I have claws

Sorry friend, but TCM is the biggest load of crock you'll ever find. The acupuncture is nice though.

 

acupuncture is tcm. in any case, if you are in china, definitely get the needles

 

Fair enough. But I spent $30,000 dollars on half a kilo of crushed rhino horn and my dick didn't get any harder.

 

that's because you're a limp dicked tosser and no amount of rhino horn could fix you :sunny:


seriously, when hacks and poachers try to sell chinese herbal medicines, and the medicines are adulterated, misprescribed, ineffective or contain parts from endangered species, many people in the west conclude that chinese herbal medicine is either bad or doesn't work.

when western pharmaceutical companies sell drugs that kill people, don' work, have dangerous side effects, are addictive, pushed for off lablel marketing, hugely overpriced, or when those companies engage in human drug experimentation in the third world, fewer people conclude that western pharmaceutical drugs don't work or are bad.

chinese herbal medicine is not to be practiced by amateurs. a competent, experienced chinese herbalist can prescribe herbs that are effective at treating a wide range of diseases. prescriptions only rarely include animal ingredients, and you can insist (as I have) that the prescriptions be only herbal . respectable practitioners will never used poached ingredients.

some acupuncture practitioners in rural areas of china re-use acupuncture needles. you should make sure that needles are never re-used, and if necessary, you may be able to arrange to bring your own needles to the clinic.

if you do decided to herbal treatments, see a very competent practitioner who uses high quality herbs.

needles may do the most good for you, due to the nature of the illness.

 

or, you know, don't go to a 'doctor' who doesn't understand that needles can't be re-used.

 

I covered that with this

strictly speaking, needles can be reused, and if they're sterilized properly, it's not a big deal. It's just that the needles are so cheap, it's not worth it.

it's probably not an issue unless he's out in the boondocks

 

I don't think I would let anyone in China stick me with needles..

 

you're missing out :sunny:

 

The province of Anhui has a ridiculously high HIV rate because black market blood banks were using needles over and over again. Then the government tried to cover it up.

You have to give blood in China when you get your first working visa, though. I just made them open the package in front of me.