Preparing for Consultation

Before going to your Traditional Chinese Medicine doctor, you need to prepare yourself for the questions you may be asked.  Your TCM doctor needs detailed information about the history of the disease, as well as your feelings and sufferings, in order to make a diagnosis.

1. Prepare for these questions

The following information is most important to the doctor.  Do you feel a hot/fever or cold/chilly?  Do you have sweat?  What pain do you experience?  How is your appetite? How does your stomach feel?  What about your bowel movement and urination?  Do you have a dry mouth?  Do you feel thirsty and do you drink lots of water? ……

(1). Do you feel hot/fever, or cold/chilly?  If so, do you feel it in whole body or only some part of the body, such as on your palms, the soles of your feet or back?  The hot feeling you have, is it like a hot flash or does it remain for several hours, the whole day or only sometimes?  Are you usually a “cold person” with cold hands and feet and wear more clothing than others or, are you a “hot person” with hot hands and feet and wear less clothing than others?

(2). Do you sweat?  Which part of the body?  Is it in the upper half or lower part of your body?  Is it only in the head?  Is it in the palms/soles/armpits?  Is it in the left half/right half body? Does your sweat feel cold or warm? After sweating, is your fever/hot feeling reduced or does it remain high?  Does your sweat stain your clothing?

(3). Your pain?  Where do you feel pain?  Is the pain always present or does it come and go?  Do you feel heavy pressure, cold/warm, stabbing pain or compression?  Does the pain area have swelling? Is your pain related to your emotions or to menstruation? 

(4). Do you feel bloating in your stomach?  Is the bloating painful? Or you do not feel pain unless you press on it?  Does the bloating come after taking sweat reducing or weight reducing drugs?  Do you have nausea/vomiting?  What do you vomit?  Is it food, (recently eaten food or food from the last meal) phlegm or other?

(5). Do you have diarrhea?  How often?  What is the appearance of your stool?  Is it formed or like water with undigested food?   Are there signs of blood (black or fresh red color)?  What may trigger your diarrhea?  Eating certain foods (such as cow’s milk)?  Did you get a chill (wind blowing at your stomach, drinking cold water/beverages, stay in a cold area such as your garage or be exposed to very cold air-conditioning)?  When you have diarrhea, do you have urgent feeling in stomach to go to wash room?   Do you have stomach pain before the bowel movement?  Do you feel thirsty when you have frequent diarrhea?   Do you prefer to drink warm or cold water? Do you have a burning sensation in your anus?

(6). Are you constipated?  How often do you have a bowel movement?  Is it once, every two or more days?  Are your bowel movements painful?  What colour is your stool?   Is there any blood (red or black) on the surface of your stool?

(7). What about urination?  How often do you urinate?  Do you feel bloated in your lower abdomen?  Do you urinate more often at night?  What is the color of your urine, light/dark yellow, red, brown or other colour?  Does your urine have a strong odour?

(8). Do you drink a lot of water?  Why do you drink a lot of water?   Is it because you feel dry in the mouth?   Are you very thirsty?  Or, is it because you believe that more water is good for your health?  When you drink, do you prefer warm or cold water?  Does drinking water quench your thirst?  When you feel thirsty, do you have trouble urinating (slow stream, for instance)?

(9). Do you have swelling?  In which part of the body do you have swelling?  Is it in the upper or lower part of your body?  Or, is it only on your eyelids or around your ankles? How long have you had it?

(10). Do you feel stressed, anxious or excited and with high energy?   Is your emotional change related to your pain, bloating, vomiting? ….   Does your current disease follow emotional stimulation, such as fear, worry, excited? ….  Are you in a stressful situation?

(11). Did you have a special experience before this current disease?  For example, after sweating did you have a shower with cold water?  Did you go swimming?   Were you in a very cold room (garage, cold room, etc.)?   Did someone pour cold water over you? Did you bathe in cold water?  When was it, winter or summer?

(12). Do you have problems sleeping?  Do you have a clear mind when you cannot fall asleep?  Or, do you feel drowsy, annoyed?  Do you toss and turn, or feel uncomfortable in your stomach?  Do you feel drowsy during the day?

(13). Are you taking antibiotics or hormone medication?  Are you taking anything from your previous TCM doctor that belongs “Cold” herbs, such as Radix Isatidis, Fructus Forsythiae, rhubarb, Herba Hedyotis Diffusae, Honey-suckle… that are reported to have antibiotic and anti-cancer effects?  Have you taken any special therapy such as sweating therapy, diarrhea therapy, vomiting therapy, from your previous TCM doctors?

(14). Did your sufferings start in winter, spring, summer or fall?   Does it become worse during a particular season(s)?   Are there no specific patterns relating to the seasons? Similarly, does your suffering become worse or better at a certain time during the day, such as, is it worse in the morning, afternoon or in the evening?

There could be more questions, such as your cough, phlegm, history of periods and pregnancy etc. The questions listed above are just examples what your TCM doctor may ask you.  Lists here are only to remind you that your TCM doctor may ask more questions than your medical doctor. Your TCM doctor may repeat questions before and during treatment. 

Communication between you and your TCM doctor is most important and is most valuable to diagnose and implement an efficient treatment plan. 

2. Do not try to lure your doctor to relieve only your current pain

It has been often found that patients want the doctor pay attention to what they want the doctor to work on.  If the patient has knee pain, for instance, he/she may just want the doctor to solve the pain on the knee. When the doctor asks about his/her appetite, bowel movement, urine, he/she just answers “OK” to each question. Later, when the pain is released, he/she starts to describe other problems in the stomach, or pain in the head, and so on …..

It is for the TCM doctor to evaluate your body condition.  You may feel that some information is not important.  It could be vital to your TCM doctor in order to make a diagnosis. Remember, the way of thinking about your disease by your TCM doctor and your medical doctor is very different!

3. Prepare to go to your doctor

In Traditional Chinese Medicine, your doctor needs to see your tongue and feel your pulse.  So, do not drink any coloured beverages, nor brush your tongue! Do not use any coloured paint on your nails, lips, hair or face.   Leave it natural!

Also, bring with you all your medications to show the doctor.

NOW!      FEEL FREE TO PICK UP THE PHONE AND MAKE AN APPOINTMENT!

                                  YOUR HEALTH HAS MUCH TO GAIN  !!

                                                    GOOD LUCK!