Chinese Medicine Consultation
In both western and chinse medicine world, presented complains with sign and symptoms are very important information to be included in the diagnosis procedure in order to design a prescription medication that tailor for patient condition. Western diagnosis which has established list of the name of the disease with specific guideline help the clinician to diagnosed the disease . However, in Chinese medicine approach , its diagnosis gone beyond the disease diagnosis but also the pattern diagnosis. It is said that relationship between disease and pattern is between the tree and forest. Defining sign and symptoms of pattern are more inclusive than the sign and symptoms of disease. Sign and symptoms of disease is only part of sign and symptoms of patient’s pattern. Treating the pattern is treating the patient as a whole.
In short, treatment in Chinese Traditional Medicine concentrates more on the body as a whole rather than the condition. In western medicine, ten patients with similar condition more likely received the same treatment from a same doctor. However in chinese medicine practice, ten patients with similar conditions would received different form of treatment depends on their body constitution , causes of the illness , stage of recovery and emotional state.
A thorough interview during Chinese medicine consultation is very important to identify the right pattern diagnosis then tailor the prescription herbs that target the specific pattern diagnosis. It is also very important to produce a balance herbal prescription that taking care of both the manifested sign and symptoms and its root cause . For example in the case of acne , often heat clearing herbs with antibacterial effects are prescribed to relief the flaring up of the acne condition. A good practitioner would also ensure the harmonising herbs also included to tonify the spleen or nourish the yin or neutralize the middle jiao depends on the underlying root cause of the condition. For the acne with breakout on the chin area is often but not always associated with hormonal imbalance. The herbs that help regulating hormone should also be included and adjust according to the stages of recovery .
There are numerous form of chinese herbal medicine which are in the pill form , tincture form , raw herbs , paste or granules form.The intake of the herbal medicine can be up to months depends of the severity and duration of the condition. The acute condition for example cold, acute diarrhea or acute urinary tract infection usually seen a faster result with right herbal medicine being prescribed. It is important to discuss with your chinese medicine practitioner on the expectation of the treatment and actively participate on the treatment plan.
