Our body takes in things, processes and utilizes them, and releases the waste. Constant circulation occurs in this process. Therefore, uninterrupted circulation means that we need to maintain the free flow of whatever needs to be circulated in our body and mind, i.e. energy, blood, fluids, nutrients, hormones, thoughts and emotions.

Body is always in motion. Unrestricted motion means body’s organs and various tissues maintain natural healthy mobility and inherent motility. When there is a restriction in motion in a certain area of body, due to whether structural or functional impairment, it can cause a cascading effect of disharmony in the body.

Dynamic equilibrium means that the constantly interacting nature of various energies, functions, structures, thoughts and emotions in our body and mind should be balanced as a whole.

Maintaining these three requirements is called “homeostasis”. If this homeostasis is broken, the person may experience various signs of decreased sense of well-being and vitality, such as fatigue, discomfort, disruption of sleep and digestion, mental uneasiness, and so on. When this state is prolonged, so called “dis-ease” can develop.

The body’s expression of pain or discomfort is a signal that something needs attention, often in a specific area. Therefore, the practitioner’s assessment efforts focus on identifying the areas of the body that are not in balance or healthy state through a series of examination and interview. Based on the assessment, the practitioner would use acupuncture, Chinese herbs, Manual therapy, and life style recommendations to support each individual body’s needs to restore proper circulation, motion and equilibrium. When your mind and body become balanced, the great healing potential within you unfolds on its own to heal whatever “dis-ease” you may have. In this process, the practitioner is simply a listener, guide, and supporter of your body’s healing potential.

New Integrative Diagnostic Approach (望聞觀察)

In addition to the traditional East Asian medical 4 diagnoses of inspecting, listening/smelling, asking, and palpating (望聞問切), we use four integrative diagnostic methods in clinic developed based on various palpatory and assessment practice of the Eastern and Western medical tradition and from our clinical experience.

Inspecting the form (望形)

We look at a body’s morphological characteristics to deduce two aspects of the person. First, constitutional traits. When the body holds certain patterns for a long period of time, they manifest as constitutional traits that show in its structure. Contributing factors for such patterns may include the person’s inherent strengths and weaknesses, thoughts and life style, as well as genetic predisposition. Second, possible compensation and adaptation patterns. By looking at the morphological characteristics, one can also trace how the body has been compensating to certain restrictions and limitations and adapting to accommodate the body’s needs to protect or function. The adage, “the body hugs lesion” is a simple yet precise explanation of this aspect of the body.

Listening the body (聞身)

Body has inherent intelligence that our conscious mind might not realize. Our hands have an extraordinary ability to listen what the body’s intelligence has to tell through the tissues. Jean-Pierre Barral discovered and refined the way to listen to the story of body and stored emotions through hands. This method includes the tissue listening for general and local areas of the physical body, the emotional listening, and the functional listening of the brain, in which the practitioner can assess brain activities when a person performs certain bodily or mental function.

Reading the energy (觀氣)

One can observe a certain state of a person’s energy by paying attention to the light and color emanating from the person’s eyes and face. One can also read the body’s energy by feeling through contact acupuncture meridians and points and inherent bodily rhythms, such as cardiac, respiratory, craniosacral, and visceral rhythm, or through contactless palpation of its thermal layer, electromagnetic field and stored emotions. Trained hands can detect the perceptible energy field of the whole body as well as on a specific organ or tissue site. Such perception can serve not only as a diagnostic tool, but also be used for practitioners to evaluate the effectiveness and completion of their treatments.

Investigating the pattern (察證)

Using various senses and taking patient’s symptoms and signs into consideration, practitioners can see certain patterns from the patient, such as cold or heat pattern, deficient or excess pattern, exterior or interior pattern, which help practitioners understand the state of their patients and outline the scope of their treatments. Further, one can investigate a specific formula or an herb patten from the patient when practicing herbal medicine, or identify a specific meridian or extraordinary vessel pattern when practicing acupuncture.