What is a TCM pattern?
When considering complaints, an acupuncturist looks beyond the name of a condition to the way your complaints manifest. What symptoms do you have? Which complaints occur together? And what else stands out during examination?
From this overall picture, the practitioner may recognise a TCM pattern . This is a combination of complaints and findings that, within traditional Chinese medicine, describes aspects of how the body functions. A TCM pattern is not a Western medical diagnosis.
A pattern helps describe:
- which complaints and characteristics occur together;
- which bodily functions are involved according to Chinese medicine;
- which direction of treatment may be appropriate.
Why is it called a pattern?
The term pattern is used because certain complaints and characteristics occur in recognisable combinations. A practitioner considers, for example, your main complaint, other symptoms, your tongue and your pulse. It is the combination of findings, rather than a single symptom, that helps determine the pattern.
A pattern therefore describes how your complaints are manifesting at this moment . It does not automatically identify their cause. Factors such as prolonged stress, lifestyle or illness can play a role in the development and changing nature of complaints.
Why does Chinese medicine work with patterns?
A Western diagnosis provides important information about a condition. Yet two people with the same diagnosis may have different complaints and findings.
Two people with ulcerative colitis, for example, may share the same Western diagnosis while their overall presentations differ. One has abdominal pain and a burning sensation with bowel movements, easily feels hot and has a red tongue with a yellow coating. In Chinese medicine, this may fit Damp-Heat . The other mainly has fatigue and loose stools, mild abdominal discomfort, easily feels cold and has a pale tongue with teeth marks. This may fit Spleen Qi deficiency .
These are examples, not fixed categories of ulcerative colitis. The diagnosis is the same in both cases, but the differences in complaints and findings may lead to a different TCM treatment. A practitioner determines the pattern from the complete picture; not everyone has all the symptoms listed. Multiple patterns may also be present at the same time.
The same condition, a different TCM pattern
| Example | Damp-Heat | Spleen Qi deficiency |
|---|---|---|
| Western diagnosis | Ulcerative colitis | Ulcerative colitis |
| Complaints and findings | Abdominal pain, burning bowel movements, easily feeling hot, red tongue with a yellow coating | Fatigue, loose stools, mild abdominal discomfort, easily feeling cold, pale tongue with teeth marks |
These examples are not fixed categories. The pattern is identified from the complete presentation.
Can a pattern change?
Yes. A TCM pattern is not a fixed characteristic of a person. It can change as complaints improve, a condition changes or everyday circumstances change.
Your complaints and other findings are therefore reassessed during the course of treatment. Treatment can then be adapted to what is most prominent at that time.