Today, medical care in China often consists of a mixture of both Western and traditional Chinese medicine, although Western-style medicine, tends to be dominant. Large public hospitals in cities across the country offer both traditional Chinese and Western approaches to medical treatment. The Chinese will usually visit a doctor trained in Western medicine if they feel that they are seriously ill and need to be treated quickly. If the problem is not too serious or urgent, the patient will most likely see a traditional doctor, who can better restore harmony to the body by focusing on treating the cause, more than the symptoms.

Traditional Chinese medicine, as practiced today and in past centuries, is based upon an array of theories and practices from both foreign and native sources. The history of Chinese medicine can be said to go back as far as 5,000 years to the time of Shennong, a divine husbandman credited with the discovery of medicinal herbs. Historical writer Liu Shu reported that " Shennong tasted hundreds of herbs himself, some days as many as 70 poisonous herbs in one day." The validity of that statement is surely one to be debated, but Shennong Bencaojing (Shennong's Classic on Material Medical) describes the medicinal effects of some 365 herbs and is the earliest known text of its kind. Another early text, which continues to be a cornerstone in the Chinese medical canon, is Huang Dineijing (The Yellow Emperor's Canon of Internal Medicine). While authorship is unknown, its present-day version is believed to have been compiled between the second century BC and the eighth century AD, and later revised during the Song Dynasty (960 -1279). Over the centuries, volumes upon volumes of commentary have been written about this ancient text. Its influence remains important, as the main principles of Chinese medicine are still based on theories first set forth by it.

Several main concepts are essential for understanding traditional Chinese medicine. Holism, or the concept that parts of a human body form an integral, connected and inseparable whole, is one of the main distinguishing features of traditional Chinese medicine. Whereas Western medicine tends to treat symptoms in a direct fashion, traditional Chinese medicine examines illnesses in the context of a whole.

Yin-yang philosophy and the theory of five elements form a system of categories that explain the complex relationships between parts of the body and the environment. Yin and yang represent two opposite sides in nature such as hot and cold, or light and dark. Each of the different organs is said to have yin or yang characteristics. Balance between the two is vital for maintaining health. The five elements-earth, fire, water, metal and wood---are categories of characteristics into which all known phenomena can be classified. For example, just as water subdues fire, phenomena associated with water are said to control those classified under fire.