The Chinese have used the all-encompassing philosophy of traditional medicine for thousands of years. The concepts of disease are quite different from those in orthodox western medicine, involving imbalances in the body or blocks in the body's energy channels.

Where a western doctor might diagnose a stroke, a traditional chinese practitioner might identify four or five different imbalances in the body.

All three major disciplines in Chinese medicine - acupuncture, herbal medicine and massage - are now enjoying something of a surge in popularity in the West.

And backed up by an increasing body of evidence that Chinese medicine is effective in a wide variety of conditions, many western-trained doctors are seeking training in the Chinese approach.

There is now wide acceptance that Chinese herbal medicine is extremely effective in childhood eczema, for example.