Foundations of TCM
Diagnosis
Chinese medical diagnosis is a process of gathering information through the four examinations (inspection, smelling and listening, inquiry, and palpitation) and classifying the information according to the various methods of pattern identification. The correct TCM diagnosis, which considers the whole body, the patient's chief complaint and all symptoms associated with it, is the necessary basis for the development of a treatment strategy. The treatment plan relies on the findings of the diagnosis. The practitioner should meet the following prerequisites: 1. He/she should be able to detect the relevant symptoms. 2. He/she should be able to assign the correct TCM diagnosis matching the symptoms. 3. He/she should have a good understanding in the foundations of TCM, to be able to recognize the relationship between symptoms and TCM diagnoses. With a good understanding of the principles of TCM, it is not too difficult to formulate a Chinese diagnosis. If you have studied the contents of ShenProfessional 1.0 thoroughly, you will have a basic idea of how to apply the principles of TCM. Of course ShenProfessional 1.0 cannot substitute a formal TCM training and education. Difficulties in developing the right TCM-diagnosis can also lie in the area of patient-practitioner communication, and the perception of the practitioner. If a certain treatment strategy has been chosen based on the diagnosis, the strategy has to prove itself in the actual treatment process. The selection of acupuncture points for the treatment must be chosen according to the treatment strategy.