In the West, the main facets of Chinese medicine have historically been ridiculed or otherwise dismissed as ineffective, and this includes acupuncture and Chinese herbal medicine. But today, perceptions of Chinese medicine are changing, in part because of the rise of notable and respectable physicians who began their careers in conventional Western medicine before realizing the value and effectiveness of Chinese medical practices. Dr. Shiroko Sokitch is one such physician, who abandoned her surgical residency after just two years to pursue an approach to medicine that blends the best of Western and Chinese medical practices and principles.    It’s now been over three decades since Dr. Sokitch began this approach to the treatment of her patients, and she sees an 85 percent success rate in treating and alleviating her patient’s symptoms. She joins the podcast to discuss how effective acupuncture can be in immediately relieving pain, Chinese herbal medicines that can improve quality of sleep by balancing the body’s energy, the strengths and weaknesses of Western and Chinese medicine, the way that Chinese medicine categorizes and understands the body’s organ systems, and some of the most common conditions she treats in her patients on a daily basis.    Press play for the full conversation and visit https://hearttoheartmedicalcenter.com/ to learn more about her work and philosophy.