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Acupuncture, an ancient traditional Chinese medical technique, has been embraced by patients and doctors in the US.

Recently, some 300 Chinese medicine practitioners attended the first national conference for Chinese Medicine and US Chinese Medicine Development Strategy Forum, held recently in San Francisco, California.

The conference was co-hosted by seven Chinese medicine organizations from California, New York, Florida, Washington D.C. and Massachusetts. The focus was aimed at integrating TCM into the US mainstream and to provide a platform for exchange.

Huang Xiansheng, president of the American Association of Chinese Medicine and Acupuncture (AACMA), one of the event organizers, said he saw the potential of introducing acupuncture to more patients and promoting traditional Chinese medicine to mainstream America, though challenges remain.

Two years ago, in Houston, Texas, a traditional Chinese medicine cancer rehabilitation center opened at the Texas Medical Center.

The center is one of the largest medical facilities in the world and a frontrunner in life science innovation.

Wang Shuxia, the center’s founder, is a licensed acupuncturist registered with China's Ministry of Health.

She said more western cancer patients have been inclined to use traditional Chinese therapy as their conditions have improved due to the various herbs and acupuncture that they use for treatment.

"Western therapy has its strong points but traditional Chinese medicine has its own advantages in terms of patients' rehabilitation," said Wang.

TCM has grown in popularity in the US. By October 2017, 46 states had legalized its practice and the number of licensed acupuncturists in the country stood at 45,000.

Today’s Story in Story will look at how acupuncture, an ancient Chinese medical practice, is being embraced outside of China and the impact it has had on treating a variety of illnesses and diseases.

Photo shows a pharmacist preparing medicine for patient at Tongrentang Chinese Traditional Medicine Shop which has been popular for hundreds years. (Photo: Xinhua)

The US isn’t the only country outside of China that is warming to the health advantages that acupuncture provides.

In the small Northern African country of Algeria, people there are discovering its healing powers.

For Abdelatif Benmeradi, a 35-year-old Algerian suffering from a herniated disc, acupuncture is a better alternative than prescription medication.  
Though his country is far away from China, the home of acupuncture, Benmeradi has been able to receive acupuncture treatment at a local hospital where visiting Chinese doctors treat patients using Traditional Chinese Medicine. 
"I feel pain relieve since I started treatment of acupuncture. This method is much better than drugs that I used to take without effect," Benmeradi said. 

In fact, it has been a long history since Chinese doctors started providing medical service to patients in Algeria. 
Algeria sought the help from China to fill the vacuum in medical service left by the massive departure of French doctors, two years after Algeria's independence from France in 1962. 
China has since been dispatching medical teams to the northern African country, especially its remote areas, to help the Algerian government provide medical care for its citizens in need. 
With years going by, traditional Chinese medical methods, especially acupuncture, have gained popularity among Algerians who can get the treatment in the state-run hospitals in Algiers, the capital. 
Acupuncture, which originated in ancient China and has evolved over thousands of years, is a treatment for pain or illness. 

Wang Peng from Chinese medical team demonstrates Massage Therapy of Chinese medicine at a workshop organized by Chinese embassy in Namibia's capital Windhoek. (Photo: Xinhua)

During the treatment, thin needles are positioned into the skin at special points in the body to stimulate the nerves to relieve pain and sore muscles. Sometimes the needles may be equipped with electrical stimulation. 
For Maamar Abaas, a 70-year-old man who had a stroke that caused facial paralysis, the acupuncture treatment has shown "noticeable improvement." 
"For example, my left eye used to be widely open, but now it is regaining its natural form," Maamar said, while blinking her left eye. 
Ahmed Temmar, a 65-year-old patient, echoed Abbas in praising the magical effect of the acupuncture treatment of his facial paralysis. 
"I suffered facial paralysis, but since receiving acupuncture treatment, my left eye has regained its natural form, and I can now move my left hand," he said. 
For Temmar, this was a pleasant surprise. "I admit that there has been a major improvement. I did not expect to make this progress," he said. 
Acupuncture is used in combination with another method named "moxibustion," in which the doctor burns a herb stick above the skin to apply heat to the acupuncture points. 
The heat released by the burning herb can relieve pain and stimulate damaged muscles. 
Ye Xiuying, a middle-aged female Chinese doctor, provides diagnosis and treatment to patients in Mustaph Pach Hospital in downtown Algiers. 
In addition to the Algerians, the Chinese medical teams also provide treatment to Chinese nationals living and working in Algeria, she said. 
A Chinese medical team, led by Zeng Qingli who has been working in Algiers for a year and a half, is treating both Algerian and Chinese patients in two main state-run hospitals in downtown Algiers. 
There are currently eight Chinese medical teams working in different areas of Algeria, but the acupuncture-specialized teams are working only in the capital, Zeng said.
Zeng said his team treats between 100 and 120 patients a day in its office inside Boukhroufa Abdelkader Hospital in the suburb of Ben Akenoune in upper Algiers. 
"I have noticed that Algerian patients seeking treatment here suffer from two main problems, namely pain and neurological diseases, including facial paralysis," Zeng noted. 
He attributed the increasing popularity of TCM treatment led by acupuncture to its high effectiveness in treating pain and neurological diseases. 

While softly positioning needles into the skin, Zeng exchanged smiles with his patients to keep them calm. 

(Produced by Nancy Yan Xu, Lance Crayon, and Raymond Mendoza. Music by: bensound.com. Text from Global Times, China Daily, and Xinhua.)