Overview

TCM is built on a foundation of more than 2,500 years of Chinese medical practice that includes various forms of herbal medicine, acupuncture, massage, and diet therapy.

It is still the main form of medicine to many Chinese people today. With more research being done, and greater worldwide interest in natural products, TCM is increasingly recognised as a viable form of alternative medicine in other parts of the world.

One of the basic tenets of TCM is that "the body's vital energy circulates through channels, called meridians, that have branches connected to bodily organs and functions."

TCM concept of disease

Disease is perceived as an imbalance in the functions or interactions of yin, yang, qi, xuĕ, zàng-fǔ, meridians etc. and/or of the interaction between the human body and the environment.

Therapy is based on which "pattern of disharmony" can be identified.

Diagnostic methods in TCM

In TCM, there are 5 diagnostic methods: inspection, auscultation, olfaction, inquiry, and palpation.

  • Inspection focuses on the face and particularly on the tongue, including analysis of the tongue size, shape, tension, colour, and coating, and the absence or presence of teeth marks around the edge.
  • Auscultation refers to listening for particular sounds (such as wheezing).
  • Olfaction refers to attending to body odour.
  • Inquiry focuses on the "seven inquiries", which involve asking the person about the regularity, severity, or other characteristics of: chills, fever, perspiration, appetite, thirst, taste, defecation, urination, pain, sleep.
  • Palpation

Recent Questions

TCM

Are there any natural health supplements that doctors recommend to calm down Tourette's syndrome or TICS as an alternative to heavy medications?

What is Tourette Syndrome? Persons with Tourette syndrome (TS) present with repetitive movements or unwanted sounds that cannot be easily controlled. For instance, a patient whom I treated recently would repeatedly blink his eyes, shrug his shoulders and blurt out throat clearing sounds. Tics typically show up between ages 2 and 15, with the average being around 6 years of age. Males are about three to four times more likely than females to develop Tourette syndrome. Treatment Although there is no cure for Tourette syndrome, treatments are available.

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Answered By

Dr Beng Yeong Ng

Psychiatrist

TCM

Does a combination of Gingko Biloba and Panax Ginseng, common in Traditional Chinese Medicine, help to reduce the unwanted side effects of Gingko Biloba taken by itself?

In Gincosan, two specific standardised extracts from the roots of Panax ginseng C. A. Meyer and the leaves of Ginkgo biloba, have been combined to create a unique patented formulation of GK105 (ginkgo) and G115 (ginseng). What are Ginkgo and Ginseng used for? Ginkgo is used in clinical practice to treat conditions like tinnitus and memory impairment. Ginkgo may play a role in improving blood flow to the brain, especially as it relates to vascular types of dementia. It can also be used to improve mental alertness and concentration.

Photo of Dr Beng Yeong Ng

Answered By

Dr Beng Yeong Ng

Psychiatrist

Recent Sessions

TCM

Consult a TCM Physician: Male Infertility and Erectile Dysfunction

Ended on April 9, 2021

About Physician Tay Hao Xiang:

Physician Tay Hao Xiang is a Traditional Chinese Medicine Physician currently in practice at Great Wall TCM & Wellness, located at Redhill. He is also active in a secondary practice at Singapore Chung Hwa Medical Institution.

Physician Tay is a MOH registered physician and provides holistic integrated treatments such as Acupuncture (针灸), TCM cupping therapy (拔罐) and herbal Medication (中草药). He also specialises in various TCM Fertility treatments and pain management treatments such as TCM Massage (推拿), TCM Cupping Therapy (拔罐) & TCM Guasha (刮痧).

TCM

TCM Treatment For Diabetes

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Physician Chen Yan Fang is a registered TCM physician with Eu Yan Sang. All TCM physicians are meticulously selected by an internal Medical Board and licensed by the TCM Practitioners Board, a regulatory body under the charge of the Ministry of Health. She has a strong passion in gua sha, tui na, and TCM treatment for diabetes.

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