Figueira et al P value Table 3 Experimental versus control group quality of life central tendency measures Notes: Bold type indicates a significant statistical difference to P , 0.05.*The median was the chosen central tendency measure. Abbreviation: TS, total score. Facet 1 0.001 Facet 2 0.001 Facet 3 0.100 Facet 4 0.008 Facet 5 0.134 Facet 6 0.661 Dovepress TS 0.001 Facets 1 on sensorial functioning, 2 on autonomy, 4 on “age burden” is a spurious concern that should not deter direct social participation, and TS, showing a significant tendency to interviews with the elderly.32 There is a need to remind the be superior in the experimental group, confirm that TCM can general public that older people can still adapt well, enjoy have a positive effect on the autonomy of the elderly. On the life, and prosper in spite of the effects of aging.5 other hand, adopting TCM techniques does not affect Facets 3 (future, present and past activities), 5 (death and dying), and 6 (intimacy), as was seen from the statistical results, which showed no significant difference for those facets between the control and the experimental groups. Future, present and past activities, as well as death and dying, are philosophical themes that are considered neither in TCM treatments nor in Western medicine. Although a finding in India22 reports high QOL in both spheres compared to the other facets, this is considered to be a consequence of the subjects’ philosophical beliefs. With respect to intimacy, the literature shows greater satisfaction related to QOL than the other themes,23 which confirms this research finding. One of the transformations of late modernity is that people are architects of their own lives: there is an increased awareness among the general public of the importance in life of personal relationships.5 Older people must be recognized as human beings as a whole, accepting interpersonal relationships as a vital area in their lives too.24 Some scholars consider that becoming old is often equated with becoming lonely. There is no evidence for this belief, as loneliness might only be common among the very old.5 The control group, which had no TCM treatment experience, reported a QOL of 61.69%, while the experimental group, treated with TCM, reported a 77.25% post-treatment QOL score, which is notably higher. The results of this pilot analysis suggest that more definitive research in this area is merited.25–28 Clinical studies that compare the effects of different treatment protocols are probably the most reliable source of evidence, and may also demonstrate a dose-response relationship;29 hence they are more than welcome. The shift in age structure will have a profound impact on a broad range of economic, political, and social conditions.30 Policy-makers around the world are currently dealing with the effects of population aging.31 The views of the elderly must be sought in reaching operational definitions of quality of life, and as reporters on the quality of their own lives. The so-called 304 submit your manuscript | www.dovepress.com Dovepress Conclusion These preliminary data suggest a possible positive effect in QOL scores for those using TCM, as compared to the general population. It suggests that TCM might raise the level of QOL of the elderly. The overall conclusion of this research, reporting a higher QOL for those elderly who are treated with TCM, is favorable for the adoption of TCM techniques in the West, at least within the elderly population. Acknowledgments Estélio H M Dantas received a research grant from the National Research Council (CNPq). Disclosure The authors report no conflicts of interest in this work. References 1. Patwardhan B, Warude D, Pushpangadan P, Bhatt N. Ayurveda and traditional Chinese medicine: a comparative overview. Evid Based Complement Alternat Med. 2005;2(4):465–473. 2. World Health Organization Programme on Traditional Medicine. WHO Traditional Medicine Strategy 2002–2005. Geneva: The World Health Organization; 2002. 3. Kim Y, Jun H, Chae Y, Park H, Kim B, Chang I, et al. The practice of Korean medicine: an overview of clinical trials in acupuncture. Evid Based Complement Alternat Med. 2005;2(3):325–352. 4. Zhang J, Huang H,Ye M, Zeng H. 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