Traditional Chinese Medicine Diagnosis Study Guide

Diagnosis in traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) is the process of examining the body to diagnose disease and differentiate patterns under the guidance of the fundamental theories of TCM. It is a bridge that connects the basics of TCM with all branches of clinical medicine and includes inspecting the symptoms or manifestations, analyzing the changes, understanding the pathomechanisms, and predicting the transformation of diseases. TCM diagnosis consists of two major areas of study, examination and testing (zhên) and decision and judgment (duàn). Examination and testing techniques are used to collect information from the patient. Decision and judgment uses this information, which is sorted, analyzed, synthe¬sized, and reasoned on the basis of TCM theory. This book is organized around the four pillars of TCM diagnosis: inspection, inquiry, listening and smelling, and palpation. In this text, each aspect is explained in a clear and systematic manner, with generous use of tables and illustrations. This is followed by a series of review questions for deeper understanding. A comprehensive self-examination consisting of 200 multiple choice questions, with a separate key to the answers, tests the reader s understanding of the important points of each aspect of diagnosis. These questions, many of which are presented in case study format, will help students prepare for the board exams.