Pharmaceutical drugs isolate a single ingredient to produce a specific physiologic effect. They are potent, often have side effects, and generally do not address the underlying cause of an illness. For example, antibiotics eliminate bacteria but do not increase a person’s resistance to being infected again. They do not strengthen the immune system. Chinese medicinal ingredients are enfolded within the whole plant and blended with other balancing herbs. This helps to buffer their side effects. Chinese herbal prescriptions are so effective because they are able to strengthen the whole system as well as fight an isolated disease mechanism.
Chinese herbs are a powerful enhancement to your acupuncture treatment. Your recovery process will often be greatly hastened when combining acupuncture with Chinese herbal therapy.