I'm sorry for the misunderstanding wombat. I didn't mean to say that you were contradictiong me. I was just explaining my mother's experience with acupuncture and chinese herbs....some food for thought as well. I just wanted to say that herbs and acupunture may not bring about a total cure. But they did help my mother.
I believe in the chinese medical system as well, it finds the cause of the problem and treats the whole person very well. I've learned some wonderful things form TCM.