Her hands have been all about traditional Chinese medicine for as long as she can remember. In her current practice based in Beijing, South Africa native Karen Himlok is still surprised by Western patients who struggle with the concept of qi.

"There is nothing magical about it," she says. "It's the vital force, the life force, the energy that keeps us going.

"How else do you explain that you're alive - that you move?" she asks rhetorically. "Are you battery-operated? Do you plug yourself in at night to get energy?"