Where western medicine is derived solely from scientific method as a means of treating disease, Chinese medicine is intertwined with a philosophy of life, and is based on a holistic view of supporting the mind-body's innate ability to maintain health and to heal itself should illness occur.  People are attracted to this system because it offers a safe, effective and natural alternative to "Western" or modern medicine.  Chinese medicine is oriented toward helping people feel well before they become ill, such as through tonics, and helping people feel better when they have an imbalance that cannot be identified as an illness by Western medicine.  Chinese Traditional Medicine is quite different from Western medicine in that it deals with a different concept of the human body.  Because Chinese medicine relies on natural healing rather than synthetically produced drugs, more and more people in the Western world are turning to this branch of medicine.