Exploring Chinese Medicine with Chronic Illness

By Antonia at Unremarkable Me

(Fun fact: I once tried to learn Tai Chi by mimicking a YouTube video in my garden, only to be stared down by a particularly judgmental squirrel. We both gave up around the same time.)

If you live with chronic illness, you've probably had someone suggest essential oils, salt caves, or magnetic bracelets at least once while you were just trying to buy a sandwich. It's well-meaning, if slightly exhausting. So when I first heard about Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM), I assumed it was just another entry in the endless book of unsolicited wellness advice. But here's the twist: it’s not. And when done safely and thoughtfully, it might even be a genuinely helpful addition to a chronic illness toolkit—without ditching your actual medications.

So, let’s take a look at what Chinese Medicine is, what it isn’t, and how someone like me—armed with a pharmacy’s worth of prescription drugs and a nervous system that overreacts to pollen—can explore it without imploding.

What Is Traditional Chinese Medicine?

TCM is a complete system of healthcare developed over thousands of years in China. It includes:

• Herbal medicine

• Acupuncture

• Cupping and moxibustion (burning herbs near the skin)

• Tui Na (a form of medical massage)

• Qigong and Tai Chi

• Dietary therapy

It’s rooted in philosophical concepts like Yin and Yang, Qi (life force energy), and the Five Elements—all of which may sound abstract but actually help guide treatment plans in very specific ways. Think of it as ancient science-meets-clinical pattern recognition.

Each modality works by identifying patterns of disharmony, rather than isolated symptoms. This means TCM can often see connections that Western medicine might treat as separate issues. Your joint pain, digestive flares, fatigue, and anxiety might all stem from one core imbalance—something a good TCM practitioner would treat holistically.

How TCM Sees Chronic Illness

TCM doesn’t treat diagnoses like Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome, POTS, or MCAS directly. Instead, it looks for patterns of imbalance:

• Qi Deficiency: fatigue, shortness of breath, brain fog

• Blood Deficiency: dizziness, poor circulation, anxiety

• Yin Deficiency: heat intolerance, insomnia, nerve pain

• Dampness/Stagnation: swelling, brain fog, joint pain

These are considered syndromes rather than diseases. A patient with EDS might present as someone with "Liver Wind stirring internally" (neurological flares), "Kidney Essence deficiency" (developmental or connective tissue issues), or "Spleen Qi deficiency" (digestive instability and fatigue).

What’s particularly valuable is how TCM recognizes that chronic illness is often dynamic. It waxes and wanes, flares and cools, and responds to emotional and environmental changes. Where Western medicine might see unpredictable chaos, TCM sees patterns.

The idea isn’t to "fix" you but to support your body’s effort to heal, regulate, and adapt—gently, over time, using the least invasive method necessary.

What the Research Says

Let’s be honest—most research on TCM and connective tissue disorders is either minimal or nestled in niche academic journals. Still, a few highlights worth noting:

• Acupuncture and fascia: Harvard researcher Dr. Helene Langevin has shown acupuncture impacts fascia, the connective tissue network that misbehaves in EDS (source).

• Acupuncture and autonomic function: Some studies show it can help regulate the autonomic nervous system, especially relevant for dysautonomia/POTS (source).

• Herbal medicine for allergies and inflammation: Research shows some traditional formulas help modulate immune response, reduce inflammation, and calm histamine overload (source).

There’s also early evidence that Chinese herbal medicine might help with:

• Mast cell overactivation

• Migraines

• Gastrointestinal dysregulation (gastroparesis, IBS)

• Hormonal instability in perimenopause

While large-scale, EDS-specific trials are still missing, the adjacent research on pain, inflammation, immune dysfunction, and nervous system regulation is promising.

The Medication Question: Do You Have to Stop?

In a word: NO.

TCM is complementary, not a replacement. If you're taking medications like sertraline, amitriptyline, pregabalin, sumatriptan, or inhalers (hello, my cabinet), stopping them to try herbs is not just risky—it’s unnecessary and, quite frankly, a terrible idea.

What you do need is:

• A practitioner who understands drug-herb interactions

• Custom herbal blends (not off-the-shelf pills from Instagram)

• Communication between your TCM practitioner and your GP/specialist when possible

Always check interactions, especially with:

• CNS meds (sedation)

• Serotonin meds (serotonin syndrome risk)

• Liver metabolism (CYP pathways)

Some herbs like Gou Teng, Ban Xia, or Ma Huang can significantly impact nervous system function or heart rate—not ideal when you already own every antihistamine Boots stocks.

And if herbs feel like too much right now? Acupuncture or dietary therapy can be excellent first steps.

How to Explore Chinese Medicine Safely

1. Find a qualified practitioner

   • In the UK, look for British Acupuncture Council (BAcC) or the Register of Chinese Herbal Medicine (RCHM)

2. Start small

   • Acupuncture first, especially for MCAS or histamine-sensitive folks

   • Avoid cupping or gua sha unless your practitioner knows your connective tissue status

3. Track everything

   • Use a journal or app to monitor symptoms, reactions, and possible side effects

4. Keep your doctor in the loop

   • Especially if you’re on multiple meds or being monitored for adrenal or cardiovascular issues

5. Go slow, and trust your body

   • Any practitioner worth their moxa will support slow, cautious, person-led care

   • If anything flares your symptoms, back off and re-evaluate. That’s a win, not a failure.

     
     

Final Thoughts

Chinese Medicine won’t fix everything. But in a world where chronic illness often gets reduced to medical gaslighting or 15-minute consultations, there’s something powerful about a system that believes your body is trying—not failing.

TCM is slow. Gentle. Rooted in observation, adaptation, and deep respect for the body’s innate intelligence. And sometimes, that’s exactly what a hypersensitive, under-supported, delightfully chaotic body needs.

And that, friends, is worth exploring.

Resources & Links

• British Acupuncture Council (BAcC)

• Register of Chinese Herbal Medicine (RCHM)

• Helene Langevin, MD – Acupuncture & Fascia

• Acupuncture and Autonomic Function

• Herbal Medicine for Allergy/MCAS

• Drug-Herb Interaction Checker (Drugs.com)

• NCIM Integrative Health UK

• College of Integrated Chinese Medicine – UK

  
  

If you’ve tried Chinese Medicine with chronic illness, I’d love to hear how it went—email me, shout into the void, or leave a comment. Just don’t ask me to wildcraft anything. My nettle scars haven’t faded.