✵In TCM, syndrome differentiation is the process of conducting an overall analysis of clinical data to determine the location, cause, and nature of a syndrome and to establish a syndrome (or pattern) diagnosis.
The following important aspects of TCM syndrome differentiation are introduced: Eight-Principle Syndrome Differentiation, Six-Meridian Syndrome Differentiation, Defense-Qi-Nutrient-Blood Syndrome Differentiation, Triple-Energizer Syndrome Differentiation, Qi-Blood Syndrome Differentiation, Body-Fluid Syndrome Differentiation, Disease-Cause Syndrome Differentiation, and Zang-Fu Viscera Syndrome Differentiation.
Eight-Principle Syndrome Differentiation, also known as Eight-Principle Pattern Identification, is the process of diagnosing a syndrome (or pattern) by analyzing the patient’s condition according to the eight principles. This involves differentiating the location of a disease as either exterior or interior, distinguishing the nature of a disease as either cold or heat, identifying the patient’s condition as either deficiency or excess, and classifying the syndrome or pattern as either yin or yang.
Six-Meridian Syndrome Differentiation
Six-Meridian Syndrome Differentiation, also known as Six-Meridian Pattern Identification, involves differentiating syndromes (or identifying patterns) according to the theory of the six meridians. This method is primarily applied to the diagnosis of acute febrile diseases at different stages, but it is also useful for syndrome differentiation (or pattern identification) in other diseases.
Defense-Qi-Nutrient-Blood Syndrome Differentiation, also known as Four-Aspect Pattern Identification, is a method of syndrome differentiation (or pattern identification) for epidemic febrile diseases based on the theory of defense, Qi, nutrient, and blood. These aspects reflect the stages of disease progression and the corresponding pathological changes.
Triple-Energizer Syndrome Differentiation
Triple-Energizer Syndrome Differentiation, also known as Triple-Energizer Pattern Identification, is a method of syndrome differentiation (or pattern identification) based on the theory of the triple energizer.
Qi-Blood Syndrome Differentiation
Qi-Blood Syndrome Differentiation, also known as Qi-Blood Pattern Identification, involves differentiating syndromes (or identifying patterns) based on the state of Qi and blood.
Body-Fluid Syndrome Differentiation
Body-Fluid Syndrome Differentiation, also known as Body-Fluid Pattern Identification, involves differentiating syndromes (or identifying patterns) based on the condition of body fluids.
Disease-Cause Syndrome Differentiation
Disease-Cause Syndrome Differentiation, also known as Disease-Cause Pattern Identification, involves analyzing and differentiating pathological conditions attributable to various etiological factors to arrive at a diagnosis.
Zang-Fu Syndrome Differentiation
Zang-Fu Syndrome Differentiation, also known as Zang-Fu Pattern Identification, involves identifying and differentiating syndromes (or patterns) based on the pathological changes of the Zang-Fu viscera.