Chinese medicine has a long and rich tradition of medical diagnosis. It is commonly said of Chinese medicine that one disease has many causes and that the heart of Chinese medical diagnosis lies in determining what the underlying pattern (or patterns) of disharmony are. Therefore, we treat the individual not the disease. For example, many women may suffer from menstrual pain. For one woman the pain may be dull and may arise before her flow with some irritability and breast tenderness. For another woman, the pain may be sharp but eases with hot packs and it may come in the middle of flow with clotting. The first woman would fit the pattern of Liver QI Stagnation while the second pattern is one of Blood Stagnation with Cold Accumulation. The western medical diagnosis of this condition is dysmenorrhea (painful periods). This diagnosis labels the symptom not the pattern of imbalance. Resolving any disease involves addressing these underlying patterns. Some patterns of disease are simple and are based primarily on the acupuncture meridian system. For instance, someone with ankle pain on the outside of the ankle just below the big bone would be diagnosed with Qi and Blood Stagnation in the foot shao yang gall bladder meridian. Although this diagnosis implies that there is some internal problem with the gall bladder the disease most likely lies only at the level of the primary meridians and can be treated quickly at that level with acupuncture, rest and potentially some topical herbal therapy. The above cases of menstrual pain however are more internal conditions and may require more long term care, lifestyle changes, internal herbal therapy and dietary changes.
The terminology for any diagnosis is derived from any of a number of Chinese medical theories. These include the theories of yin and yang, the vital substances of qi (energy), blood, and jing (essence), the organ correspondences, and the five element theory to name a few. These theories collectively define a system of physiology rich enough and subtle enough to provide thorough and lasting treatment for conditions often too complex and too nuanced for Western interventions.
Below we have a link to a list of the most common patterns of disharmony. Please match your diagnosis with the patterns below to enhance your understanding of therapy. Compliment your treatment by following the various recommendations associated with your patterns of disharmony. For additional reading begin with “The Web that has no Weaver” by Ted Kaptchuk
