Diagnosis
Chinese medicine uses several different methods to diagnose illness which differ from Western medicine.
When a patient comes in with an illness, there are a number of ways a diagnosis is made.
Pulse Diagnosis - There are 3 positions on each wrist where the pulse is taken and the different depths and qualities are noted.
Tongue Diagnosis - The tongue is a general map of the organs, with different areas referring to different organs.
General appearance - The way a person walks and talks, their complexion and overall appearance can reflect a person's health.
General questionnaire - The patient is asked to fill in a general questionaire
Through the combination of these methods a diagnosis can be made.
Basic diagnosis is broken down into 8 different principles.
For example a fever from the flu would be considered Hot and Excess because of the high temperature and External as its origin is from outside the body, which then determines that is it Yang.
This is a generalised system, one of many, to give the practitioner a basic understanding of what is going on in the body. A number of diagnostic theories can then be used to get a specific diagnosis. These can include organ theory, channel theory and pathogenic influences. Once a specific diagnosis has been established, treatment can begin with a combination of acupuncture, herbal medicine and lifestyle advice.
When a patient comes in with an illness, there are a number of ways a diagnosis is made.
Pulse Diagnosis - There are 3 positions on each wrist where the pulse is taken and the different depths and qualities are noted.
Tongue Diagnosis - The tongue is a general map of the organs, with different areas referring to different organs.
General appearance - The way a person walks and talks, their complexion and overall appearance can reflect a person's health.
General questionnaire - The patient is asked to fill in a general questionaire
Through the combination of these methods a diagnosis can be made.
Basic diagnosis is broken down into 8 different principles.
- Cold
- Hot
- Internal
- External
- Deficiency
- Excess
- Yin
- Yang
For example a fever from the flu would be considered Hot and Excess because of the high temperature and External as its origin is from outside the body, which then determines that is it Yang.
This is a generalised system, one of many, to give the practitioner a basic understanding of what is going on in the body. A number of diagnostic theories can then be used to get a specific diagnosis. These can include organ theory, channel theory and pathogenic influences. Once a specific diagnosis has been established, treatment can begin with a combination of acupuncture, herbal medicine and lifestyle advice.
