Oriental Health Diagnosis

Syllabus

Introduction

• The Chinese system of medicine has evolved over thousands of years. Their belief is in a holistic approach that treats the whole body and not just the illness. They also believed that there should be no division made between treating the mind and the body.

Identification of patterns according to the eight principles

• Pattern identification and administration of treatment are the main distinctive features of Chinese medicine diagnosis and treatment. ‘Pattern identification’ is the phrase used to include both the gathering of all the symptoms, the examinations used and the application of the patterns that will decide the actual treatment required.

Chi, blood and body fluids identification of patterns

• These patterns describe the interplay between chi, blood and body fluids, and what happens if one or some become stagnant in excess, or are deficient.

Six channel pattern identification of patterns

• The six channels are the principles of pattern identification discussed in the Shang Han Lun. The Shang Han Lun is a monograph that discusses many types of externally contracted diseases. The six-channel pattern identification is a method for the pattern identification of externally contracted diseases.

The four examinations – Asking - Part I

• Asking questions is a very important part of any session involving diagnosis. The most important thing to a patient is to talk about what made them go to see a practitioner in the first place.

The four examinations – Asking - Part II

Diagnosis - Feeling or palpation and pulse diagnosis - Part I

• A practitioner uses feeling or touch as a diagnostic tool to check for any sweat or dryness, to detect any external or internal disharmonies, organ malfunctioning and/or to judge the functions of a meridian. Pulse taking is an important part of Chinese medical theory, and it is taught throughout China

Diagnosis by feeling: Part II - Pulse diagnosis continued

• Pulse diagnosis is one of the most important tools a practitioner has to diagnose what is wrong with their client. The aim is always to bring the meridians, yin and yang, essence and chi back to balance. To do this the practitioner must identify the disharmony and correct it.

Diagnosis by feeling: Part III - Pulse diagnosis continued

Diagnosis by looking

• This lesson is about looking at the body of the patient for clues of disease. No practitioner would ever look at only the part of the body with the complaint, as always they look at the whole person.

Tongue diagnosis

• Through the use of tongue diagnosis a practitioner can see the extent and quality of the exterior flow of energy in the yin organs, and the interior flow of energy in the yang organs.

Diagnosis guide

For a more detailed syllabus on this course, click here

Study Hours

This is only an approximate figure and is dependant upon how much time you can dedicate to your studies and how well you grasp the learning concepts in the course material. Furthermore, at the end of each lesson there is a question paper that needs to be completed and returned to your tutor. You should allow at least 1 - 2 hours of study to complete each question paper.

The approximate amount of time required to complete the course is: 108 hrs.