Is Chinese medicine safe?
Very. When practiced correctly by trained, qualified professional practitioners, acupuncture and Chinese herbal medicine are extremely safe. In fact, when practiced correctly, they have no side effects and produce no iatrogenic or doctor-caused disease. If a patient reports side effects from a Chinese medical treatment, the practitioner modifies the treatment until there is healing without side effects. This is because Chinese medicine seeks to restore balance to the entire person, not just a piece or part. Side effects mean there is imbalance which needs to be corrected.
Chinese medicine is probably the safest kind of medicine there is. The needles are all sterile, filiform (solid), and come in single use blister packs in today’s medical practice. There is little concern of cross contamination or infection as Chinese Medical Practitioners utilize “universal precautions.” If you are taking aspirin or other pain relievers regularly tell your practitioner, since they can exacerbate any minor bruising from the needles. Herbal medicine is a bit more of a concern because some of the materials used for formulas may have slightly to very toxic herbs in them. One thing to note, though, is that almost always there are other herbs that moderate and mediate the toxic properties of the herbs in question.
