A British Columbia practitioner of traditional Chinese medicine has been reprimanded and ordered to undergo mandatory retraining after a patient suffered severe blistering during a cupping session. According to a consent order published by the College of Complementary Health Professionals of B.C., practitioner Hong Tang failed to adequately monitor the patient during the treatment, leaving the cups applied for too long without checking in, and failed to provide appropriate first aid once the injuries were discovered. The regulator launched an investigation in September 2025 following a complaint about the treatment, which uses hot suction cups on the skin to release muscle tension and increase blood flow. The complainant reported that Tang left the cups on “for too long without checking in regularly, resulting in severe blistering,” according to a consent order agreement that was signed this month by Tang and the regulator. Inspectors found that Tang lacked a functional first aid kit at her practice and had no emergency response plan or guidelines for handling burns and scalds, the agreement said. The investigation also found widespread failures in clinical record-keeping, including omitting patient medical histories, failing to document diagnostic assessments and failing to record informed consent or discuss the risks of cupping treatments with patients. Tang also failed to maintain accurate, itemized billing receipts. The regulator’s online directory indicates Tang has been a licensed traditional Chinese medicine practitioner in B.C. since April 2004 and also uses the name Tina Tang. In February 2021, she signed a formal undertaking with the former College of Traditional Medicine Practitioners and Acupuncturists of B.C., in which she explicitly agreed to rectify her record-keeping and consent procedures, according to the consent order. Tang acknowledged that she had failed to comply with the earlier undertaking, constituting another instance of misconduct. Under the consent order, Tang agreed to retake all modules of the regulatory college’s safety course. She must also complete a clinical ethics and legal course through Tzu Chi International College of Traditional Chinese Medicine in Vancouver within six months, at her own expense. After completing the coursework, Tang is required to meet with a practice advisor to review proper protocols for cupping, injury management and informed consent. She also agreed to co-operate with random audits of her clinic by college inspectors for a two-year period.
