The Diagnostic Process for Chinese Herbal Medicine

Is your health out of balance? Factors like diet, stress, and your environment can disrupt the balance of yin and yang in your body, resulting in pain and illness. Discover how ancient diagnostic techniques can pave the way for lasting wellness.

Seeking a more holistic approach to wellness? In traditional Chinese medicine (TCM), diagnosis is more than just identifying symptoms — it’s a nuanced art that involves uncovering the deeper patterns and imbalances in your body.

At Elemental Acupuncture, Bethany M. Leddy, DACM, MSOM, works with you to understand the root cause of your health concerns. This process, along with over two decades of experience, allows Dr. Leddy to customize herbal formulas that can guide your body back to its natural state of harmony.

Curious to learn what this over 2,000-year-old wisdom can do for you? Read on to learn about the diagnostic process for Chinese herbal medicine, and discover how ancient plant-based treatments can support your health in the modern day.

Chinese herbal medicine: the basics

In TCM, we view wellness as a delicate balance of yin and yang, two interconnected forces that represent the cool, quiet aspects and the warm, active aspects of our nature.

Factors such as poor diet, excessive stress, emotional imbalances, and environmental toxins can disrupt this balance, leading to blockages in the flow of vital energy (qi) and ultimately manifesting as pain or illness.

Chinese herbal medicine aims to ease symptoms and promote healing by addressing underlying imbalances in yin and yang. Dr. Leddy carefully selects a blend of herbs, each possessing distinct properties, and expertly combines them into personalized formulas that help move blocked qi, regulate blood flow, and support your body’s natural ability to heal itself.

The art of diagnosis

To get to the bottom of your symptoms and gain a deeper understanding of your health, Dr. Leddy utilizes a variety of diagnostic tools rooted in the principles of TCM. These include:

Ten Questions: a detailed health history

The Ten Questions method in TCM is a key part of the diagnostic process. During this in-depth discussion, Dr. Leddy may inquire about your appetite and diet, sleep quality, emotions, medical history, and more, to tailor your treatment plan to your specific needs.

Pulse diagnosis

Dr. Leddy can glean valuable information about your internal organs and the flow of qi by assessing the rhythm, depth, and strength of your pulse at different points on your wrist.

Tongue diagnosis

The appearance of your tongue — its color, shape, and coating — can offer a window into your internal wellness. A healthy tongue is typically pink, moist, and may have a bit of a thin, white coating. Deviations from the norm, such as a pale tongue, a red tongue, or a thick, yellow coating, often signal an imbalance in yin and yang.

Abdominal diagnosis

Gentle palpation of your abdomen allows Dr. Leddy to assess the condition of your organs. By feeling for areas of tenderness, rigidity, or distension, she can identify any blockages in the flow of qi along the meridians, or energy pathways, located there.

If you’re feeling out of balance, herbal medicine and other traditional techniques can help you find lasting wellness. Call or schedule an appointment online at Elemental Acupuncture to learn more about your options. We have offices in New York City’s Bryant Park and in Tuckahoe, New York.