I was reading a report from Newsweek today on how Western researchers are starting to pay attention to Traditional Chinese Medicine, or TCM. This story does a good job about pointing out why TCM is getting so much attention:

The beauty of the research is that it seems strongest in areas where Western medicine is weakest—namely, chronic illness.

No kidding. Western doctors are great with the scalpel, of that there is no question. We put out the finest in plastic surgeons and orthodontists; give 'em something not working and they'll put in a new one! TCM and other holistic healing modalities work on a totally different level. I especially enjoyed this analogy relating to herbalism:

Western trials are set up to study a single medication. But Chinese remedies are blends of many herbs. “Chinese medicine is not like a tennis match with two opposing players—disease and drug,” says Dr. Lu. “It’s more like a football game, with many types of players in different roles. Some herbs might be star quarterbacks; others are there to boost their efficacy; still others might tackle toxic side effects. It may be the combination of herbs or their subcomponents that makes them effective.

That sums it up pretty nicely! I encourage you all to read it. It's one of the more glowing reviews coming from conventional media in quite a while.