Research on the comprehensive treatments of Chinese medicine: questionnaires of the patients’ profile of a teaching centre of Middlesex University

Complementary medicine is widely used in the UK, with more than 50% of those surveyed had used acupuncture, acupuncture related therapies and herbal medicine (Ernst and White 2000). Although data have been reported of the general population using complementary and alternative medicine, there are few that are specifically addressing the questions why patients use Chinese medicine and acupuncture in the first place and why they decide to continue or discontinue with their treatments. This survey was carried out at the Asante Academy of Chinese Medicine, an affiliated teaching and research centre for Middlesex University. The main purpose of the survey is to establish a pattern of patients attending this particular centre of Chinese medicine for future reference of a typical teaching and research centres outside China, and to find out the reasons why patients use Chinese herbal medicine and acupuncture. Three groups of patients were randomly selected and they are classified as new patients, continued patients and discontinued patients. They had a diversity of problems from muscular-skeletal disorders, gynaecological problems, stress and emotional-related symptoms to skin disorders and digestive system disorders. Data collected from the survey are analysed and effects of the TCM treatment on these disorders were evaluated.