The Diagnosis in Chinese Medicine

The diagnosis in Chinese medicine is structured around four main axes:

1. Visual observation: to gather information about the complexion, vitality, shape, and condition of the tongue, face, five organs, four limbs, genital areas, skin, and excrement.
2. Auditory and olfactory observation (ancient Chinese uses a single word for both "listening" and "smelling") to gather information about the tone of voice, breathing, coughing or sneezing, belching, intestinal rumbling, the patient's odors, and their excrement.
3. Interview: to gather information from the patient about their illness, sensations, medical history, and lifestyle habits.
4. Pulse taking: in Chinese medicine, the pulse can be taken at the wrist but also at the ankle, neck, and many other parts of the body.

By compiling this information, the therapist analyzes it through the lens of Chinese medical theory to conclude the state of the illness. It is not exactly the root cause that needs to be treated, but the deepest order that needs to be restored so that the patient regains health. This is how Chinese medicine treats the cause and not the symptom. In this case, the cause of the illness is not what triggered the disorder (cold, emotions, food, etc.) but the deepest internal imbalance, which is called syndrome and must be distinguished from the symptoms perceived by the patient. Thus, a symptom like a headache can be caused by completely different internal disorders. Of course, the cause of this disorder must be treated, but this is then a matter of prevention and not treatment.