Diagnosis

Traditional Chinese Medicine uses four diagnostic methods — observe, listen, smell, and touch. Throughout history taking, we have time to observe the patient. We listen not only to what they say but how they say it. We note their breathing, coughing, and other sounds. We smell. We palpate pain areas and pulse positions.

"A disease is only an imbalance in a meridian or in an organ, or multiple imbalances that are inter-related to each other. Once the diagnosis is made, the practitioner has at their disposal a number of methods of establishing a balance."

The author emphasizes: treat the problem AND the person. Too many therapists treat only isolated regions because they fail to see that the isolated problem is in a unique person's body. A good treatment follows a good diagnosis, and a good diagnosis follows a good consultation.