is something opioid painkillers or nerve blockers in Western medicine simply can’t match. Opioids only block pain signals, so you don’t feel the pain, but acupuncture and Oriental herbs tackle both the symptoms and the root cause. That’s why more and more conscientious Western doctors in the U.S. are referring their patients to Oriental medicine practitioners, proving the growing recognition and effectiveness of Eastern medicine.

What makes Oriental medicine truly stand out is its diagnostic art of observation, listening, questioning, and pulse-taking—known as “望聞問切.” （Observation, Listening, Questioning, and Pulse-Taking） There’s an ancient saying from thousands of years ago, recorded in historical texts: “A doctor who relies on asking about symptoms is mediocre.” A skilled Oriental medicine practitioner can instantly assess a person’s health and illnesses just by looking at them. To outsiders, this might sound like a divine miracle.

Having practiced medicine in the U.S. for years, I’ve seen countless first-time patients marvel when, after just a glance, I list their health issues, personality traits, mental state, dietary habits, and even family dynamics as if I’ve known them forever—and that’s just from observing them. Many patients break down in tears on the spot. They’ve seen countless doctors who not only failed to understand the distress caused by their conditions but also ran endless complex tests that found no answers, chalking it up to “family genetics” or “mystery illnesses.” What’s even more baffling to them is that their family members often have no such issues. So, when I can pinpoint their suffering, casually explain the root cause of their illness, and tie it to specific lifestyle or dietary habits, they’re blown away, thinking it’s almost magical.

In reality, this kind of diagnosis is just the basic skill of a qualified Oriental medicine practitioner. The beauty of it is that it builds a strong bond of trust with patients. Since many patients deal with multiple issues that can’t all be resolved in one visit, this trust ensures they follow the doctor’s advice for thorough, long-term healing.

Oriental medicine excels in treating many perplexing, rare, and severe illnesses with remarkable results. In clinical practice, we see numerous cases of viral infections or side effects from XX injections causing loss of taste, smell, hearing, or even vision. When examining the sensory organs, Western medicine often finds no issues. However, by applying Oriental medicine’s theory—analyzing the yin, yang, exterior, interior, deficiency, excess, cold, and heat of the organs and their corresponding viscera—we can easily pinpoint the root cause. Not only can we prescribe targeted treatments, but our theories also reveal whether a patient has congenital weaknesses or latent disease predispositions.

For example, I treated a patient who lost their hearing after an XX injection. After four months of unsuccessful Western medical treatment with no clear cause, they came to me. After one 30-minute acupuncture session, the patient said they still couldn’t hear and was visibly frustrated, holding Oriental medicine to an almost divine standard while being far more lenient with Western medicine, which had failed them for months. But at their second visit, their attitude completely changed—they were enthusiastic and explained that the evening after the first session, their hearing started improving. After four treatments, their hearing was fully restored.

Perhaps Oriental medicine practitioners must strive for godlike standards to gain a competitive edge in such a complex field.

Another patient described how, after receiving an XX injection, she went blind before even leaving the hospital. Western doctors suggested surgery, but none could guarantee she’d regain her vision afterward. Smartly, the patient decided to try Chinese medicine first. This is the honest advice Oriental medicine offers everyone: always consult a TCM practitioner before opting for surgery. When this patient came to me, her condition was striking—her eyes were lifeless, unfocused, and she couldn’t see my face even sitting right across from me. She had no idea whether I was wearing glasses or not, as shown in the left image. After acupuncture treatment, she sat in front of me again and could clearly see my face, joyfully exclaiming, “Doctor, so you don’t wear glasses!” The right image, taken after acupuncture, clearly shows her eyes now focused, vibrant, and able to see.

When it comes to breast cancer, which terrifies women, prostate cancer in men, or even lung cancer, Oriental medicine offers remarkably fast and effective results—whether through standalone TCM treatment or in combination with Western radiation and chemotherapy. What’s more, TCM’s definition of cancer differs from Western medicine’s. Many cases can be completely cured without surgery or chemo. In fact, with proper TCM diagnosis and treatment, cancer can be prevented so effectively that, without external interference, women wouldn’t need to fear breast cancer at all.

I’ve treated breast cancer in patients in their seventies and lung cancer in patients of similar age, with excellent results. Younger patients with stronger recovery abilities naturally heal even faster. While Oriental medicine is powerful in treating stubborn and severe illnesses, prevention is always the best approach. Regularly seeing a TCM practitioner for check-ups and maintaining your health is far easier and simpler than trying to regain health after a serious illness strikes.

Oriental medicine excels at diagnosing and treating cardiovascular diseases with remarkable speed and precision. Many patients who come to me share similar stories: in the middle of the night, they experience chest pain or can’t breathe, so they call 911 and rush to a Western hospital. After a battery of tests, they’re told, “You’re fine, go home,” and slapped with a $4,000 bill. The next day, they show up for their appointment with me, and as soon as they walk in, I say, “You didn’t sleep well last night, and your heart is struggling. Lie down, let’s treat you.” Within tens of minutes, they feel the pressure lift, can breathe easily, and the pain vanishes—completely comfortable. With follow-up acupuncture and herbal treatments, plus avoiding certain bad habits, they rarely experience those symptoms again.

What’s striking is that these issues are showing up in younger people. The youngest heart patient I’ve treated was just 9 years old, and I’ve handled many cases of teens, as young as 16 or 17, needing urgent heart care. In some cases, simply taking Oriental herbs brings relief in just a few minutes.

Another major advantage of Oriental medicine over Western medicine is the holistic perfection of its medical system. Western drugs and vaccines need yearly updates because viruses evolve, diseases change, and the body develops resistance to medications. The powerful side effects of Western drugs also force constant upgrades and modifications, with an endless cycle of changes day after day, year after year. You rarely hear of a Western drug lasting a century without reformulation. In contrast, Chinese medicine’s system has remained consistent for thousands of years. It treats modern COVID and its variants without needing any changes. Early in the pandemic, I saved many severe COVID patients without test kits or masks, relying solely on TCM. When something works so well for millennia without needing updates, it proves its perfection. I believe in the coming decades and centuries, TCM will continue to serve humanity flawlessly. All we need to do is study, embrace, and pass it down, following the principle of aligning with nature and serving people!