Chinese and Eastern Medicine: What’s in a Name?
When people talk about acupuncture or Chinese medicine, the names can get confusing. You might hear terms like Eastern medicine, Oriental medicine, Chinese medicine, Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM), Classical Chinese Medicine and that’s before we even get into the different styles of acupuncture.
So, what’s in a name? And more importantly, does it matter?
The short answer: names do matter, because they carry history, politics, and culture. But they shouldn’t stop us from recognising the essence of the medicine: healthcare that treats the body as a whole, restores balance, and supports wellbeing.
Eastern Medicine, Complementary Medicine, Alternative medicine are all still valid forms of medicine.
Don’t judge a book by its cover.
Eastern, Oriental, or Chinese Medicine?
Let’s start with the broadest terms.
Eastern medicine: A general phrase often used in the West to describe medical traditions from Asia, including Chinese, Japanese, Korean, and Tibetan practices. It’s a wide net, but it doesn’t tell us much about the specifics.
Oriental medicine: Once commonly used in English-speaking countries, but now widely recognised as outdated and problematic. “Oriental” is a colonial word that exoticises and stereotypes Asian people and cultures. For this reason, many practitioners and professional bodies have moved away from it.
Chinese medicine: The most accurate of the three if we are specifically talking about medical traditions that developed in China over thousands of years. This term acknowledges a rich history, while still allowing space for the diversity within it.
Classical vs. Traditional Chinese Medicine
Even within “Chinese medicine,” there are distinctions that are worth understanding.
Classical Chinese Medicine: This usually refers to approaches grounded in early medical texts, such as the Huangdi Neijing (Yellow Emperor’s Inner Classic). It emphasises cosmology, the movement of qi, and the integration of body, spirit, and environment. Many modern practitioners draw inspiration from these classical theories.
Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM): A more recent development, created in the 1950s under Maoist reforms in China. TCM was designed as a standardised system that could be taught in universities and integrated into modern healthcare. While it simplified some of the diversity found in local lineages and classical texts, it also allowed Chinese medicine to be recognised globally.
Chinese medicine: A broader, more flexible term that includes both classical and modern approaches, as well as regional lineages passed down through families and teachers.
So when you hear Classical vs. Traditional vs. Chinese, think of it less as competition and more as different branches of the same tree.
Different Styles of Acupuncture
Acupuncture itself isn’t a single, uniform practice. Over centuries, different schools of thought have developed, each with their own emphasis.
Traditional Chinese acupuncture: Usually follows the framework of TCM, focusing on patterns of disharmony in the body’s qi, blood, and organ systems.
Japanese acupuncture: Known for very fine, gentle needling and strong reliance on palpation (touch) to guide treatment. Patients often find it subtle and precise.
Five Element acupuncture: Developed in the West, this approach focuses on the psycho-emotional and spiritual aspects of health, using the five elements (wood, fire, earth, metal, water) as a framework.
Neoclassical acupuncture: A modern approach that draws directly on ancient Chinese texts while adapting for contemporary practice.
Each style has its strengths, and different practitioners may blend them depending on training, lineage, and patient needs.
You Might Already Be Using Chinese Medicine
Sometimes people think of Chinese medicine as something unfamiliar or separate from their lives. But in reality, many ideas and practices from Chinese medicine have quietly shaped modern healthcare and wellness.
Osteopathy and realignment massage draw on principles found in tuina, a traditional Chinese system of therapeutic massage and bodywork.
EFT tapping is essentially a form of acupressure, using points mapped in Chinese medicine.
Ear piercings for anxiety, appetite, or pain reflect auricular therapy, which sees the ear as a microsystem of the body.
Breathwork practices echo qigong, which works with breath, movement, and intention to cultivate balance.
Herbal teas are simple, everyday forms of herbal medicine.
Forest bathing aligns with Chinese medicine’s understanding of the body’s connection to the natural world.
Seasonal eating is a central part of Chinese dietary therapy, living in sync with cycles of nature rather than against them.
Functional medicine overlaps with Chinese medicine in its whole-person approach, but relies more heavily on modern diagnostics like blood tests.
And beyond these, many of today’s health movements “slow medicine,” “holistic medicine,” “wellness” all circle back to principles that Chinese medicine has always held: person-centred care that works with the whole person, not just the symptom.
Conclusion: Beyond Labels
The different names be it Eastern, Chinese, Classical, Traditional, Japanese, Five Element can be useful for context. But don’t let them confuse or sway you. What matters most is not the label, but the medicine itself: a living practice that supports wholeness and helps us return to a place of balance, homeostasis, equilibrium, health and most importantly it can bring us back to ourselves.
If you’d like to explore more, you may enjoy my blog on the neuroscience of acupuncture and how it differs from dry needling.
And if you’re curious to experience acupuncture for yourself, visit my appointments page for more information.
