The four examinations, including observation (望), listening (闻), inquiry (问), and palpation (切), are methods for diagnosing diseases, also known as “diagnostic methods”. Palpation includes two parts: pulse diagnosis and pressure diagnosis, which is a method used by practitioners to understand the patient’s condition by touching, feeling, pressing, and applying pressure to specific areas of … Read more
Pulse diagnosis, also known as “qiè zhěn” (切诊), is a method where the physician uses their fingers to palpate specific arteries on the patient’s body to experience the characteristics of the pulse, in order to understand health or disease and differentiate symptoms. Video 1 – Principles of Pulse Diagnosis, Overview and Requirements Video 2–Methods of … Read more
Methods of Medical History Inquiry 1. General Information General information includes: name, gender, age, marital status, ethnicity, occupation, place of origin, workplace, current address, etc. Chief Complaint The chief complaint is the most distressing symptom, sign, and duration reported by the patient during the visit. For example, “palpitations for 3 days, worsened with chest pain … Read more
For listeners who enjoy audiobooks, you can click below to listen to the audio. Zhang Jingyue’s “Ten Questions Song” Ancient physicians placed great importance on the patient’s main complaints. The most famous is Zhang Jingyue from the Ming Dynasty, who wrote the “Ten Questions” in the “Complete Works of Jingyue”: “First ask about cold and … Read more
Inquiry Content 1 General Information: Includes Name, Gender, Age, Occupation, Marital Status, Ethnicity, Place of Origin, Workplace, Current Address, etc. Clinical Significance: 1) Facilitates contact and follow-up with patients or their families. 2) Provides doctors with relevant information about diseases, offering a basis for the diagnosis and treatment of certain endemic diseases, occupational diseases, infectious … Read more
Inquiry Concept: It is a method for doctors to understand the health status and diagnose the condition by purposefully questioning the patient or their companions. Section One: Significance and Methods of Inquiry 1. Significance of Inquiry:① The information obtained about the condition is relatively comprehensive (symptoms, related data) ② It is conducive to timely diagnosis … Read more
“Inquiry is a method by which doctors purposefully ask patients or their companions to understand the condition of the illness. It is one of the fundamental methods of diagnosing diseases in Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM). The Neijing has long recorded many specific contents of inquiry, such as in Suwen: Sanbu Jiuhou Lun, which states: ‘One … Read more
Methods of Medical History Inquiry 1. General Information General information includes: name, gender, age, marital status, ethnicity, occupation, place of origin, workplace, current address, etc. Main Complaint The main complaint is the most distressing symptom, sign, and duration that the patient experiences when seeking medical attention. For example, “Palpitations for 3 days, worsened with chest … Read more
Pediatric clinical practice also employs the “Wang (Observation), Wen (Listening), Wen (Inquiry), and Qie (Palpation)” four diagnostic methods, but their application differs from that in adults. Pediatrics was historically referred to as “mute medicine,” and inquiries are often conducted indirectly. When approaching the patient, children often cry and become anxious, which can compromise the accuracy … Read more
In martial arts novels, masters often possess the ability to discern a person’s condition through their voice. In fact, doctors also have the capability to diagnose illnesses by listening to sounds. The auditory diagnosis in TCM, one of the four diagnostic methods, includes listening to sounds. This article discusses how to assess a patient’s physical … Read more