Doctors offer free acupuncture treatment to people in Taizhou, Zhejiang province. (WANG HUABIN / LI MINGFA / FOR CHINA DAILY)
At 9:30 in the morning, Li Xueli, 25, hastily rode his motorcycle straight to the Dongzhimen Hospital of Beijing University of Chinese Medicine. Having embarked on a career as a programmer at an internet company two years previously, he needed to get acupuncture treatment to his lumbar spine before his work started at 11 am.
His job required him to sit for extended periods, often leaving him with stiff muscles in his lower back, neck and shoulders.
Acupuncture is one of the treasures of traditional Chinese medicine.
Yao Jingyi, TCM doctor
Upon entering the acupuncture outpatient department of the hospital, he saw patients sitting or lying down in treatment rooms, undergoing a variety of treatments including moxibustion and electro-acupuncture, among them quite a few young faces.
Symptoms, such as physical weakness, frequent colds, declining memory, lack of energy, disrupted sleep, severe hair loss, and pain in the neck and shoulders, are more common than in the past among young people.
The demand for health and wellness has never been greater.
On average, every urban resident spends more than 1,000 yuan ($137) per year on health and wellness, according to a report of 2017-2022 China's health and wellness industry market development status and investment.
The report shows the current scale of the health and wellness market in the country exceeds 1 trillion yuan. Notably, people aged between 18 and 35 account for a staggering 83.7 percent of this consumer base.
Three months ago, Li began receiving acupuncture treatment every two weeks to alleviate fatigue and pathological symptoms.
It doesn't cost too much, he explains, as most of it is covered by health insurance.
"I was a bit resistant to acupuncture at first, afraid of the pain, but after the third treatment, I gradually got used to the slight, momentary pain of the silver needles sticking into my body, and I could even fall asleep on the therapy bed," he says.
Wang Louda, 30, who works in the social media industry, has gained a newfound respect for TCM after suffering from cervical spondylosis.
Children learn about acupuncture in Shijiazhuang, Hebei province. (WANG HUABIN / LI MINGFA / FOR CHINA DAILY)
Six months ago, while driving home from work, Wang suddenly felt numbness and weakness in his left arm.
He thought it was due to the excessive overtime he was doing and that resting over the weekend would relieve it.
Unexpectedly, the situation worsened after a week. He had no choice but to go to the hospital for an MRI, which showed issues with his cervical spine.
A colleague recommended that he try acupuncture. After over a month of treatment with TCM, his symptoms had significantly alleviated.
"TCM is relatively gentle and suitable for treating chronic diseases," Wang says.
Modern people, due to the prolonged use of mobile phones and computers, spend up to 10 hours a day sitting to study or work. This sedentary lifestyle, lacking in sufficient physical activity, means that the muscles, ligaments, and bones of the spine do not receive adequate relaxation and exercise, gradually leading to damage. Issues such as neck pain, shoulder pain, back pain, lower back pain, and leg pain are becoming increasingly common.
Many young people are developing conditions like cervical spondylosis and lumbar disk herniation at an early age.
Yao Jingyi, who works at a TCM clinic in Hangzhou, Zhejiang province, has been engaged in the clinical treatment of orthopedic injuries for over 30 years. He is particularly skilled in treating sports injuries, gout, cervical spondylosis, lumbar spine disease, and osteoarthritis.
"Acupuncture is one of the treasures of traditional Chinese medicine," Yao explains.
According to him, the ancient practice of acupuncture is distinctly effective in treating "modern illnesses", such as cervical spondylosis and lumbar spine disease.
Yao says clinical experience shows a significant shift in the demographics of patients with neck, shoulder, back, and leg pain.
In the past, these conditions were discovered mostly among older people or those engaged in heavy physical labor, but currently, they are also affecting younger people.
"Many patients are students, office workers, and young to middle-aged people who spend a lot of time playing games on their phones," he says.
"I once treated a 14-year-old patient with lumbar disk herniation. After 20 sessions of acupuncture, the patient's condition significantly improved."
In addition to cervical and lumbar issues, many young women are finding themselves dealing with joint pain, another common ailment among the youth.
In his treatment room, Yao was administering acupuncture to the knee joint of a young woman. The patient, Shen Xinwen, loves wearing skirts regardless of the season. Recently, she began experiencing frequent pain in her leg joints, prompting her to try acupuncture.
"Today is my fifth treatment, and I feel much more relaxed," Shen says happily.
Zhao Jiping, director of the Department of Acupuncture Clinical Studies at the Beijing University of Chinese Medicine, was admitted to the university in 1978 and has been working in the department since she graduated in 1983.
"In today's fast-paced society, many people find themselves in a state of suboptimal health or poor health. Acupuncture can be used to invigorate the mind, improve mental clarity, promote overall well-being and help people effectively engage in their work and daily life," she says.
Zhao adds that there is often a lack of understanding regarding the scope of conditions that acupuncture can effectively treat.
"Acupuncture is not only suitable for middle-aged and elderly people, but it is also applicable to a wide range of individuals, from infants as young as a few months old, to elderly people in their 80s or 90s," she says.
"Some people associate acupuncture primarily with pain management and neurological conditions. In fact, acupuncture can be used to treat illnesses, such as internal medicine conditions, gynecological issues, pediatric ailments, orthopedic injuries, dermatological and ENT conditions.
"Acupuncture has been documented to effectively treat over 400 different types of diseases and symptoms," she says.
