Understanding Chinese Medicine

Diagnosis

Asking the Questions

The Chinese medicine practitioner takes a great deal of time to ask you about yourself. Your answers allow the practitioner to benefit from the knowledge that you have — for no one can know your body as well as you do. Questioning allows the practitioner to observe your emotions, voice and self-presentation.

Basic questions that the practitioner will focus on:

• your reaction to heat and cold
• your patterns of perspiration
• if and when you experience headaches or dizziness
• what type of pain, if any, you may have
• your bowel and bladder function
• your thirst, appetite and tastes
• sleep patterns
• your sexual functioning, sexual activity and reproductive history
• general medical history
• general physical activity
• emotions