The evolutional development of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) outside the Chinese mainland : challenges, training, practice, research, and future development

This overview has provided an account of evolutional changes of an experience-based traditional medical practice of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) towards modernisation to keep up with recent advances in analytical and biomedical sciences, and information technology, which may help readers to understand why applying biomedical research methodology to TCM modernisation, while maintaining the experience-based concepts, principles and heritage of TCM's personalised health and medical approaches in balancing body's functions with physical and mental harmony when facing environmental changes, can contribute to gain global appreciation and acceptance of TCM in healthcare. It is envisaged that such future development and integration with biomedicine-based main-stream medicine (MSM) in practice will provide valuable medical care in the development of future personalised health and medicine as well as TCM product development.