Блог Анкара

In This Chapter

^ Understanding self-diagnosis ^ Examining your tongue ^ Reading your face

^ Looking at other types of self-diagnosis ^ Finding out more about self-diagnosis

5elf-diagnosis is all about discovering how to read the body’s everyday signs and signals that reflect your state of health. Analysing your own body isn’t a substitute for orthodox or complementary medical diagnosis in the case of illness. Rather, self-diagnosis is a way of monitoring your health and possibly preventing disease by detecting early signs of imbalance.

In this chapter, I describe some common forms of self-diagnosis that have their roots in complementary therapies and traditional medicine. You’ll find out how to read your tongue, face, and various other body parts. Their signs can give you important health clues.

You can use some of these diagnostic techniques to have a bit of fun and develop quite a handy party trick or even a new chat-up line – ‘Would you like to stick out your tongue at me and let me read it for you?’ (Well, maybe not!) Seriously, though, you can use these self-diagnostic techniques to increase your awareness and get to know your body much better.

Finding Out about Self-Diagnosis

Self-diagnosis has its roots in traditional medicine, going back to a time when physicians and healers weren’t readily available and people had to take greater care of their own health. Reading your own body also goes back to a time when people lived lives that were more in tune with the natural cycles, rather than dominated by the artificial, urban environments in which many of us now live, more cut off from nature, fresh air, natural daylight, and the changing seasons.

In those ancient times, people were able to read their environment by knowing what weather to expect from observing the behaviour of birds and insects or observing the form and movements of clouds. They also seem to have been able to read the body any try to remedy any upsets.

This chapter offers some examples of these ancient techniques that you can use to understand your own body better.

Exploring Tongue Diagnosis

Stick out your tongue in front of a mirror and look at its shape, colour, coating, and any movement.

According to Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM), the Tongue proper (that is, the shape and colour of the tongue itself) links to the various organs and also reflects general circulation and overall hydration of the body. The tongue coating, which lies on the surface, can indicate your health condition or the

Nature and stage of a particular disease.

A normal tongue is light red in colour, has free motion, and has a thin layer of clear, or slightly white, coating that is neither too dry nor too moist.

Reading signs of the tongue proper

Take a look at your own tongue and use the guide below to detect signs that, according to TCM, may indicate some imbalance:

A pale tongue indicates problems such as frequent colds, kidney or adrenal weakness, or joint problems.

A red tongue indicates conditions such as pain, inflamed joints, irritable bowel, and allergies.

A deep red tongue can indicate the late stage of fever.

A purple tongue can indicate blood stagnation and poor circulation of vital energy as seen in premenstrual syndrome (PMS) and fatigue syndromes.

A full, flabby, soft tongue with teeth marks shows weak digestion, catarrh, and heavy, aching limbs.

A tongue with a red tip indicates stress and circulation problems and sometimes heart problems.

A tongue with a lot of cracks can indicate dehydration and/or exhaustion of body fluids due to fever (although a few people are simply born with a cracked tongue).

E* A ‘thorny’ tongue with lots of little raised red bumps on the surface can indicate ‘internal heat’, often inflammation of the liver or intestines, and may also be due to vitamin B deficiency.

*e A tongue that can’t stop quivering, or that is deviated to one side, can indicate liver imbalance, for example, due to too much stress, alcohol or sweet foods, or an excess of catarrh and phlegm.

Observing tongue coatings

The Tongue coating Lies on the surface of the tongue (it isn’t the colour of the body of the tongue itself). Here’s what the tongue coating can tell you:

*e A thin white coating can indicate a fairly recent ‘cold’ or ‘deficiency’ condition such as a common cold.

*e A thick white coating suggests food retention and sluggish digestion.

*e A sticky white coating indicates excess phlegm.

*e A thick yellow coating can be a sign of digestive problems such as constipation. If the coating is dry, the problem is usually with the stomach and intestines; if it is wet you may have excess phlegm.

*e A thin yellow coating can signify a lung infection.

*e A greyish or black tongue coating (yes, the coating can actually be black!) usually indicates a significant health problem. If your tongue is either of these colours, consult a health professional as soon as possible.

*e A peeled tongue, sometimes called a ‘geographic tongue’ because it looks like a map, can indicate a crisis point in a long illness.

Always observe the tongue in good daylight and exclude obvious false phenomena such as a purple tongue after sucking a blackcurrant lolly or a red tip after burning it on a hot drink.

Organ correspondences

In Chinese and Japanese medicine, the tip of the tongue is said to correspond with the heart, and the area just behind it, at the front of the tongue, corresponds with the lungs. The middle of the tongue corresponds with the stomach and spleen while the sides reflect the liver and gall bladder. Finally, the back or ‘root’ of the tongue corresponds to the kidneys and urinary bladder (see Figure 3-1).

A couple of years ago one of my students, Moira, took my course on self-diagnosis in the Oriental medical traditions and was surprised to be diagnosed with a ‘cold condition’ during pair work on tongue diagnosis. Her partner had observed a pale tongue and a thick white coating, especially in the area at the front of the tongue corresponding to the lungs, and had concluded that this indicated a lung cold. Moira was rather sceptical about the merits of this diagnosis because she felt perfectly healthy at the time. However, a few days later she phoned saying: ‘Do you know, that tongue diagnosis was accurate after all! That evening I felt shivery and by

The following morning I had a runny nose and phlegmy cough and ended up with a terrible cold for three days!’ Apparently, the imbalance had been reflected in her tongue Before The actual symptoms manifested fully – a situation often observed by practitioners in clinical practice. She now checks her tongue every morning when she brushes her teeth and at the first sign of any white coating she takes some vitamin C and the herb Echinacea (designed to boost the immune system) and takes care to get plenty of rest and fluids. She’s found that this early warning system and preventive action works for her and she hasn’t had a cold since.

For example, nodules at the back of the tongue can indicate kidney weakness and fatigue or bladder problems, a red tip can indicate stress and maybe raised blood pressure or other circulatory problem, a yellow coating in the centre can indicate stomach upset or other digestive problem, and so on.

Tongues in Ayurvedic and Tibetan medicine

In Ayurveda, abnormalities in the tongue reflect abnormalities in the three Doshas, Or ‘vital energies’. A dry, rough, cracked tongue with a dark coating indicates Vata (wind) disturbance; a red, hot tongue with a burning sensation indicates Pitta (choler or bile) disturbance; and a pale tongue that’s wet, slimy, and white-coated indicates Kapha (phlegm) disturbance. (For more about what these disturbances reflect, take a look at Chapter 5.)

In Tibetan medicine, a red tongue indicates ‘hot’ diseases and a white tongue ‘cold’ diseases. Loong (‘wind’) disturbances are reflected in pale tongues with white coatings; Tripa (‘bile’) conditions have red tongues with yellow coatings, and Peken F‘phlegm’) diseases have flabby, tongues with greasy, wet coatings. (For more about these signs, check out Chapter 6.)

Exploring Face Diagnosis

Face diagnosis features in Chinese, Japanese, Ayurvedic, and Tibetan medicine. This form of diagnosis involves looking at the shape of the face and the arrangement and appearance of individual facial features, such as the eyes, mouth, nose, and ears, to determine the health of the internal organs and predisposition to disease.

In Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM), facial signs are interpreted in terms of the person’s Yin And Yang Balance – that is, the balance of ‘male’ and ‘female’ energies in the body (to find out much more about Yin And Yang, Have a look at Chapter 4).

Checking out face shape

A face shaped in a downward pointing triangle with a large forehead, pointed chin, and features spaced apart is said to indicate a Yin Constitution and a person with a tendency toward ‘deficiency’ conditions such as fatigue and muscle weakness. Conversely, a face with a square jaw, small forehead, and features set close together is thought to indicate a Yang Constitution and a predisposition toward inflammatory or painful conditions such as joint pain and irritable bowel disorder.

Investigating the eyes

The eyes are believed to give away vital information about diet, digestion, and general health. Large eyes are said to reflect high intake of Yin Foods,

Such as sugar, while small eyes indicate a diet dominated by Yang Foods, such as meat and animal products.

Sparse eyebrows are said to indicate an excess of sugar in the diet, while short eyelashes suggest a predominance of meat and animal products.

Puffiness or dark rings under the eyes can indicate problems with kidney or adrenal function and/or fluid retention.

Eye whites showing under and around the iris reflect a condition known as Sanpaku (‘three whites’) in Japanese medicine. Sanpaku Is said to indicate an excess of sugar in the diet and an unhealthy lifestyle.

Examining the nose

Narrow noses with small nostrils are believed to indicate weak lungs while bulbous, red noses can be linked to over-indulgence in food and drink and heart problems. Long noses are thought to be a sign of a Yin Constitution while short noses can indicate a Yang Constitution.

Observing the mouth

A small mouth with thin lips is said to indicate a Yin Constitution while a large mouth with thick lips is thought to be more Yang. Dark, purple lips indicate poor blood circulation, and are often seen in people suffering from premenstrual pain, while pale, dry lips can indicate poor stomach function.

Considering Other Forms of Self-Diagnosis

Other forms of self-diagnosis used by complementary medicine practitioners that can also be used by you to monitor your own health include urine and stool diagnosis. Many people don’t like to pay any attention to urine and faeces, yet they can be really useful in monitoring your health.

Ayurvedic urinalysis

In Ayurvedic medicine, urine analysis can help determine your constitutional ‘type’. Chapter 5 explains the lifestyle advice that you can adopt to help your health and has more about Ayurveda. Here’s a sample of urine analysis (no, not a physical one!):

If your urine is frequent, clear, and odourless, then you may have a predominance of Vata - follow the lifestyle advice for Vata Types.

If your urine is scanty, deep yellow or brown in colour, and has a burnt odour, then you may have a predominance of Pitta And should follow the lifestyle advice for Pitta Types.

If your urine is copious, whitish in colour, and has a stale smell, then you may have a predominance of Kapha. Follow the lifestyle advice for Kapha Types.

Stool analysis

Stool diagnosis, as used in various therapies, can help you monitor your health and remedy imbalance:

If your stool is pale and contains undigested pieces of food, then Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) suggests that this is due to poor digestion and a weak spleen and stomach. To remedy this situation, you need to use acupuncture, acupressure, and/or Chinese herbs, and eat predominantly warm and easily digestible foods.

I If your stool is hard and dry, then according to nutritionists, this can indicate dehydration and a lack of essential fatty acids (EFAs). Drinking more water and increasing EFAs in your diet, such as from oily fish, seeds, nuts, and plant oils, can help to remedy the situation.

I If your stool contains parasites, such as small threadworms, then herbalists recommend using sweet wormwood (Artemisia annua), A powerful, bitter herb, plus other digestive and bitter herbs to eradicate the parasites and support gut ecology.

Taking the Necessary Precautions

None of the forms of self-diagnosis described above can be taken as definite indications about your state of health. They’re based on the ancient medical traditions and have been used for centuries. However, little scientific evidence backs them up at this time. I suggest that you use them as a way of increasing your self-awareness and of getting to know your body better.

Please remember that self-diagnosis is never a substitute for professional diagnosis by a doctor or other experienced health professional. If in any doubt about a sign or symptom that your body has revealed, always seek advice from a medical or qualified complementary medicine practitioner.

Part II

In This Chapter

^ Understanding complementary medicine diagnosis

^ Asking questions about your health

^ Examining the tongue and pulse for clues to your health

^ Exploring complementary medicine testing and diagnostic devices

^ Looking at the evidence for diagnoses

Complementary medicine practitioners use a range of techniques to assess your health and diagnose the root cause of your illness or imbalance. They use this diagnostic information to determine the best course of treatment for you.

Some diagnostic approaches are more art than science, with their roots going back hundreds or even thousands of years. These approaches include tongue and pulse diagnoses, as used by practitioners of traditional Chinese, Japanese, Tibetan, and Ayurvedic (Indian) medicine. These diagnostic methods involve great sensitivity and skill on behalf of the practitioners who claim they’re really useful tools in ‘reading’ the body. However, many modern medics reject these techniques because they haven’t been scientifically proven.

Other diagnostic methods are more firmly rooted in science and some 21st century complementary medicine practitioners use many diagnostic techniques that are also used by orthodox medical doctors, such as laboratory tests, blood analyses, and x-rays.

In this chapter, I give you a guided tour of the different types of complementary medicine diagnosis and point out how reliable they may (or may not) be.

Finding Out about Diagnosis in Complementary Medicine

In this section, I discuss the following main forms of diagnosis used by complementary practitioners:

U Questioning: Includes questions about your physical and emotional health, symptoms, lifestyle, diet, and sleep patterns

U Observation: Includes examination of your tongue, your general appearance, and gait, as well as iris diagnosis and micro-diagnosis

U Palpation: Includes checking pulse and pressure points, Hara (abdominal) diagnosis, and foot reflexology

U Physical diagnosis: Includes muscle testing and mobility testing

U* Clinical signs: Includes examining changes in the appearance of your skin, hair, nails, and eyes

U Charting and calculations: Includes food diaries, sleep diaries, and Tibetan medical astrology

U Testing: Includes laboratory tests and electro-diagnostic measurement devices

U* ‘Energetic’ diagnosis: Includes methods for sensing the electro-magnetic field around your body

Questioning

Many practitioners start by asking you to describe any current symptoms that you’re concerned about. They’re interested in when the symptoms started, their nature and severity, and what alleviates or aggravates them. Your practitioner will also want to know of any treatment you may have had so far and its effect. The practitioner will also ask about your medical history, including any previous ailments, accidents, or surgery, and details of any present or past medication.

Always remember to inform your practitioner of any pharmaceutical drugs, nutritional supplements, and herbal, homeopathic, or other medicine you’re currently taking, or any other therapies you’re undergoing, in case of any possible interactions.

Jane came to see me suffering from persistent, unexplained tiredness (a common medical syndrome called TATT, or ‘tired all the time’). Her doctor had carried out various medical investigations but nothing abnormal had revealed. Jane had been advised to take some time off and get some rest. She’d followed this advice but felt no better. A dietary analysis showed that she was eating and drinking a huge amount of energy-sapping foods, that is, foods that are low in nutrients and high in stimulants. She lived on coffee, fizzy drinks, sugary sweets, pizzas, and ready meals. She was also unhappy in her job and felt stressed because she had the workload of two people after a colleague had left and not been replaced. Her sleep habits were also erratic because she often worked late into the night.

Tongue diagnosis revealed nodules at the rear and a red tip, which are signs in Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) that the person is under stress and has kidney/adrenal weakness. The adrenals are small glands that sit on top of your kidneys and control the release of the hormone adrenalin, which speeds up your heart rate and increases the oxygen supply to the muscles in times of need such as fight, flight, or fright.

Palpation of the pulse revealed a weak pulse overall and a deep, faint pulse in both the ‘kidney positions’ on her wrists (TCM practitioners take pulses for each of the internal organs at different points on the wrist). A laboratory saliva test confirmed that she had adrenal insufficiency – that is, her adrenals were worn out due to continued over-stimulation from dietary stimulants and stress.

Thus, from a holistic point of view her tiredness could be seen as due to a combination of (i) dietary insufficiency (a lack of essential nutrients), (ii) adrenal insufficiency (over-stimulation of the adrenal glands due to stress and dietary stimulants), (iii) inadequate rest and poor sleep, and (iv) work stress and job dissatisfaction.

Jane’s immediate symptoms were remedied by means of dietary change, nutritional supplementation, adrenal support, and natural sleep aids. Jane also made the decision to change her job and to join a gym. Within a month she was bursting with energy, her tongue and pulse were normal, her sleep was good, and she was happily in training for a charity trek on Mount Kilimanjaro!

Sv—

The practitioner may also be interested to know about the health history of your immediate family (in particular your parents, grandparents, and siblings), and may use this to determine your health risk factors and predisposition to disease. For example, women who have more than one female relative diagnosed with breast cancer have an increased risk of developing it themselves. In these situations, the practitioner can then advise you on steps to take to decrease whatever your risk may be. In some traditional medical systems, such as Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM), knowledge of your parents’ and grandparents’ health history, and the order of your birth in relation to your siblings, is used to determine how much ‘source Qi (pronounced Chee) - that is, core vitality – you have.

Other questions are likely to cover your diet, lifestyle, stress levels, mental and emotional health, and your daily habits such as sleep, exercise, and recreation. Homeopaths, for example, use answers to lifestyle questions to build a picture of your ideal constitutional remedy (for more about this, see Chapter 10 on homeopathy).

Most complementary practitioners consider you from a holistic viewpoint. They use these different bits of information to build a picture of your current symptoms in the context of your overall health and well-being.

You don’t have to have a health complaint to go to a complementary medicine practitioner. Some people are symptom-free but choose complementary medicine because they believe that it can help them optimise their health and prevent disease. In such cases, the questioning may be more focused on your existing lifestyle and health and desired optimal health goals.

Observation

In observational diagnosis, the practitioner may examine a particular part of the body to identify signs that reflect something going on in another part of the body, or may observe the movement and appearance of the whole body to determine more general underlying factors. This section includes descriptions of some of the more common types of observational diagnosis.

Tongue diagnosis

Tongue diagnosis is used by most traditional Chinese, Japanese, Tibetan, and Ayurvedic (Indian) medicine practitioners. You’re asked to stick out your tongue so that the practitioner can observe its shape, colour, coating, and any movement. According to these traditional medicine systems, different tongue shapes and appearances can give valuable information about specific internal organ function as well as general health. For example, a thick, yellow coating in the middle of the tongue is considered indicative of sluggish bowels and constipation.

Chinese and Japanese tongue diagnoses are the most detailed, with more than 100 different types of tongues identified, all relating to different patterns of individual organ balance. Tibetan and Ayurvedic medicine use a more simplified form of tongue diagnosis that concentrates on establishing the general balance within the body’s constitution, rather than focusing on individual internal organs. Western medicine also uses a simple form of tongue diagnosis.

Little scientific evidence supports the more detailed form of tongue diagnosis used in the traditional medical systems and by many complementary medicine practitioners today. Chapter 3 has more details on tongue diagnosis.

Iris diagnosis

Also known as Iridology, In this form of diagnosis the practitioner examines your iris (the coloured part of your eye) by means of either a special measurement device or a hand-held magnifying glass designed for eye inspection.

The practitioner looks for specific marks and signs in particular parts of the iris that are believed to correspond with specific parts of the body. This form of diagnosis is often used by naturopaths or nature cure practitioners and sometimes by people solely trained in this technique. Some slight evidence supports the use of this technique but more research is needed.

For more about this intriguing form of diagnosis, read Chapters 8 and 13 on nature cure and naturopathy.

Micro-diagnosis

The face, ears, abdomen, back, feet, fingers, and toes can be used diagnostically to reflect the body as a whole. This is called Micro-diagnosis. For example, in TCM face diagnosis, the areas under the eyes are linked to the kidneys, so grey bags under the eyes are believed to be indicative of adrenal exhaustion. In Japanese finger diagnosis the thumbs are linked to the lungs, so deformed or weak thumb nails may be indicative of past or underlying lung conditions such as asthma. However, the evidence for this is only anecdotal so this form of diagnosis is not accepted by many doctors.

More on this type of diagnosis appears in Chapter 7 on Japanese medicine.

Appearance and gait

Before diagnosis, the practitioner observes you from the moment you enter the room, noticing your gait and general appearance in case either has a bearing on your symptoms. For example, you may visit an osteopath because of back pain and as you walk in, the practitioner may observe that you have a very lopsided gait. Further physical investigation may reveal that one leg is longer than the other and that this leg discrepancy causes pelvic and lower-back imbalance, which causes the back pain. By re-adjusting pelvic alignment and recommending the use of special inner soles for your shoes, called Orthotics, Your back pain may be dramatically relieved.

Alternatively, a practitioner may observe that a person’s gait is very stooped and their appearance dishevelled, prompting the practitioner to ask questions about mood and self-care. This combination of observational diagnoses and questioning may reveal that the person is actually suffering from depression even though this had not been mentioned as a symptom. Depression can then be addressed by the practitioner.

This type of observational diagnosis can have preliminary importance but then needs to be backed up with other diagnosis to confirm the significance of the observation.

Palpation

Palpation Involves applying light pressure to different parts of the body to determine the body’s response, or to feel for areas of tenderness, pain, heat, and so on. The most commonly used forms of palpation are pulse diagnosis, pressure point diagnosis, and abdominal diagnosis.

Pulse diagnosis

Traditional Chinese, Japanese, Ayurvedic, and Tibetan medicine practitioners rely strongly on pulse diagnosis. In Western medicine, only a single pulse is taken at the wrist to determine the rate of blood flow with each heartbeat. However, in the traditional medical systems, pulses are taken at three points on each wrist and at different depths. Each position is said to correspond to a different internal organ and to give information about its functioning.

The well-known Tibetan physician, Dr Yeshe Donden, was invited to carry out a ward round at an American hospital. He was presented with patients without being given any information about their medical condition or medical history and invited to diagnose them simply with his pulse-taking skills. The American doctors were amazed when, without any questions to the patients, Dr Donden was able to accurately diagnose health problems, including a faulty heart valve.

Western medicine finds it hard to comprehend this concept of tuning into the body using just the artery on the wrist and because this technique is difficult to measure and verify scientifically, many medics dismiss it.

More information on different types of pulse-taking appears in the chapters of Part II.

Pressure points

^W-f^ Many complementary medicine practitioners palpate the skin in order to determine points of sensitivity or pain known as Pressure points. Pressure ‘ A ‘ points can give information about the condition of underlying tissues and organs but may also be used to give information about related internal organs according to Meridian Or other body maps. For example:

Osteopaths, chiropractors, and massage therapists palpate to locate areas of inflammation and to get information about structural alignment and the health of the joints and surrounding tissues.

IU Reflexologists use painful points on the feet to diagnose internal organ health according to a zone system that links specific points on the feet with specific internal organs and body parts.

I Acupuncturists palpate to locate points where the flow of vital energy, or Qi, May be blocked in the acupuncture meridians (energy channels).

Painful pressure at certain points is believed to indicate malfunction in related internal organs. For example, a point on the upper side of the foot, above the groove between the big and the fourth toes (known as the Liver 3 point) is said to become very sensitive if a person has a hangover and a weakened liver due to excess alcohol!

Little evidence supports these forms of diagnosis, other than the fact that they’ve been used for thousands of years. Many medics reject these forms of diagnosis, and more research is needed.

For more on these approaches see the relevant chapters that cover osteopathy, acupuncture, and reflexology.

Abdominal palpation

Another form of palpation is Abdominal diagnosis, Also known as Hara Diagnosis or Ampuku. This involves firm pressure to different parts of the abdomen, which is used both diagnostically and to give treatment. No real scientific evidence supports the use of this technique, although it’s been used clinically for hundreds of years, which many feel is a testimony to its effectiveness.

For more on abdominal diagnosis check out Chapter 7 on Japanese medicine.

Physical diagnosis

Physical examination is an important part of diagnosis for several types of practitioners, especially osteopaths and chiropractors. These practitioners usually ask you to bend your spine and move your joints in different ways to determine your level of mobility and your range of movement.

Kinesiologists and Touch for Health practitioners use muscle testing as part of their examination. This testing involves ‘challenging’ a muscle by applying gentle pressure that you have to resist. Kinesiologists believe that the muscles are linked to specific internal organs and body systems and that muscle weakness reflects internal organ or body system weakness.

Chapters 14 and 15 cover osteopathy and chiropractic, and Chapter 16 explains kinesiology.

Clinical signs

Clinical signs are like signposts on the road to a destination (the diagnosis). These signs may be changes in the appearance of your skin, hair, nails, eyes, and so on, or perhaps a bloated abdomen or swollen glands. All these signs may be linked to specific diseases or imbalances according to the various complementary medicine approaches. So, for a practitioner of Traditional Chinese Medicine, spots around the mouth would be linked to problems with the large intestine and digestion, according to the meridian pathways. Ridged nails may indicate a zinc deficiency to a nutritionist.

Complementary medical practitioners who’ve completed a full, professional training course of several years (usually a degree course that also includes practical training in clinical skills) are also carefully trained to recognise specific physical, emotional, or mental signs that may indicate serious diseases requiring medical attention – for example, excessive thirst and weight loss are potentially linked to diabetes, while chest pain and breathlessness may be linked to heart disease.

Sometimes, clinical signs may all be linked together to confirm a diagnosis. To an acupuncturist, for example, headaches, irritability, abdominal fullness and bloating, a love of sour foods, and an aggravation of symptoms in the spring are all linked to a liver imbalance. This diagnosis is according to the system of correspondences of Five Element Theory (to find out more about this, see Chapter 4) and makes perfect sense to a TCM practitioner, but wouldn’t make a lot of sense to an orthodox medic with no background in TCM.

Charting and calculations

Several complementary medicine disciplines use charting or paper calculations as part of their diagnosis. A nutritionist is likely to ask you to complete a food diary and uses it to analyse your nutritional status and the suitability of your diet. Tibetan and Ayurvedic physicians sometimes calculate your birth chart and use astrology to determine what sort of diseases you may be predisposed to. Naturopaths may ask you to keep sleep, food, and lifestyle records that may be analysed for patterns as part of the diagnostic process.

Testing

Laboratory or home-kit testing used by complementary practitioners can include blood, saliva, hair, urine, and stool tests. These tests may be used to determine many things including vitamin and mineral status, allergies, food intolerance, hormone balance, the presence of parasites, and more.

Manipulative therapists, such as osteopaths and chiropractors, may use x-rays and scans to check on structural balance; they may also use equipment to check blood pressure or small hammers to test muscle reflexes.

Many of these forms of testing are also used by medical doctors and are well-accepted in orthodox medicine although some of the newer tests, such as tests for food intolerances remain controversial despite growing scientific evidence to support their use.

Other methods of testing may involve specially designed devices such as the equipment used to examine the eyes in iridology or the electro-acupuncture devices used to measure the flow of vital energy (qi) In the acupuncture meridians (see Chapter 22 for details on these energy medicine devices). These are less well-accepted in orthodox medicine and have little scientific evidence to support their use.

Energetic diagnosis

Energetic diagnosis involves assessing the Aura Or electro-magnetic field believed to surround each person and may be determined using the hands or a measurement device.

In manual diagnosis the practitioner runs their hands above the surface of your body to detect subtle changes in the electro-magnetic field according to changes in sensations felt in the hands that may indicate health problems.

In other cases a diagnostic measurement device may be used. An example of this is Kirlian photography, whereby images of the energetic field around the body are alleged to be captured photographically, (see Chapter 22 for more about such energy medicine techniques).

These methods of ‘energetic’ diagnosis are controversial and aren’t accepted within conventional medicine because no real scientific evidence supports them.

Complementary versus Orthodox Medical Diagnosis

Many different forms of diagnosis are used in complementary medicine. Different therapies employ different techniques and the diagnoses may not always agree. The diagnoses can also be quite different from orthodox medical ones.

Practitioners must take great care to ensure that they don’t miss spotting any serious medical conditions.

Met

Taking the necessary precautions

Certain symptoms are regarded as red flags that require proper medical investigation. A well-trained complementary medicine professional should spot these and refer you on to your GP or other medical specialist. However some complementary therapists who have only undergone a very short training, such as a short course in a particular type of massage, may not know how to spot these warning signs.

If you have any of the symptoms listed below, or are in any doubt about a diagnosis you’ve been given, seek a second opinion from a medical practitioner or another well-qualified complementary medicine practitioner:

I Chest pain or discomfort, especially if accompanied by sudden shortness of breath.

I Persistent cough or coughing up of blood.

I Prolonged difficulty breathing or swallowing.

Unexplained bleeding, such as from the vagina or anus. I Persistent headaches or head pain.

Blurred vision or other persistent visual disturbance.

Unexplained lumps, swellings, or persistent pain.

I Changes in size or appearance, or presence of lumps, in breasts or testicles, plus any discharge.

I Unexplained dizziness, mental changes, or memory loss.

I Persistent stomach or abdominal pain.

I Changes in size, shape, or colour of any mole on the skin or any sudden itching or bleeding from a mole.

I Sudden skin changes, such as a rash, especially if accompanied by high fever.

I Unexplained swelling of the legs or abdomen.

I Severe allergic reactions.

Prolonged, unexplained weight loss and/or loss of appetite and/or excessive thirst.

I Difficulty urinating, such as experiencing blockage and being unable to maintain flow (men) or increased frequency and painful, burning urination (women).

I High fever or loss of consciousness.

I Prolonged, unexplained fatigue.

I Compulsive repetition of simple daily tasks, excessive mood swings, paranoia, or delusions.

All these symptoms may be indicative of serious health conditions and need to be investigated fully.

Weighing up the evidence

Although many of the complementary medicine diagnostic techniques have little, or no, scientific evidence to support their use, don’t forget that many of them have been used for hundreds or even thousands of years.

Many practitioners who’ve practised for years to refine these diagnostic skills are convinced of their effectiveness and feel it may be only a matter of time before scientific research is able to confirm their accuracy.