Traditional Chinese medicine originated in ancient China and has evolved over thousands of years. TCM practitioners use herbal medicines and various mind and body practices, such as acupuncture and tai chi, to treat or prevent health problems. In the United States, people use TCM primarily as a complementary health approach. This fact sheet provides a general overview of TCM and suggests sources for additional information. TCM encompasses many different practices, including acupuncture, moxibustion (burning an herb above the skin to apply heat to acupuncture points), Chinese herbal medicine, tui na (Chinese therapeutic massage), dietary therapy, and tai chi and qi gong (practices that combine specific movements or postures, coordinated breathing, and mental focus). TCM is part of the ancient philosophy of Taoism and dates back more than 2,500 years. Traditional systems of medicine also exist in other East and South Asian countries, including Japan (where the traditional herbal medicine is called Kampo) and Korea. Some of these systems have been influenced by TCM and are similar to it in some ways, but each has developed distinctive features of its own.
Although the exact number of people who use TCM in the United States is unknown, it was estimated in 1997 that some 10,000 practitioners served more than 1 million patients each year. According to the 2007 National Health Interview Survey (NHIS), which consisted a comprehensive survey on the use of complementary health approaches by Americans, an estimated 3.1 million U.S. adults had performed acupuncture in the past year. The number of visits to acupuncturists tripled between 1997 and 2007. According to the 2007 NHIS, about 2.3 million Americans practiced tai chi and 600,000 practiced qi gong in the previous year.
This fact sheet focuses on TCM as a whole. For information about some of the individual practices included in TCM, see the pages on acupuncture, tai chi, and qi gong on the National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health (NCCIH) Web site. Some of the individual herbs used in TCM are discussed in NCCIH’s Herbs at a Glance eBook and fact sheets. When researching about ancient medical systems such as TCM, it is important to separate questions about traditional theories and concepts of health and wellness from questions about whether specific interventions might be helpful in the context of modern science-based medicine and health promotion practices.
The ancient beliefs on which TCM is based include the following:
The human body is a miniature version of the larger, surrounding universe.
Harmony between two opposing but complementary forces, called yin and yang, supports health, and disease results from an imbalance between these forces.
Five elements—fire, earth, wood, water, and metal—symbolically represent all phenomena, including the stages of human life, and explain the functioning of the body and how it changes during disease.
Qi, a vital energy that flows through the body, performs multiple functions in maintaining health.
Concepts such as these are of interest in understanding the history of TCM. However, NCCIH-supported research on TCM does not focus on these ideas. Instead, it explores specific TCM practices from a scientific perspective, looking at their effects in the body and whether the practices are helpful in symptom management.
Question: What is the cost of applying through ACASC?
Answer: ACASC charges a service fee of 50$ for using its online application portal. Applying through ACASC into Chinese universities attracts a service fee of $50.
Question: Can I apply to the university directly?
Answer: Yes. ACASC gives the applicants, the chance to directly apply to their desired universities through our online application portal. We have synchronized our system to create a simple platform that connects universities and colleges in China to international students all around the world.
Question: How can I track my application status?
Answer: To track the application status, please log in your ACASC personal account. Whenever there’s an update, you will be informed on your application status through ACASC system within a day as soon as we receive university’s notification. You will simultaneously receive ACASC auto-email about the application status. To directly inquire about your application status, feel free to send us an email to admission@acasc.cn and our team will keep you updated.
Question: How to deal with a pending application?
Answer: When an application is pending a decision it means that your school has received it and no admissions decision has been made yet. The admissions office may have reviewed your application package or may not have. The main cause of a pending application is usually incomplete application documents. As a result you will be requested by the school’s admission office to re-check and modify all submitted application documents or perhaps even add extra documents and then re-submit them.
To avoid further delays, carefully read the university’s comments, modify your application form on ACASC, and re-upload the required application documents. You can contact ACASC on admission@acasc.cn for any help with regards to your pending application.
Question: How long does it take to process my application?
Answer: Processing time varies for different applications. For example to process a degree program application requires more time than a Chinese language application. Confirmation for Chinese language application by the admission office usually takes 2 to 4 weeks. However, time for degree programs application differs. For example fall semester application processing is after March, and it takes a period of 1 to 2 months. This also depends on your qualification and the number of applicants.
Question: What is MBBS?
Answer: Surprisingly most students know they will like to be offered a place in a university to study medicine but have know clear meaning of the exact name of the course at Higher Educational Institutions. MBBS stands for Bachelor of Medicine and Bachelor of Surgery and is also the degree conferred on successful students who are able to graduate at the end of the course.
Question: What is the duration of the MBBS program?
Answer: The MBBS program has a total duration of 6 years including internship for most Chinese universities. However Central South University has a total duration of 5 years.
Question: The average cost of tuition?
Answer: Studies MBBS in China is one of the cheapest and most lucrative package any future or present medical student can student. It has an average cost of 28,000RMB for international students (i.e. 4,130USD).
Question: I didn't take chemistry or physics or biology or mathematics courses in high school, can I apply?
Answer: Most universities in China are least likely to give Admission to students without chemistry or physics or biology or mathematics backgroundin high school, fortunately some universities do admit students without backgrounds in this courses.
Question: Are holders of O level and A level eligible to apply for this program?
Answer: Chinese medical universities accept only A level holders, however Hebei North University does accept O level holders.
Question: I will get my High School Final Results in August, but the application deadline is in July, what should I do?
Answer: Students whose final results and certificate are not in yet can apply with their current transcript but upon arrival in the university must make their Final Results available to the administrative body of the respective university
Question: Do I need to write SAT’s?
Answer: SAT I or II are not one of the major requirements to get admission to study MBBS inChina. Your high school results and transcripts are just enough to get you admitted into most medical universities inChina.
Question: Do I need HSK certificate or take Chinese courses during my study?
Answer: Chinese universities run their medical program in English medium thus no need to present HSK certificate, however universities do have Chinese courses along with their MBBS program
Question: Is the MBBS program in China recognized?
Answer: Medical universities in China have their curriculum for MBBS approved and certified by WHO, UNESCO and other worldwide known organizations in the medical field.
Question: Will I be able to participate in medical licensing examination in my country?
Answer: Citizens of counties such as Ghana,South Africa,Zambia,Tanzania,Pakistan,India,Bangladesh,Nepal,Sri Lanka,Russia,USA,UK and Ukraine have their Medical and Dental Council approving Chinese medical
Universities which make it possible for students to go back to their home countries and participate in licensing exams to be able to practice medicine.
Question: Can I have my internship in my country?
Answer: Internships can be done in China in which the universities will arrange for you and will cost you less, however you can also have your internship in your home country.
Question: Is there halal food on campus?
Answer: China has one of the most diverse cultures when it relates to food. Halal food is available on and off campus with Muslim restaurants wherever you go.
I hope I have been thorough with the various questions and if students still have further questions make sure to get in touch with me.
Realization of your dream is what we aim for.
Question: How much does it cost to apply for an MBBS program?
Answer: Application fees may vary, as application processes differ from one agency to the other, however, to give you a gist through a standard application process. Step by step, we take you through a rational budget of how much you will need to apply for an MBBS program, using an approachof approximation and minimalism.
For starters, you’ll need to pay a sum of 2,300 RMB, an equivalent of 342 in dollars. That’s the fee that reaches the admission office upon submissionof your health evaluation form, application form, scanned bio page of your passport and your transcripts or results. It also covers the deposit or security fee, this amount is returned to the student once the student reports to school and pays tuition fee in full, which is a measure put in place to minimize frauds who secure student visas for other purposes other than schooling. Finally, the applicant will need to pay for postage of all processed documents to be sent back to him or her. This is usually about a 100$. From the above analysis, a grand total of 442$ will be used in application.
Question: Can I do my internship outside China? In this case, do I need to pay tuition fees to my university?
Answer: Of course! You can, as long as it is done at WHO-recognized hospitals under the supervision of qualified medical professionals. When you take a look at the fee structure below, you realize that the fee structure of the final year, which is the year students are supposed to be on internship, is greatly subsidized from 16,000RMB to just 4,300RMB, an equivalent of 639$. This fee does not actually go into tuition but rather into medical insurance, graduation and residence permit, all of which the student would need once he or she returns from internship.
Question: How is MBBS in China?
Answer: In terms of academics, the pressure is the same as you would experience at any other medical school elsewhere in the world, even maybe a little as learning overseas would require another level of responsibility, maturity and time management. There is also a healthy competition among students to push them to bring out the best of their abilities. Students also achieve a higher level of socialization and cultural exposure as they interact with classmates of different nationalities and backgrounds, and fun equally balances with academics, to give students a balanced mentality. A few problems may arise from geographical changes especially for students from tropical parts of the world such as Africa who might find certain seasons a little bit harsh to them, and even find it hard to go outdoors during those times. Such problems are not even long-term ones, as students learn to eventually adapt to these situations and further convert them to one of their individual strengths.
Question: Is there an entrance exams for MBBS in China?
Answer: Universities in India require a common entrance test to be passed before enrollment into medical schools. However, this not the case with China-based universities, which require a result of your High School Exam certificate or its equivalent in qualifications. There is no instance of having to write or pass a common entrance test.
