Chinese medical diagnosis…hmmm…conjures up all kinds of mysterious images and exotic aromas. Chinese Medicine can be divided into two distinct branches.Traditional Chinese Medicine – which is what is practiced in mainland China today. It is based on the 8 principles of Traditional Chinese Medicine. 5 Elements – Earth, wood, metal, water and fire. While I was in school the Doctors always told us that the 5 Elements were a primitive type of acupuncture theory and that the 8 Principles were more advanced. The 5 elements are a very ancient form of Chinese medicine. I suspect its roots may be related to Ayurvedic Medicine as that is a very, very ancient medical art from India and it even predates the 5 Elements.The 8 Principles are a relatively modern approach and really became popular during the Chinese revolution. The Communists figured out it was an inexpensive way to keep the masses healthy. Now in China you have the best of both. I think it is the perfect marriage of East meets West.
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Chinese Medical Diagnosis
what’s hot & what’s not
hmmm…let’s see what’s hot.
I’m not qualified to answer that unless we are discussing differentiation of syndrome according to Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM), then we would probably be discussing heat – a slightly cooler condition as comparet to “hot.” Hot if used as a Chinese medical term and is rarely seen in one’s clinical practice. In these type of extreme cases Western medicine intervention is necessary.
Heat syndromes typically combine with other elements such as damp to create a damp-heat condition. Ever heard of night sweats? Night sweats could be a female hormonal thing (according to Western medicine or a yin deficiency in Chinese medicine) or if it is specifically localized to the back of the neck at night it could be a damp-heat condition. Over consumption of alcohol and eating excessive amounts of sweets creates a damp-heat condition in the body. But then again is it really a damp heat syndrome or is the under lying root cause a yin deficiency?
and what’s not…
Since we are already discussing Chinese medical terminology lets talk about “cold” conditions. These type of conditions are very common.
In previous entries, I mentioned osteoarthritis – this is considered a “syndrome” with cold characteristics. What about poor circulation (blood stasis)? Typically it’s the same thing…ah, but what is the root cause? Is blood stasis the root cause or just the symptom? There may be a constitutional predisposition to cold (yang deficiency) that may be the underlying cause of poor circulation, as well as, many other symptoms that one has probably just lived with for a good number of years.
If you are suffering from chronic conditions that Western medicine just isn’t really addressing, why not call for an appointment today?
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