Chinese Medicine Gaining Popularity

After his Wednesday morning appointment at Dr. Hung Lü's acupuncture clinic in Bonn, Thomas Weimann grabs his suit jacket and passes an oriental wall tapestry on his way out of the treatment room, while Lü prepares for the next patient in her office. "See you on Friday," he says as he heads to work.

Weimann has been receiving treatments for his back and shoulder pain from Lü for about two months. "Call it a Chinese miracle, I don't know -- my pain disappeared," he said.

A middle-aged account manager for an auto supplier, Weimann had tried various treatments, including massage and pills, to ease his pain, with only partial results. Although his pain decreased with hospital treatments, it never really went away. Frustrated, he searched the Internet for alternative medical treatments and discovered traditional Chinese medicine (TCM).

Weimann made his first appointment without hesitation. "It was a totally unemotional decision and I wasn't afraid," he said, having been convinced that it would do the trick.

The medical traditions common to China are deeply connected to the culture and range from acupunture to herbal and dietary solutions