Chinese medicine is different from Western medicine in many ways, and one of which is disease diagnosis. According to the Chinese health system, disease diagnosis is important from the standpoint of not only healing but also preventing disease.
Disease diagnosis in Chinese medicine is not about taking tests, as in the case of Western medicine; it is about taking and evaluating data of a patient in terms of "yin" and "yang" as well as "excess and deficiency" The purpose of diagnosis is to find out not only the causes but also the underlying patterns of disharmony, thereby instrumental in promoting cures as well as preventing relapses in the future.
For thousands of years, in Chinese health system, disease diagnosis has been comprehensive. Diagnosis is based on the environment, the social factors, and the conditions of the patient, including food and nutrition, as well as the lifestyle. Accordingly, diagnosis is detailed and all-inclusive. As a matter of fact, in the old days, a Chinese physician would not be remunerated if the patient became sick, because it would be a reflection of the physician's own oversight in taking care of the patient.
In Chinese medicine today, diagnosis begins with data collection through observing, asking, listening, and touching.
The first level of visual inspection and observation is at the level of shen or spirit. Shen is the spirit of the body, manifested in the consciousness, personality, intellect, and other abstract qualities. Shen disharmony results in confused or distorted thinking, heavy body motion, dull and slow response, insomnia, and other mental and psychological disorders and problems. On the other hand, good shen is revealed in good eye contact, clear skin, and healthy complexion.
The presence or lack of shen is basically the balance or disharmony of yin and yang.
The second visual diagnosis examines the colors associated with the internal organs on the surface of the skin, such as red for heart, green for liver, yellow for spleen, white for lungs, and blackfor kidneys. Chinese medical practitioners look for specific places to identify the colors associated with different body organs; for example, the skin under the eyes, the temples, the skin by the nose, the lips, and the forearms are strategic areas to identify colors for disease diagnosis.
The most important observation is that of the tongue. For centuries, the Chinese have extensively observed the size and shape (e.g. long or short; swollen or thin; cracked or smooth), the contour, the margins, and the color of the tongue to determine the presence of disease and the overall health of an individual.
The coating of the tongue indicates the absence or presence of body fluids (stomach fluids). If the coat is thick, the fluids are sluggish. A thick white coat is considered normal and indicative of a relative fluid balance. A blackish coat indicates internal imbalance.
Heart disorder (spots) Kidney disorder Lung disorder Stomach disorder
Colon disorder (lines) Back ache
Another disease diagnosis is asking specific questions regarding the lifestyle of the patient, such as appetite, diet, digestion, elimination, sweat, sleep, energy level, exercise, and sexual activity, among others.
Listening and smelling are other unobtrusive methods of disease diagnosis. Listening diagnosis listens for sound of voice and quality of speech to determine the health conditions of the patient. In smelling, the physician uses body odor or quality of breath to determine the intensity of internal imbalance of the patient.
Touching is based on the fact that the pulse is a major index of the body's internal health. In Chinese medicine, there are twnty-eight types of pulses, according to their speed, width, length, rhythm. The abnormalities of the pulse indicate weakness or excess of the qi in different body organs.
In Western medicine, doctors look for one single point where disease begins, and treatment is applied to remove or suppress the symptoms associated with the disease. The diagnostic approach of Chinese medicine is much more comprehensive and extensive in that the diagnosis aims at finding an underlying pattern of disharmony and identifying the organ and meridian that are the culprits, thereby instrumental in eradicating the symptoms and curing the disease.
Vist my web page: Chinese Health and Healing.
Stephen Lau.
