May 11 2007
Abdominal Diagnosis
It is not common in the practice of acupuncture to use palpation as a method of gathering information to help one decide on a course of treatment. In herbal medicine, this has been a much less used method. At least here in the United States.
When living in Taiwan, I came across a book called the Medical Dictionary of Kampo Diagnosis and Treatment, (漢方診療醫典 Han Fang Zhen Liao Yi Dian), it was written by Dr. Otsuka Yoshinori, a Japanese practitioner of Chinese medicine, and translated into Chinese. It is a fine collection of the author’s clinical experience, written in a refreshingly candid fashion. Most interesting to me, was a section in the front, where he outlines a variety of abdominal patterns which indict which classic formula would be appropriate.
Abdominal signs are discussed in both the Ling Shu and Su Wen in the Yellow Emperior’s Internal Classic. While it appears abdominal diagnosis was a part of Han dynasty medical practice, and indeed there are lines in the Shang Han Lun that mention palpatory abdominal findings, it fell out of favor in later years. In Japan, however, that portion of the tradition has been preserved, and is part of the Kampo (漢方 han fang) tradition, where abdominal signs are the confirmation for prescribing various formulas.
The translation of this material on abdominal palpation and formula selection was a collaborative effort with Steve Clavey, editor of the fine Australian English language journal on Chinese medicine, The Lantern, where this article was first published. Get it here: SHL Abdominal Patterns I
While Michael Max and Steve Clavey retain the copy write on this article, it may be downloaded for individual use.
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