The clinical use of herbal medicine in China dates back thousands of years. With unsurpassed and documented clinical applications in the history of medicine, the wealth of knowledge of Chinese herbal medicine is now being modernised to meet today’s healthcare needs. According to the recent WHO study, 60% of deaths worldwide are now caused by chronic illness. Chinese herbal formulations are effective regulative medicine for chronic diseases resulting from metabolic syndromes, modern stressful lifestyle and increasing psychosomatic disorders. Research studies are now being conducted by respected institutions globally to modernise Chinese herbal medicine and re-establish its validity in the treatment of many diseases, including Western drug-based medicines that fail to cure or cause unacceptable side effects.

Chinese herbs were systematically classified by Li Shi Zhen (李时珍) in Ming dynasty (AD 1518). The publication of his comprehensive work “Ben Cao Gang Mu” (本草纲目) was a milestone in the history of medicine, summarising Chinese herbal materia medica since Shen Nong (神农) discovered herbs three thousand years before Li Shi Zhen.

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Presented during the Summary Lectures I and II of the CMIR Postgraduate Diploma Course in Chinese Medicine and Acupuncture for Doctors and Healthcare Professionals, in collaboration with the Beijing University of Chinese Medicine.

Syndrome differentiation is an important characteristic of Chinese Medicine and is the process which must be understood and perfected through clinical practice by the Chinese physician. The collection of various clinical information gathered through different diagnostic methods must be systematically analysed by the Chinese physician in order to arrive at a primary syndrome and secondary syndrome. The Chinese physicians called this methodology ‘the black box’.

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An original article written for Chinese Journal of Integrative Medicine November 2011 issue

[Abstract]

Syndrome Differentiation is a methodology unique to Chinese Medicine. It threads the diagnosis process with clinical treatment into a holistic web of links to determine and regulate the patterns of dysfunctions in the human body. It is seen as the essence of Chinese Medicine because it takes into account the theoretical principles, diagnostic methodologies and the modality of treatment holistically. In this process the progressive development and changes of syndromes are also considered by the physician. This paper is a systematic study of the methodology of Syndrome Differentiation in relation to its clinical applications in the treatment of diseases. To illustrate the efficacy of Syndrome Differentiation, the relationship between pattern identification and diseases is analysed to provide a guiding principle for integration between Chinese Medicine and Western Medicine. Diseases being selected include cancer, cardiovascular and metabolic syndromes. A study of renal and hepatic diseases related to lifestyle is also included to highlight the clinical efficacy of Syndrome Differentiation. The paper also includes an analytical summary of the theoretical advancements made in integrative differentiation methodology during the past five decades which it links to the recent clinical thinking and practice.

[Keywords]

Syndrome Differentiation, The Eight Principles of Differentiation, Zang Fu Differentiation, metabolic syndromes, Blood Stasis

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Reply to “Review by Professor T-C Aw” (June/July 07 Issue)

The article concerning complementary medicine therapies as possible options for services within Occupational Health departments is encouraging in as much as the fact that this would not have been published thirty to forty years ago, which is when, with President Nixon’s visit to China in 1972, the more recent interest in Chinese medicine began.

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Paper presented at the 7th World Congress of Chinese Medicine, Hague, 2nd October 2010

Abstract

Health regulation through Syndrome Differentiation is the essence of Chinese Medicine. Through the Four Diagnosis Methods, the Chinese physician determines the body’s current reaction state in relation to the disorder patterns of the patient. Zang Fu relationships and the state of Qi, blood and body fluids in terms of Yin and Yang balance are important guiding principles for treatment. In Chinese Medicine this process is known as regulating the body to achieve health, to fight against disease and assist anti-aging. In this paper we are examining the analytical process of dialectical syndrome differentiation in terms of Zang Fu dysfunctions. We will also consider the importance of the relationship of Qi, blood and body fluids as well as anti-aging treatment with Chinese herbal medicine, acupuncture and Chinese lifestyle medicine in achieving health cultivation. The paper will also discuss the relationship between internal health and external vitality. In doing so, we will discuss the unique clinical experience of Chinese medicine for rejuvenation and the recovery of vitality.

Keywords

Syndrome Differentiation, Zang Fu, Four Diagnosis Methods, Eight Principles, Qi, blood and body fluid, health regulation, anti-aging

中文摘要

中医的精华在于其养生之道，在辨证施治的过程中调理脏腑与气血关系，用四诊八纲来诊断病人的证状，以阴阳平衡和五行脏腑关系来作为治疗的指导原则是 现有医学中的独特方法。无论是日常保健、疾病治疗或抗衰老都围绕中医的基础理论，经过长期的临床应用得出非凡的疗效。此报告论述了脏腑辨证分析过程中的养 生治疗文化，同时也考查了人体气、血、液的中医概念对抗衰老的作用；提出中药、针灸和生活医学综合为一体的整体治疗观，表现内在和外表在中医治疗中的互相 关系，建立中医在治疗和抗衰老中的突出优势。

关键词

辨证论治，脏腑，四诊八纲，气血液，养生，抗衰老

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