The first time you consult a TCM practitioner, you may be stumped by the questions the practitioner asks about your health. Questions like “do you feel thirsty?”, “do you feel hungry very easily?”, “how is your urination?” etc. may appear strange and unrelated to your condition at first.
However, in TCM, these seemingly insignificant details are actually common indicators of one’s health, and can be used together with other diagnosis methods to better understand the patient’s body condition. Nevertheless, some patients may be unaware of the importance of these indicators and may not have noticed them in their everyday lives.
Therefore, in this article, we would like to share with you several such indicators that you can observe, in order for you and your TCM practitioner to understand more about your health.
1) Mood or emotions
In TCM, it is believed that one’s emotions can affect one’s internal organs, and changes in one’s internal organs can affect our emotional output. For example, mental stress and worry can often affect the liver and spleen, which can lead to problems with Qi circulation and digestive issues. Fire in the liver can also result in a bad temper.
Therefore, it is good to look out for any long term tendency or recent changes in your mood or emotions.
Here are a few examples:
Do you feel easily frustrated or irritable?
Do you often feel stressed?
Do you have a hot temper?
Do you often feel sad or downcast?
The above questions may help your TCM practitioner understand the cause of your ailment or deduce which organ could be affected.
2) Urine
Our urine is a good indicator of several aspects of our health, such as the heatiness / coolness of our body and how well our body regulates fluids. Since urine is most closely associated with the bladder and kidneys, it can also highlight the health status of these organs.
For example, frequent clear urination may indicate a lack of Yang energy in the kidneys.
Some things to observe about your urine include:
Frequency
Amount
Colour
Any pain or unusual sensations?
3) Stools
Stools are great at revealing the state of one’s health, particularly that of the intestines and spleen. For example, loose watery stools may point to a weak spleen and a poorer digestive system. Sticky stools may signify the presence of damp-heat in the body.
Do not be afraid to observe your stools and tell your TCM practitioner what it is like, as such information can be useful for diagnosis.
Things you can take note of:
Frequency
How often do you pass motion?
Characteristic of the stools
Is there any difficulty in passing motion?
Is it hard, watery or sticky?
Is there any unusual colouration, e.g. very yellowish, very black and tarry, red spots etc.?
Is there any unusual odour?
Others
Do you have gassiness?
Is there any pain? > Continue to part 2
当你首次找中医师诊病时，你可能会觉得医师所问的问题莫名其妙。例如“你会口渴吗？”，“会容易肚子饿吗？”，“小便如何？ ”等在表面上可能与你病情毫无关的问题。
其实，此些问题是中医常运用的健康指标，并可合与其它诊断法（如把脉，看舌等）来更深了解患者的病情或体质。许多病人会在日常生活中忽略了或无顾这些重要的健康提示，因为它们仿佛是与健康扯不上关系的生活小细节吧了。
故此，此篇幅将于大家分享一些您可自我观察的健康指示，以便医师能更了解您的健康状况
一，情绪
中医认为人的情绪易影响脏腑，而脏腑内的变化也可改变情绪。例如压力过大及过度思虑可损伤肝与脾，导致气机运行不畅及消化系统病变，而肝脏又“火”也能导致急躁易怒。因此应该注意自己有何经久情绪倾向或近来情志上的改变。以下列下几个例子：
你是否易感心烦？
你是否易发怒？
你是否长期情绪低落？
你是否感觉生活压力重大？
以上问题可助于中医师更理解发病原因或查出哪一个脏腑受损。
二，尿液
观察尿液能得知身体健康的几个方面，如体内寒热的平衡，身体运化水湿的功能等。因为尿液与肾脏和膀胱关系最密切，所以也能指出此些脏腑的健康水平。例如小便清长可反映肾阳不足。
以下列下观察小便的几个局面：
频率
尿量
尿色
小便时有何疼痛或其他异感？
三，粪便
观察大便可得知许多关于体内健康状况的资料，尤其肠胃及脾脏的健康水平。例如大便稀溏可反映脾虚及消化系统病变。
粪便的形状及软硬度等资料均有助于诊断。
注意事项：
频率
你排便次数如何？
便质及排便感
你排便有困难吗？
便质干硬，稀溏还是黏滞？
是否异常着色（例如浓黄色，黑如柏油状，血色等）？
是否有异常气味？
其他
是否胀风或经常矢气？
是否疼痛？
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