The main difference between Western medicine and TCM is the functional approach: Traditional Chinese medicine focuses on regulating and supporting, conventional medicine on replacing functions. So you could say that in the case of serious disorders of the body, conventional medicine should be used with priority, TCM in functional disorders. TCM can help to support and regulate bodily functions that are aimed at metabolism and the immune system.

It is believed that acupuncture was used as early as 200 BC. was fully developed. The first acupuncture needles were pieces of metal coated with verdigris. A round side was used to press and massage the skin's surface at different points. The pointed end was used for piercing under the skin. The points/body paths that were described at that time largely correspond to the meridians known today.

There are 12 pairs of major meridians—running on both sides of the body—named for the organs they energize and directly relate to, plus one meridian each on the anterior and posterior midlines of the body. The acupuncture points lie on these meridians.

According to TCM, a prerequisite for the success of acupuncture treatment is the selection of the appropriate meridians and acupuncture points with the help of traditional Chinese diagnostics.

is part of TCM diagnostics

• Face diagnostics - the external appearance
• Tongue diagnostics - the decisive factors are shape, color, moisture and texture
• Pulse diagnostics - is the center of TCM diagnostic methods.

An experienced TCM doctor uses all his senses for diagnostics. Based on the voice and the breath, the cough and also the body odor, he tries to determine in which functional circuit the disorder could lie.

If you have read this article, you will find that the diagnostic methods from TCM, Ayurveda and herbal medicine have many parallels.