Continuing with blogs discussing the use of Western biomedical tests in conjunction with TCM, I will now discuss patterns and testing concerning the liver. Most appreciate that common liver patterns include: Steatosis or “fatty liver”, cirrhosis of the liver, gall bladder disease and carcinomas relating to the liver.

Again, as with blood sugar, blood tests are most important in detecting any of these liver disorders. AST and ALT are enzymes I’ve touched on before. Both are essentially enzymes that the liver makes and are considered critical as indicators of liver functionality. For instance, high AST levels are indicative of liver diseases such as hepatitis or cirrhosis.

Why is knowing such a result important to a TCM practitioner? For one, it can either validate that practitioner’s TCM diagnosis or not. I have initially made diagnosis, concerning the liver, that were not totally accurate. Now, that doesn’t happen often. However, when it does, it can slow the successful progression of the treatments.

I now ask the patient to bring their current blood tests so I can assess the levels of parameters such as the AST/ALT levels. If I find them out of the normal range, I can quickly deduce that the liver maybe affected or, on the flip side, that my finding of Liver Qi stagnation has been substantiated.

Another aspect of a person’s wellbeing, I analyze is their diet. If a person is exhibiting symptoms consistent with not eating enough proteins, I look to see their BUN levels on a blood test. Low BUN levels are indicative of stress to the liver and, therefore, I automatically ask how much protein they have in their diet.

TCM practitioners becoming more proficient in interpreting the result of such a blood test will be vital for the integration of TCM with Western medicine to progress in the future.