TCM Diagnosis: Four Diagnostic Methods

OM Diagnosis in TCM

Four Diagnostic Methods

• Observation (): Observe the patient's appearance, facial color, tongue, and body language.
• Listening and Smelling (): Listen to the patient's voice, breathing, and cough, and smell their breath and body odor.
• Inquiry (): Ask the patient questions about their symptoms, medical history, and lifestyle.
• Palpation (): Feel the patient's pulse, abdomen, and other areas of the body.

Pattern Diagnosis

• Syndrome Differentiation (): Identify patterns of disharmony in the body using the Eight Principles, Qi, Blood, and Body Fluids.
• Identify the Excess or Deficiency: Determine if the pattern is excess (shi) or deficient (xu).
• Identify the Cold or Heat: Determine if the pattern is cold or hot.
• Identify the Interior or Exterior: Determine if the pattern is internal or external.
• Identify the Yin or Yang: Determine if the pattern is yin or yang.

The Eight Principles

• Yin and Yang: Opposite but interconnected principles.
• Cold and Heat: Properties of Qi that can affect the body.
• Excess and Deficiency: States of balance or imbalance in the body.
• Interior and Exterior: Locations of patterns in the body.

Tongue Diagnosis

• Tongue Body: Reflects the state of the internal organs.
• Tongue Coat: Reflects the state of the body's Qi and fluids.
• Tongue Color: Reflects the state of the body's Qi and blood.
• Tongue Shape: Reflects the state of the body's Qi and fluids.

Pulse Diagnosis

• Cun Kou Pulse: Reflects the state of the heart and blood vessels.
• Guan Pulse: Reflects the state of the liver and spleen.
• Chi Pulse: Reflects the state of the kidneys and bladder.
• Depth and Speed: Reflect the state of the body's Qi and blood.

OM Diagnosis in TCM

Four Diagnostic Methods

• Observation involves examining the patient's appearance, facial color, tongue, and body language to gather information about their condition.
• Listening and Smelling involves analyzing the patient's voice, breathing, and cough, as well as smelling their breath and body odor to identify patterns and symptoms.
• Inquiry involves asking the patient questions about their symptoms, medical history, and lifestyle to gather information about their condition.
• Palpation involves feeling the patient's pulse, abdomen, and other areas of the body to identify patterns and symptoms.

Pattern Diagnosis

• Syndrome Differentiation involves identifying patterns of disharmony in the body using the Eight Principles, Qi, Blood, and Body Fluids.
• Identifying Excess or Deficiency involves determining if a pattern is excess (shi) or deficient (xu) to guide treatment.
• Identifying Cold or Heat involves determining if a pattern is cold or hot to guide treatment.
• Identifying Interior or Exterior involves determining if a pattern is internal or external to guide treatment.
• Identifying Yin or Yang involves determining if a pattern is yin or yang to guide treatment.

The Eight Principles

• Yin and Yang are opposite but interconnected principles that describe the harmonious and interdependent relationships between opposing forces in the body.
• Cold and Heat are properties of Qi that can affect the body, with cold Qi slowing down bodily functions and hot Qi speeding them up.
• Excess and Deficiency describe states of balance or imbalance in the body, with excess indicating an overabundance of Qi and deficiency indicating a lack of Qi.
• Interior and Exterior describe the locations of patterns in the body, with interior patterns affecting internal organs and exterior patterns affecting the skin and external body.

Tongue Diagnosis

• The Tongue Body reflects the state of the internal organs, with changes indicating patterns and disharmonies.
• The Tongue Coat reflects the state of the body's Qi and fluids, with changes indicating patterns and disharmonies.
• The Tongue Color reflects the state of the body's Qi and blood, with changes indicating patterns and disharmonies.
• The Tongue Shape reflects the state of the body's Qi and fluids, with changes indicating patterns and disharmonies.

Pulse Diagnosis

• The Cun Kou Pulse reflects the state of the heart and blood vessels, with changes indicating patterns and disharmonies.
• The Guan Pulse reflects the state of the liver and spleen, with changes indicating patterns and disharmonies.
• The Chi Pulse reflects the state of the kidneys and bladder, with changes indicating patterns and disharmonies.
• The Depth and Speed of the pulse reflect the state of the body's Qi and blood, with changes indicating patterns and disharmonies.