Development of a Treatment Plan

The first visit involves providing  us with a fairly detailed medical history for a systems review. This process will allow us to tailor a treatment plan that recognizes not only the current chief complaint but the underlying constitutional pattern also.

The development of a TCM treatment plan involves a constitutional analysis and includes identification of the role of lifestyle issues and of external or environmental influences on current health. For this reason, the more details you can provide about the unique aspects about your life, the better. Many complex syndromes, e.g., arthritis, migraines/headaches, fatigue, anxiety/depression, have several differential diagnoses and therefore utilize different treatment strategies in TCM.

TCM doctors are really interested in behavioral details. Seemingly trivial issues like the tastes you like or crave  (e.g., sweet, sour, salty, fatty foods), eating and sleeping patterns, the primary emotions that make up your daily life, feelings of heat and cold, and sensory disturbances like tinnitus or paresthesias paint a more complete picture of the patients’ constitution.  We also want to know about bowel movements and activity patterns, and about discharges from the body like sweat, dribbling of urine or incontinence, and involuntary ejaculation or leucorrhea.

Healing and wellness requires the active participation of the patient. A broad range of adjunct therapies are used to facilitate the transition to well being.  Patient education and empowerment is a critical component of our services and  speeds up healing and recovery.

TCM treatment strategies may focus on balancing yin and yang, removing stagnation and regulating the movement of Qi and Blood and dispersing external pathogenic factors.  Supplementing techniques may also be used, as needed, to overcome  deficiencies due to trauma, chronic conditions such as overwork, or developmental conditions such as menopause, aging, etc.  More information about these matters can be found in the Intro to TCM page.

A variety of treatment modalities (e.g., acupuncture, cupping, gua sha, herbs, moxibustion, qigong, TuiNa) are used in the clinic.   For conditions treated, visit the Clinic Profile page.