Magical traditional Chinese medicine: Americans infused with renewed vitality from acupuncture

How did acupuncture – the silver needle of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) – penetrate American society, and do Americans themselves have a positive reception towards acupuncture treatment? "Viewing China from Afar," a series of short films produced by People's Daily Online, focuses on acupuncture physicians in China and the United States, bringing magical TCM treatments like acupuncture closer to foreign audiences.

Samantha from the U.S. now resides in Shanghai. She hopes to lose weight and improve her health through the application of acupuncture, a component of TCM.

In the U.S., Ron Zaidman, who graduated with an MBA from Stanford University, founded Five Branches University in San Francisco 38 years ago. Now, a large number of acupuncturists trained at the school serve patients across the U.S.

In the U.S., physicians are increasingly supportive of applying acupuncture for pain relief, anxiety, and depression. Furthermore, Medicare in the U.S. covers acupuncture in multiple states, making the treatment more accessible to Americans.

In the 1970s, when former U.S. President Richard Nixon visited China to jumpstart harmonious relations between the two countries, the front-page report on acupuncture anesthesia in The New York Times generated great interest in the U.S. There have been more than 40,000 licensed acupuncturists in the U.S. since the country first legalized acupuncture as a TCM treatment in 1975, among which 19,000 of these licensed acupuncturists have been based in California. Forty-seven states and the District of Columbia have meanwhile passed legislation to regulate the TCM treatment of acupuncture.

Today, treatments using acupuncture, a traditional medical approach from ancient China, has been recognized by 183 countries and regions worldwide. In recent years, the practice has become more and more popular overseas.

Other than acupuncture, moxibustion, another ancient form of medical treatment, has also become increasingly popular outside of China. 

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