From TCM Communication to TCM Health Communication: Rethinking Communication Capacity in the Digital Health Era

Abstract

Traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) has never existed apart from communication. Medical classics transmit theories across generations; physicians explain illness and treatment to patients; families circulate knowledge about diet, seasonal health preservation, and everyday care; and public institutions popularize TCM culture through education and media. Yet the conditions under which such communication takes place have changed profoundly. Today, TCM-related knowledge is encountered not only in clinics, classrooms, or medical texts, but also through short videos, social media posts, mobile health applications, livestreaming platforms, and increasingly, generative artificial intelligence.