WHAT IS THE CURRRENT STATUS OF TCM WITH RESPECT TO LITURATURE REVIEW OF SCIENTIFIC STUDIES AND EFFICACY?

A systematic review of published research studies is a major method used for evaluating particular treatments. The Cochrane Collaboration is one of the best-known, respected examples of systematic reviews.

A 2001 review of 160 Cochrane systematic reviews of studies dedicated to Western treatment of disease revealed that 41% concluded positive or possibly positive effect, 20% concluded evidence of no effect, 8.1% concluded net harmful effects, and 21.3% of the reviews concluded insufficient evidence. A review of 145 TCM treatments using the more up-to-date 2004 database revealed that 38.4% concluded positive effect or possibly positive (12.4%) effect, 4.8% concluded no effect, 0.69% concluded harmful effect, and 56.6% concluded insufficient evidence.