Cross-cultural communication between China and the West, instigated in 1979 by the establishment of an open-door policy in China, has led to the merging of Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) with the medical practices of the West. The result of these medical exchanges is a blending of medical practices that proves to be more effective in the treatment of health problems than either could accomplish singly. These collaborative efforts are encouraged by such publications as the "Journal of Traditional Chinese Medicine," founded in 1981, the first Chinese periodical on TCM published in English, and various symposia held in both the West and China. While many Chinese and Western ideas relating to medicine are fundamentally foreign to each other (Yin and Yang, blood transfusion), the benefits to be derived from this blending of approaches to health care are well worth the efforts required for mutual understanding. A bibliography is included. (PPB)