The Science of Chinese Medicine — and Why the West Is Turning to It in 2026
Thu Feb 05 2026
Chinese medicine is no longer on the fringes.
In 2026, practices like acupuncture, acupressure and gua sha are firmly in the mainstream — with more people in the West turning to them to manage stress, burnout, digestive issues and chronic tension.
But why now?
And is there real science behind a healing system that’s more than 2,500 years old?
In this episode of The Health Review, I’m joined by Katie Brindle — who's been a Chinese Medicine Practitioner since 2002, and founder of Hayo’u as well as author of the bestselling book Yang Sheng, which translates to “nourishing life”.
We explore:
why Chinese medicine is surging in popularity in the West
how its core principles compare to modern medical thinking
what the science actually says about acupuncture and acupressure
the role of the nervous system, digestion and emotional health in healing
and why balance — not optimisation or perfection — sits at the heart of this ancient system
Katie offers some fantastic advice for simple things we can add into our busy lives to make Chinese medicine part of our health routine.
Katie's website: https://www.katiebrindle.com/
Hayo'u: https://hayoumethod.com/
Follow The Health Review: https://www.katiebrindle.com/
If you love the show, please do hit the subscribe button! Every subscription goes a really long way. Thank you :)
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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Chinese medicine is no longer on the fringes. In 2026, practices like acupuncture, acupressure and gua sha are firmly in the mainstream — with more people in the West turning to them to manage stress, burnout, digestive issues and chronic tension. But why now? And is there real science behind a healing system that’s more than 2,500 years old? In this episode of The Health Review, I’m joined by Katie Brindle — who's been a Chinese Medicine Practitioner since 2002, and founder of Hayo’u as well as author of the bestselling book Yang Sheng, which translates to “nourishing life”. We explore: why Chinese medicine is surging in popularity in the West how its core principles compare to modern medical thinking what the science actually says about acupuncture and acupressure the role of the nervous system, digestion and emotional health in healing and why balance — not optimisation or perfection — sits at the heart of this ancient system Katie offers some fantastic advice for simple things we can add into our busy lives to make Chinese medicine part of our health routine. Katie's website: https://www.katiebrindle.com/ Hayo'u: https://hayoumethod.com/ Follow The Health Review: https://www.katiebrindle.com/ If you love the show, please do hit the subscribe button! Every subscription goes a really long way. Thank you :) Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.