In Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM), every acupuncture session begins with a detailed consultation. Practitioners ask specific questions to understand the root cause of your symptoms and to create a personalized treatment plan.
Here are the 10 key questions of Chinese medicine and what they reveal about your health.
1. Do You Have Pain?
Pain is one of the most important signs in TCM.
- Where you feel pain tells us which meridians and pathways may be blocked.
- Sharp or stabbing pain often indicates blood or Qi stagnation.
- Dull or achy pain may suggest a deficiency or weakness in the affected area.
2. Do You Feel Hot or Cold?
Temperature sensitivity helps identify excess or deficiency patterns:
- Feeling hot often points to excess heat or internal inflammation.
- Feeling cold suggests Yang deficiency or low energy.
- Cold hands and feet can indicate blood or Qi stagnation, preventing circulation.
3. How Is Your Sleep?
Sleep quality reflects your heart, liver, and kidney health in TCM.
- Difficulty falling asleep → Often linked to heart or liver Qi stagnation.
- Waking at night → Can relate to heart-kidney disharmony or deficiency.
- Restless sleep or vivid dreams → Often points to internal heat or stress imbalance.
4. How Is Your Digestion?
Your digestive health shows the strength of the spleen and stomach:
- Bloating or gas → Spleen and stomach deficiency.
- Constipation → Often a stomach or Qi deficiency.
- Acid reflux or hiccups → Indicates stomach Qi imbalance.
5. Do You Get Cold Hands and Feet?
- Cold extremities usually show blood or Qi stagnation.
- If circulation is poor, Qi and blood can’t warm the hands and feet.
- Stress and emotional tension may also block energy flow.
6. How Are Your Stress Levels?
Stress has a profound effect on the liver and heart in Chinese medicine:
- Irritability or mood swings → Liver Qi stagnation.
- Anxiety or restlessness → Heart Qi or blood stagnation.
- Chronic stress can also create heart-kidney disharmony over time.
7. Do You Experience Fever or Chills?
Temperature changes reveal internal vs. external patterns:
- Fever and chills together → May indicate an external invasion like a cold or flu.
- Persistent low fever → Often related to internal heat or deficiency patterns.
8. Do You Get Sick Frequently?
Frequent illness often points to weak Wei Qi (the body’s defensive energy):
- Recurring colds or flu → Lung Qi deficiency.
- Chronic fatigue and weakness → Kidney Qi deficiency.
9. Do You Have Frequent Urination?
Urinary patterns are tied to kidney health:
- Frequent urination at night → Kidney deficiency.
- Burning urination → Kidney or bladder heat.
10. How Is Your Menstruation? (For Women)
Menstrual health provides a window into blood, Qi, and organ harmony:
- Irregular cycles → Often linked to liver Qi stagnation.
- Painful periods → Can indicate blood stagnation.
- Short, light, or pale flow → Suggests blood or Qi deficiency.
- Dark, heavy, or clotted flow → Points to blood stagnation or heat.
Ready to Learn What Your Body Is Telling You?
At Holistic San Diego, we use these key questions to guide your acupuncture treatment. Our goal is to help you feel balanced, energized, and resilient.
Schedule your consultation to discover how acupuncture can help you reconnect with your body’s natural rhythm.
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