I have a patient who is the perfect picture of Lung Qi deficiency! She has a very weak voice, and when she talks, it takes effort. In addition, she has asthma since she was a child, eczema on her wrists, and catches colds, pneumonia and other pathogens which weakens her Wei (defensive) Qi every time! As practitioners, [...]
When I was in TCM college, my diagnosis teacher used to say: "Practice, practice, practice as much as you can and everywhere!" I took his words to heart and started practicing my observation skills EVERYWHERE! I looked at people in the bus, and thought to myself: "Oh, that woman with the red cheeks has Yin deficiency. That [...]
Recently, a friend of mine told me she was going to the Amazon Jungle for a 10-day retreat. Initially, that sounded fun and exciting for her. Shortly after, she described to me what she'd be doing in her trip. She was going to participate in an Ayahuasca ceremony every day! If you're not familiar with what Ayahuasca [...]
One of my favourite method for diagnosing in Chinese medicine is using our observation skills. I remember back in TCM college, after we learned observation, I used to look at everyone on the street, in public transportation and at the gym. Yep, I was the creepy person who stared! But not to judge, just to practice my [...]
Every time I have a new patient, I start with the 8 Principles first, then I go more in depth with the other patterns of differentiation in order to make a proper TCM diagnosis. This intro to TCM Diagnosis made easy is all about the basics of the 8 principles and how to apply them in clinical [...]
Let's face it, TCM Diagnosis is the HARDEST part of Chinese medicine! My foundation teacher used to say: "There is no wrong treatment in TCM, only the wrong diagnosis!" So I thought it'd be great to start a new series of posts dedicated to make TCM Diagnosis a little easier to grasp. This one is all on [...]
