diagnosis

Successful diagnosis

...depends on more detail than you would imagine

Diagnosis is always necessary before treatment with Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM), read more...

Because Chinese therapies treat the whole person rather than just the disease, a complete case history is taken - and this is very detailed covering everything from perspiration to bowels, read more...

Approach

The approach to diagnosis is quite different from a visit to your GP:

The aim is not to focus in detail only on the problems bothering the patient, identify a specific disease like IBS or the common cold and then treat the symptoms.

The aim is to look at the complete state of health of the person as well as finding out about the problems bothering them.  The logic is that each part of the body does not exist in isolation so it can only be understood in relation to the whole.

The underlying problems or syndromes are named only after considering all symptoms and may change from visit to visit. Treatment is tailored to both the presenting problems and the underlying syndromes.   This approach will give superior results.

Often a patient is on medication but TCM treatment can still be designed to help. During diagnosis, and throughout treatment it is essential to provide details of your medication.

All information is treated as confidential.

Will the diagnosis make sense?

Patients can be surprised to find that even a 'simple' strain or tennis elbow can be caused by or lead to far-reaching changes in the body that vary from person to person.

On the other hand, there is also a satisfaction and even relief in feeling that your symptoms can be understood. It is the first step towards treating them successfully.

How can an ancient system still be relevant?

TCM has been China's main medical system for more than 2000 years so it has stood the test of time. The ideas have a depth and breadth to them that defies a simple interpretation. So they have been developed and discussed over the years and still provide an intellectual challenge to practitioners today.

The usual stages

These are::

  • You are asked what symptoms are troubling you
  • A detailed case history is taken (it is useful to know your blood pressure)
  • Your pulse is taken and your tongue is examined
  • The TCM explanation of the problem and the treatment suggested is discussed
  • Then, subject to your consent, treatment goes ahead. Read more...

To understand more about the Chinese terminology used in diagnosis, see this explanation

East meets West ... in Chinese Medicine