As the 2008 Olympic games gets underway in Beijing, alternative medicine will play its part in treating the athletes that compete in the summer showcase.

China has a rich history of complementary therapy and alternative medicine with Traditional Chinese Medicine having been used for thousands of years and long before conventional western medicine was conceived.

Chinese complementary and alternative medicine methods will be available such as acupuncture, cupping and massage.

The Beijing Organizing Committee of Olympic Games (BOCOG) have ruled out the use Chinese Herbal Medicine as a treatment due to possible doping issues although they were quick to point out that this doesn’t mean herbal medicine contains any provocative substances.

The games will provide a 3,000 square-metre poly-clinic inside the athlete’s Olympic village that will work 24-hours a day to provide medical services and therapy to any of the 16,000 athletes who become injured or have health problems during the event.

The poly-clinic will be available along with 28 dedicated hospitals in the city and 219 venue medical and ambulance stations. 3,000 medical volunteers mainly from medical colleges and institutions will help provide medical care alongside doctors and nurses.

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