Gen Z is beginning to doubt whether the West really is the best , and I might be among them — at least, when it comes to medicine. A couple of months ago, while mindlessly scrolling TikTok, I noticed my algorithm feeding me more videos centered around Traditional Chinese Medicine: people mixing Chinese herbs, sipping warm morning teas, trying acupuncture pads and practicing (or attempting to practice) tai chi. It’s not unusual for me to stumble across these kinds of trends. I cover wellness from a consumer lens and do my best to keep up with every corner of the industry. But when I started seeing posts about “ ChinaMaxxing ,” an apparent Gen Z trend built around incorporating elements of Chinese culture and traditional Eastern medicine into daily routines, I stopped scrolling. At best, the so-called “ChinaMaxxing” trend has been framed as a harmless exchange of wellness practices. At worst, it veers into blatant cultural appropriation.…