Chinese Diagnostics
Chinese diagnostics is a study of of the theories, methods and techniques of diagnosis used in Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM). A doctor assesses a person's syndromes and disease, and state of health, by collecting and analyzing clinical information on the basis of diagnostic methods.
The fundamentals of TCM diagnosis
A TCM doctor makes a diagnosis based on his sensory perceptions to gather clinical information and then analyzes and interprets this data without resorting to any apparatus. The doctor can diagnose internal pathological (disease) changes by observation and analysis of external signs. The Chinese believe the human body is an organic whole, and all parts are connected with each other by channels and collaterals (otherwise known as meridians).
The internal is related with the external, and the exterior with the interior. Pathological changes inside the human body are reflected externally as abnormalities of the complexion, spirit, appearance of the tongue, and pulse. TCM doctors refer to this as "determining the internal disturbance by observing external signs."
Chinese diagnostics is built on a complex process of four examinations:
1 - Looking - The doctor observes the patient. Body tone, gait, skin, facial expression, emotional tone, and mannerisms are noted. The doctor looks carefully at the tongue. The heart revealed at the tip, the kidneys at the root. The color and appearance of the tongue and tongue coating show what may be hidden; revealing hot from cold, damp from dry; and true from false.
2 - Listening -The doctor must be attentive to the patient's story and history, putting aside preconceptions. The doctor listens to the patient's voice, noting its volume and clarity, as well as manner of speaking and use of language.
3 - Smelling and tasting -The doctor may ask the about your body odors and tastes. Odors and tastes are clues. Strong tastes and odors or can be signs of heat, toxicity or digestive stagnation.
4 - Touching - The doctor will feel the pulse on both wrists. Besides noting its rate, rhythm, and overall strength, doctor may note the type of pulse. Texts classify the pulse into at least twenty-eight types. Some of the common types are wiry (feels tense, like a wire), thready (feels thin, like a thread), deep (strong pressure required to feel it), short (slow and irregular), slippery (feels like a bubble moving). By touching the patient in this way, the doctor senses something of the internal condition of the patient. The patient may not tell the whole truth, but the pulse never lies. The doctor may also touch the body. Local sensitivity can reveal what needs attention. The doctor feels for tone, temperature, sensitivity, accumulations, or other signs of abnormality.
The effect of treatment is directly connected to correctness of the diagnosis. Tongue diagnoses and pulse examinations are the most important process of Chinese diagnostics. It requires many years of training and experience. It reveals the inner state of a human being.