Great Article About the Legacy and Future of Traditional Chinese Medicine

I rarely post links to other articles without providing my own commentary or discussion.  The following news story from the China Daily newspaper, however, sums up the importance of TCM in such a clear way that I felt it important to do so:

"Of the long history of the Chinese nation, Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) has been one of the most treasured cultural heritages. Only at the end of the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644), did foreign missionaries bring Western knowledge and medicine to China. Over the 5,000 years before the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911), our ancestors survived, relying mainly on herbal medicine, acupuncture, aijiu, orthopedic surgery and other ancient medical practices. Our nation has been able to prevent most diseases (especially various infectious diseases) through preventive care, and it has thrived with the help of tai chi, qigong (Chinese breathing exercise), martial arts, meditation, and other sports. In addition, it has cultivated spiritual health by practicing all kinds of Chinese musical instruments, calligraphy and painting, and other recreational activities. The total population of 1.3 billion markedly proves the fact that TCM is indeed effective... [Read Full Article @ China Daily]