Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM), the medicine native to China, has spread out to many other cultures and countries. Some of the earliest places where both medical texts and practices were spread was Korea, Vietnam, Japan, and Taiwan. Korea has been very closely related to China in regards of their medical system. Korea was a part of China up until around the 13^th Century. Medicine that was native to China was also spread to modern day Korea. The closeness in proximity allowed Korea to continue growing medically parallel to China after they separated. Korea and China have been civilizations that have been hard to separate culturally and medically. Vietnam was influenced around the same time as that of Korea. Again the proximity of the countries allowed doctors from China to visit and help establish a medical system. It has been shown that as far back as the Three Kingdom timeline in China, that herbal medicine from China has been practiced in Vietnam. They continued to be influence too much of the modern times until Western medicine came during the French colonial rule. Japan formed a medical system from various medical doctors that came to them from China. They brought with them prominent medical texts that had been written in China. These texts were accepted quickly by the Japanese people, and helped to form the basis for medicine in Japan. This started in the Chin Dynasty, and continued forwards through the Sui and Tang dynasty. Later herbal medicine became common in Japan through Chinese texts like Ho Chi Chu Fang, Nei Ching, and Shang Hun Lung. Japan exchanged traditional medicine like most other countries for Western medicine. Japan has been working and reverting to more traditional methods of medicine since WWII. Taiwan has been practicing medicine along the same time line as China. Taiwan has continued its medicinal heritage through modern times, in conjunction with new Western medicine. Today the offer of medical in both traditional Chinese medicine and Western medicine are available.

Europe began to show its influence of Chinese Medicine in the 17^th Century through books on acupuncture. In Germany, a doctor went to China on a business venture and became interested in Chinese Medicine. He stayed to learn as much as he could, and brought this knowledge back to Germany. Germany has continued growing in traditional Chinese medicine since. Acupuncture is widespread and well-accepted today in Germany. France showed the earliest influences through publication by Placide Harvieu and Georges Soulie De Morant. Through Soulie De Morant’s publications and his drive for learning, acupuncture began growing in France. He translated many medical texts, while writing some new text on his own. Today France has many associations and schools that keep Chinese medicine moving forward. England was another European country that integrated Chinese medicine into its country. Around the early 19^th Century, Louis Moss found points on the body that helped his patients deal with arthritis pain. After further research he found that these points corresponded to locations in meridian theory in Chinese Medicine. After the publication of his findings, acupuncture and interest in Chinese Medicine began to flourish. Great Britain began growing in Chinese Medicine in the 17^th Century, much like the rest of Europe. Influence spread to Great Britain after the founding of Hong Kong as a colony. This access allowed many opportunities to learn Chinese Medicine. The British Acupuncture Society and Register was founded in 1960 by Dr. Roseveie. This group has helped bring Chinese Medicine to the West, while continuing growth in Europe.

The United States began to be influenced by Chinese medicine through immigration and firsthand accounts of travelers. The expansion of the American Press looking for interesting things to put in their papers, allowed for the biggest growth of Chinese Medicine. In 1972, President Nixon went to China on a political trip to form ties between our countries. Members of the American Press accompanied them to China to write about the experiences they endured. As part of the trip they observed surgeries being performed on patients without anesthetics. The patients had some acupuncture needles placed on their bodies to give the appearance that they acted as an anesthetic. Our writers brought back this experience, placing it in the mainstream media for all to see. This was the beginning of Chinese Medicine in the ; United States; . It quickly lost its appeal when the acupuncture needles and the anesthetic affect they had seen couldn’t be duplicated. This took the wind out of the sails of acupuncture being used for surgical purposes, but still allowed acupuncture to be used to for general therapeutic uses. Acupuncture in the ; United States; has grown steadily since the 1970’s. Most people in the ; United States; believe that acupuncture is Chinese medicine leaving out all the other healing methods that have been formed. Acupuncture gained acceptance with the public, and the rising desire for acupuncture lead most state governments to put in place a Medical degree and boards to certify practioners. Many schools began to be formed throughout the country to train prospective practioners. Western health care began slowly staffing acupuncturist within medical facilities to help people. Hospitals and care facilities today have small staffs or sections dedicated to Acupuncture. Acupuncture and Chinese Medicine have formed a foundation within the ; United States; to be built upon. Higher standards and better schooling is currently raising the bar for Acupuncturists to providing for better quality of practioners. This foundation is allowing for future growth of integrating Western and Eastern medical practices in search of the best and healthiest.