---
title: "WHO releases working papers on training and practice in traditional medicine"
id: "who-0-0-who-launches-working-papers-on-traditional-medicine"
canonical_url: "https://medichelpline.com/clinical-feed/who-0-0-who-launches-working-papers-on-traditional-medicine"
content_type: "clinical_feed_article"
specialty: "Infectious Disease"
source_name: "World Health Organization"
source_url: "https://www.who.int/news/item/23-10-2026-who-launches-working-papers-on-traditional-medicine"
published_at: "2026-10-23T12:00:00.000Z"
evidence_level: "Departmental update"
license: "CC-BY-NC-4.0 / Informational Use"
---
# WHO releases working papers on training and practice in traditional medicine
## Provenance & Clinical Metadata
- **Canonical URL:** https://medichelpline.com/clinical-feed/who-0-0-who-launches-working-papers-on-traditional-medicine
- **Specialty:** [Infectious Disease](https://medichelpline.com/clinical-feed/infectious-disease.md)
- **Primary Source:** World Health Organization
- **Source URL:** [Original Journal Publication](https://www.who.int/news/item/23-10-2026-who-launches-working-papers-on-traditional-medicine)
- **Published At:** 2026-10-23T12:00:00.000Z
- **Evidence Rating:** Departmental update
## Executive GIST (TL;DR)
- The WHO Global Traditional Medicine Centre has launched a series of working papers documenting training and practice across **traditional medicine** systems and specific therapeutic modalities. - The first paper, published October 2026, is titled **Cupping therapy: descriptive synthesis of training** and focuses mainly on cupping as taught within **Traditional Chinese Medicine** (TCM). - The inaugural paper used a systematic scoping review as its primary evidence source; the source reported descriptions of training pathways, curriculum components, competency domains, learning outcomes, delivery and assessment approaches, trainer qualifications, training facilities and accreditation arrangements. - The working papers are explicitly descriptive and non-normative; the study team framed them as reference material to support policy-makers, regulators, educators, accreditation bodies, clinicians, researchers and practitioners. - The series aims to align with the **WHO Global Traditional Medicine Strategy 2025–2034** by strengthening the evidence base and creating a neutral foundation for dialogue on education, professional practice, regulation, health-system integration and research. - Additional papers are planned for 2026–27, covering training in chiropractic, Siddha, Taijiquan and TCM, and practice-focused papers on Nuad Thai, Siddha and TCM. - The source did not report prescriptive recommendations for training standards, nor did it provide detailed, uniform curricula or specific competency thresholds; the documents are framed as descriptive syntheses rather than regulatory guidance. - The working papers draw on scientific evidence, accreditation frameworks and expert inputs, according to the WHO announcement, but the source did not list the individual experts, datasets, or accreditation bodies consulted.
## Clinical Analysis & Structured Key Points
WHO launches working papers on traditional medicine Skip to main content WHO launches working papers on traditional medicine 23 October 2026 Departmental update Reading time: The WHO Global Traditional Medicine Centre is launching a series of working papers designed to document and examine traditional, complementary and integrative medicine (TCIM) worldwide. The inaugural publication, Cupping therapy: descriptive synthesis of training , provides a first-of-its-kind overview of training approaches for cupping therapy primarily based on Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM). The series covers two streams: comprehensive traditional medicine systems and specific therapeutic modalities. Drawing on scientific evidence, accreditation frameworks and expert inputs, the series describes traditional medicine practices within their respective theoretical frameworks and in relation to contemporary biomedical evidence. The working papers are descriptive and contribute to strengthening the evidence base for traditional medicine, in line with the WHO Global Traditional Medicine Strategy 2025 – 2034 . By systematically documenting existing knowledge, training and practice, the series seeks to provide a shared, neutral foundation for informed discussion on education, professional practice, regulation, health-system integration and research. First publication: Cupping therapy – descriptive synthesis of training The first working paper, Cupping therapy: descriptive synthesis of training, was published in October 2026. It presents an evidence-informed overview of how cupping therapy training is reported and organized across different settings. Drawing primarily on a systematic scoping review, it describes reported training pathways, curriculum content, competency domains, learning outcomes, approaches to delivery and assessment, trainer qualifications, training facilities and accreditation arrangements. The analysis focuses primarily on cupping therapy within TCM, while acknowledging the diversity of cupping practices across traditional medical systems. Designed as a descriptive, non-normative reference, the paper is intended to support informed discussion among policy-makers, regulators, education and accreditation bodies, health professionals, researchers and cupping therapy practitioners in different training and regulatory contexts. Upcoming publications in the series Additional papers are forthcoming in 2026 – 27, addressing training in chiropractic, Siddha, Taijiquan and TCM; as well as papers dedicated to practice inNuad Thai, Siddha and TCM. These publications will further expand the series, contributing to a growing collection of descriptive, evidence-informed references on traditional medicine Related WHO Global Traditional Medicine Centre WHO Summit on Traditional Medicine WHO Traditional Medicine Global Library News UAE Integrative Medicine Council announces commitments to advance evidence-based integrative medicine 21 October 2026 Traditional medicine, resilience and well-being at World Health Summit 2026 19 October 2026 More Watch the webinar>>
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