Abstract
Western medicine, constantly evolving thanks to complex diagnostic technologies and therapeutic procedures, came to a crossroad. Although technocratic medicine offers the latest technology, largely underestimates psychosomatic aspects of health care, which some Western doctors either negated or a push to the periphery of interest due to the limited time to communicate with the patient.
Now links between mental status and somatic medicine is a cornerstone concept of TCM, which because of its few thousands long history developed this aspect to an unprecedented depth. Western medicine certainly will not be by TCM and traditional medicine generally superseded.
We think, however, that TCM may bring some added value. This combined approach is beginning to apply in China, where integrated hospitals are created.