Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) is a style of traditional medicine informed by modern medicine but built on a foundation of thousands of years of Chinese medical practice. It is a comprehensive science which is based on both medicine theory and practical experience, studying human health and patterns of disease pathogenesis, as well as the prevention, diagnosis, treatment, and rehabilitation of disease. Treatment methods come in various forms: acupuncture, herbal therapy, cupping, acupressure, moxibustion, and dietary therapy. TCM is widely used in Asia, and is becoming increasingly prevalent worldwide due to its significant practical/clinical effect.
TCM has developed into a comprehensive system over its long course of history. It has a very broad range of application, treating conditions such as internal, external, gynecological, pediatric, otorhinolaryngology disorders, as well as trauma injuries. Treatment methods are known to be natural and non-invasive.
Fundamental Concept of TCM
Concept of holism and syndrome differentiation are the two basic and important characteristics of TCM. TCM considers human body as an organic whole, while also focusing on the correlation of human body and nature/environment. Practitioner collects clinical data of symptoms and signs through various TCM diagnostic methods to make disease diagnosis and syndrome differentiation (Clinical differentiation of syndrome is the summarization of disease at a certain stage of its development). Treatment plan is made according to diagnosis results, and the final goal is to restore health through expelling the pathogens and restoring the internal balance.
Diagnosis: Assessment and Re-Assessment
An accurate syndrome differentiation, or diagnosis, is the crucial foundation of making an effective treatment plan. In order to ensure the quality of treatment, practitioners at YangHeal Clinic assess the patient on a regular basis over the course of treatment.
During the first visit, an initial assessment is conducted to thoroughly understand the patient’s chief complaint and overall health condition. A treatment plan is made after careful analysis of all the data collected. During the course of treatment, re-assessment is conducted on a regular basis to monitor the patient’s improvements and detect any new changes in order to make updates to the treatment plan accordingly to achieve the optimal curative effect.