"The American mainstream medical community considered acupuncture as a 'psychological' treatment to beegin with. However, the U.S. government now provides tens of millions of dollars every year to fund clinical research into traditional Chinese medicine (TCM). TCM has been through a long phase of development in the United States," says Dr. Tian Xiaoming, director and professor of the Academy of Acupuncture and Chinese Medicine in Washington.

With a growing acceptance of TCM by the mainstream medical community and the public, TCM in the United States has entered a new period of rapid development.

Right now, traditional Chinese medicine - including acupuncture, massage, qigong, tai chi, and Chinese herbal medicine - occupies a pivotal position in the American complementary and alternative medical system.

American doctors have changed their skeptical attitude towards Chinese acupuncture over the past ten years. More and more American doctors have become interested in understanding and studdying acupuncture, and going on to conduct integrated medical treatment.

44 states out of the 50 states in the U.S. have now approved the issue of acupuncture licenses. Hundreds of TCM acupuncture colleges offer three to four years' professional training and grant bachelor's or master's degrees. In addition, acupuncture has gradually been included in the American health insurance system. Prospects for future development are good.

This article was edited and translated from中医在美国进入快速发展期, source: People's Daily Overseas Edition, author: Liao Zhengjun.