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Traditional Chinese Medicine prices

Cat Chant

14:42 / 27.05.04

So my girlfriend has just moved over to the UK from Australia, where she had acupuncture and bought herbs on a weekly basis from her TCM practitioner. She had her first acupuncture/herb appointment here today and apparently it cost her something like three times as much, which is bad because I like her healthy and prefer it when she has enough cash to buy me presents. Anyone got any guidelines on how much TCM usually costs in Britain (and/or Australia)? We're wondering whether the herbs just cost more to import here, or something...

Tom Morris

16:53 / 27.05.04

Must be due to the dropping profit margins. Perhaps the poachers are demanding higher wages. Don't let me put you off though.

grant

17:13 / 27.05.04

Meanwhile, back in the land where the NIH finds acupuncture useful and the WHO issues lists of health problems treatable by TCM, the average cost of a treatment seems to vary, but not too widely.

Touché.

By the way, for a better way to find average prices, check the "acufinder" from acupuncture.com. It's sort of American-based, but has an international directory. Just call whoever's closest and shop around a little.

Jack Vincennes

20:53 / 28.05.04

Deva, as far as I know it costs quite a lot all over the UK - my flatmates have both tried herbal remedies, and both paid about £200 for 10 weeks course of treatement, but that was for a specific problem which maybe costs less. There's normally a free consultation, but of course the consultation is only useful if you buy what they recommend.

Goodness Gracious Meme

21:07 / 28.05.04

we-eeell, don't know much about it now, but for comparison, in 1994 I was taking a TCM course of herbal teas to treat severe exczema. It was in the forms of packets of (*rank*) herbs which were boiled to make (even more disgusting) tea.

Each packet cost I think around £5, initial hour long consults were around$ £40, then at £20.

Frequency was at start (i did it for about a year) 1 packet every day, fortnightly appointments, these costs lowered as the treatment progressed. This was at the clinic in London Chinatown of a doctor who was very well known at the time as a 'miracle cure' for all sorts of skin complaints.

hope this helps.... as I remember, it was a bloody expensive process. I've never calculated, but i dread to think how much it cost my dad.

Cat Chant

09:38 / 31.05.04

Thanks, Tom Morris. I'm glad you feel you know me well enough to insult me straightaway! Welcome to Barbelith!

And thanks (without %%, this time) to everyone else - looks like this guy is a bit more expensive for acupuncture than he should be, but it looks, sadly, like #5 per [day's] herbs - rank in herb form and disgusting in tea form, as you say, BiP - might be pretty standard. Sigh.

the Fool

23:46 / 31.05.04

The aussie dollar is worth only a third of a pound so that could also account for the hike to some degree (maybe?)

My Kungfu teacher is also a chinese doctor, he charges $50AUS per consultation.

Bed Head

01:17 / 01.06.04

But, Deva - if you have a contact in Australia who is capable of supplying according to prescription, why not simply import enough for your g/f’s needs and more besides, and do a little dealing to cover all the costs? It’ll work out free, then. This unrealistic hike in prices sounds like a primo opportunity.