Chinese Medicine
Traditional Chinese medicine, also known as TCM, includes a range of traditional medicine practices originating in China. TCM therapy largely consists of Chinese herbal medicine, acupuncture, nutrition and exercise. Exercise may be derived from the ancient arts of tai chi or qigong or others. Modern TCM was systematized in the 1950s from ancient theories, which most agree are over 5,000 years old.
Diagnosis in TCM consists of various forms of observation including visual, auditory, olfactory, touch, and questioning. These observations take the form of descriptions of color, moisture and heat, among many others to ultimately identify a pattern that can be subsequently treated.
A training period of years or decades is necessary for TCM practitioners to understand the full complexity of symptoms and dynamic balances.
These are the diagnostic techniques used by most TCM practitioners:
- Palpation of the patient’s radial artery pulse (pulse diagnosis) in six positions.
- Observations of patient’s tongue, voice, hair, face, posture, gait, eyes, ears, and the vein on index finger of small children.
- Palpation of the patient’s body (especially the abdomen, chest, back and lumbar areas) for tenderness or comparison of relative warmth or coolness of different parts of the body.
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- Asking detailed questions about their family, living environment, personal habits, food diet, emotions, menstrual cycle for women, child bearing history, sleep, exercise, and anything that may give insight into the balance or imbalance of an individual.
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