An Interview with Grace Zhao

QUR: Growing up in China, were you given TCM as a child when you got sick?

Yes, I did. My mom would give me TCM medicine when I was coughing due to a cold or the flu.

QUR: What factors led your parents to choose treatment from an allopathic doctor or a TCM practitioner?

My parents took me to see allopathic doctors when I had “infections.” For example, I came down with pneumonia several times when I was young. I took biomedicine pills and injections. One of the unpleasant memories of my childhood is related to the needles.

When I caught a cold or the flu, my parents would usually give me TCM medicine. And they gave this to me in the early stages of the illnesses.

QUR: How did people in China relate to AOM concepts like qi, yin and yang and hot and cold foods? Was there much resistance to these concepts after the Cultural Revolution and its political campaigns to modernize Chinese thought?

In general, people have an intuitive understanding of these abstract concepts. It is a very common language/saying to describe “fire” in the body for instance. And they know what cuisine to eat to adjust the “fire.”

I was born during the Cultural Revolution. Based on my understanding and observation, there was not resistance to these concepts during that time. TCM is medicine. It does not have political implications.

Currently, there has been debate about the direction of TCM as Western pharmaceutical and diagnostic industries gain a strong foothold in China’s healthcare market. Overall, people are able to see the merits of both medicines, and they usually take integrative treatment based on needs.

QUR: Do you think that medicine in the U.S. will eventually integrate to the degree of the easy coexistence found in East Asia? Why or why not?

That’s a great question. I wish it would happen. And that’s why my long-term business vision with MingWellness is to bring AOM to the American mainstream and let the public experience the benefit of truly integrative medicine.

Realistically speaking, I do not expect to see the same high level of integration in U.S. in the near future. One reason has to do with the cultural differences. Eastern culture is “yin,” which is more open, flexible, receptive, and inclusive; Western culture is “yang,” which is more forceful, repellent, resistant and exclusive.

Another reason is related with the characteristics of the two medicines. Allopathic medicine can be understood as a stand-alone science while AOM has its deep Eastern philosophical root.

Therefore, it is naturally easier for the Chinese people to accept Western medicine than for American people to accept AOM.

QUR: What obstacles do you see toward greater acceptance of AOM in the U.S.?

One of the obstacles is effective market education. Because AOM embodies cultural and philosophical elements, we need at all times to be conscious and sensitive to how our Western audience sees, thinks, and feels when we promote it to them. We need to remind ourselves to walk in their shoes, see through their filters, and communicate in a language or context that they can relate to. We want to overcome ignorance, skepticism, and resistance by “spinning” AOM value.

Of course, seeing is believing. The best way to accelerate acceptance is to spread success stories. After all, it was how acupuncture was first introduced to U.S. back in 1972.

QUR: Do you go to see an AOM practitioner or an allopathic doctor when you get sick?

I go to see both kinds of doctors depending on my health situation at that time. Fortunately I am sound and healthy, and I do not go to doctors very often. Generally speaking, I see AOM doctors for balance and prevention, and I see allopathic doctors when I am sick.