Like western medicine, the first step to successful treatment with TCM is proper diagnosis. Once the syndromes (the nature of illness) are diagnosed, the TCM practitioner has already formed an opinion on the pathogenic factors, pathogenesis, location, and prognosis.
In my practice, I pay more attention to the syndromes than the disease itself. This means that if I find the same disease in a number of patients and determine that they have different syndromes, I treat each case differently. For example, two female patients each have polycystic ovarian syndromes (PCOS), but one patient’s PCOS is caused by Spleen and Kidney Deficiency, and the other by Liver Qi Stagnation. In treating each of these patients, I would use very different acupuncture points and herbs.
When the diseases presented in different patients are different, but the syndromes are the same, I treat the patients similarly. For example, if I have three infertility patients, one with PCOS, another with endometriosis and a third with premature ovarian failure (POF), and I find that they are all caused by Kidney Deficiency, then I would use very similar acupuncture points and herbs to treat these three patients.
Depending on the diagnosed syndromes, the patient’s personal constitution and diagnosis from the fertility clinic, I then outline a treatment objective. To achieve the treatment objective, I often use a combination of acupuncture and Chinese herbal medicine. Sometimes, nutritional supplements and dietary regulation are also used
