PLEASE NOTE :: these are archived forum posts from years past, further discussions should happen on our social media channels.

Diagnosis and condition

By Archived User | Updated: Dec 31, 2021 | Published: Dec 31, 2021

Is there a difference in diagnosis and conditions? I like the Ba Gong methodology of “conditions” if that’s right. I see that the ancients weren’t looking into literal anatomy and “bugs” like in the west. But how was a disease described? I have read internal is more serious than external. And something can be both external and internal. Energy can come from the outside and lodge in organs and meridian can’t it? Through the “vents” I have read in places. The back of the neck, eyes, top of the head.

Archived Comments

Comment by Archived User

Conditions are generally western oriented defined diseases like eczema or diarrhea. A diagnosis in TCM refers to the underlying imbalance of the flow of the blood, qi and fluids and therefore is not the same. For example a TCM diagnosis of heart yin deficiency may present with Western conditions such as palpitations, anxiety, and insomnia.

In the context of TCM internal refers to ill health that is a result of a breaking down of the body’s natural flow. Internal conditions are almost always going to be of a more chronic nature and reflect long term diet, posture, and lifestyle conditions. External refers to a cause of disease that comes from outside the body, i.e. infection from virus, fungus, bacteria, etc. So external conditions are generally acute and inflammatory of nature.

Comment by Archived User

I see. I looked at the diagnosis you mentioned and I have about every symptom listed. However, the tongue diagnosis is in no way mine. I have a white well coated tongue. Sounds confusing if you don’t know exactly what you’re doing.

Comment by Archived User

In real life you rarely see textbook cases where the symptoms and tongue and pulse all match up just perfectly. In fact I’ve seen maybe a handful of so called textbook cases in my entire career, which by my estimate is something like .001%. That is partly why acupuncture schools (well in the US anyway) are four year programs. Even then you really only learn enough to get started and it takes clinical practice to further develop a truer understanding.

Comment by Archived User

Thanks and I would like to get a tongue picture to you. How can I do that privately? Without posting a pic here?

Relationships
TCM Patterns (1 connection)