Both acupuncture and Chinese herbal medicine have a primary clinical care focus, including preventive health care. Chinese herbalism involves the use of internally administered therapeutic substances and acupuncture employs the use of therapeutic devices including needles for skin penetration. Complaints against TCM practitioners are within the jurisdiction of the independent complaints units now established in most States and Territories. There is clear evidence that TCM has inherent risks of adverse outcomes, both predictable and unpredictable, which can in extreme cases be life-threatening.
Acupuncture is an invasive procedure carrying risks of injury and infection.
Chinese herbal medicine involves the topical application or ingestion of herbal medications which can result in toxicity or allergic reactions. These inherent risks are containable but significant, and have resulted in a number of serious injuries and deaths in Australia. These factors together with the increasing patronage of TCM practitioners for primary care purposes or in combination with western treatments, and the increasing numbers of practitioners with widely variable training offering TCM, are likely to result in an increased propensity for realisation of these risks. The risks are likely to be reduced by professional monitoring of patient treatment and progress by appropriately trained and qualified practitioners. However, the proliferation of courses and standard setting bodies renders it extremely difficult for consumers seeking to identify competent practitioners.