By choosing Chinese methods over the currently accepted methods, one may miss out on effective treatment until the disease has progressed to an unrecoverable stage. Therefore, knowing the options offered by modern medicine and their expected effectiveness is important. Not only can the two systems of medicine be combined, they can enhance each others' effects. Chinese herbs may make it possible to take a lower dosage of modern medicines, to reduce their side effects, and obtain a better overall effect. Modern drugs may provide emergency relief for serious conditions that will allow long-term application of Chinese herbs the rest of the time.
Acupuncture is compatible with virtually all modern medical techniques.
The vast majority of Chinese herbs are collected from the wild or cultivated with little or no pesticides. A few herbs, however, are grown with pesticides. Due to care taken in this procedure, there is no detectable pesticide residue in the finished herb products, as confirmed by laboratory tests that were conducted at the request of a major importer in San Francisco's Chinatown. In general, Chinese herbs are not fumigated at the ports where they arrive in the U.S. because of the cleanliness of the shipment. Deer antlers are irradiated after arrival in order to assure no transference of germs that could contaminate animal populations.