I constantly asked about how a TCM practitioner goes about in diagnosing. Obviously, there are a lot of factors involved; however, in the beginning, one of the most important variables to ascertain is the “stage” at which the disease has presently manifested. Without getting too technical, the purpose of the intake is not just noting the symptoms present but to, also, to gain greater insight to what “stage” these symptoms correlate to.

If a patient comes to me with symptoms such as coughing, runny nose, headache or sore throat, I am pretty sure the pathogens are at the Wei stage or defensive stage. What does that mean? To any TCM practitioner, the significance of diagnosing this stage of the illness is that it tells him that the pathogens have not gone deeper and, thus, treatment should be focused on acute protocols. These protocols include both Acupuncture and Herbal medicine.

At the Wei stage, I would look for a floating and rapid pulse and a tongue with a Red body/tip with a thin white and yellow coating. Pulse and Tongue diagnosis is part of the initial intake process. Common Acupuncture points needles, at the Wei stage, are: Large Intestine 4, Liver 3, Large Intestine 11 and Lung 9. The Herbal formula, Yin Qiao San is commonly prescribed, at this stage, to help to disperse the Wind-Heat, clear Heat and relieve any toxicity present. If the patient presents with constant cough and irritable eyes then Sang Ju Yin is often prescribed. formula often prescribed. Common individual herbs used at this stage are: Bo He, Gan Cao, Jin Yin Hua and Niu Bang Zi.

Again, the focus of the treatment is to purge out the pathogens that are classified as exterior. The expectation is that if the patient is diligent in following the treatment given, these pathogens should be expelled in a reasonable time frame. I see a lot of ailments, at the Wei stage, when the season changes from Summer to Fall or from Winter to Spring.