Acupuncture is being trialed in emergency rooms in Victorian hospitals.

AFTER more than 2500 years, traditional Chinese medicines and therapies are finding a place in the once-sceptical world of Western emergency departments and medical laboratories.

The Chinese Medicine department at RMIT’s School of Health Sciences, the largest provider of Chinese medicine studies in Australia, is collaborating with a range of Victorian hospitals to trial the use and benefits of ancient remedies such as acupuncture and ginseng.

Acupuncture has been trialled on patients suffering acute pain in emergency rooms at the Alfred, Northern, Epworth and Cabrini Hospitals, while ginseng – a root believed to increase stamina and quality of life since the 11th century – is being tested to relieve symptoms of chronic lung disease at Box Hill Hospital and Austin Health.

Professor Charlie Xue, Continue reading →