Acupuncture is a gentle, safe, drug-free treatment. It is proven effective to regain and maintain health. The job of an acupuncture physician is akin to that of a good detective. Inserting the needles properly is a skill; knowing where to put the needles and why to place them on the points selected is a more complicated task that requires education and experience. To determine the diagnosis and treatment plan, the acupuncture physician utilizes several methods of information gathering. One historical method from Traditional Chinese Medicine method is called the “Ten Questions Song.” This method dates to late in the Ming Dynasty (1563-1640) and is accredited to the acupuncture physician, Jie-bin Zhang. 
The Ten Questions Song (This list contains the idea of the questions, not the exact quote, and as you will see, there are more than ten questions.)
- Are there areas of your body that feel hot or cold?
- Do you sweat easily?
- Do you have pain in your head? In your body?
- Tell me about your bowel movements and your urination.
- What do you eat and drink?
- Do you have symptoms in your chest?
- Tell me about your ears and hearing.
- Do you feel thirsty?
- What is your history of disease?
- What do you think is the cause of your health problem?
- What medicines or herbals do you take, and do you feel any changes with them?
- For women, ask the timing of menses, and the quality of blood flow
- For children, include experience with childhood illnesses.
Observation of the tongue is another way that acupuncture physicians gather information, we say the tongue is an organ that we can see, and it tells a story of what is going on in your body. Yet another information gathering tool is pulse diagnosis: feeling the rate, quality, and strength of blood flow through the vessels located on the wrists. The information gathering stage is the exam which leads to a diagnosis which determines the treatment plan. Here is a thorough resource from sacredlotus.com about “Traditional Chinese Medicine/Theory, Diagnosis, Herbs, Formulas, & Acupuncture/Trusted, Authentic, Researched, & Well Organized Information about the topic of diagnosis and acupuncture theory.” So, do not be surprised when your acupuncture physician listens thoroughly to everything that you share as this is how an individual diagnosis and treatment plan is devised. Your treatment plan is tailor made for you to help you restore the function of your body based on a system of medicine that is thousands of years old.
Acupuncture physician, Mary Cetan, has the knowledge and the experience to give a professional Traditional Chinese Medicine exam, determine the Traditional Chinese Medicine diagnosis, create the treatment plan, place the acupuncture needles gently and purposefully, prescribe the correct herbal formulas and nutrient supplements to facilitate the elimination of symptoms and the restoration of health.
To get started with acupuncture care through Nature’s Wisdom Healing Center-Mary Cetan, follow the steps below.
- Schedule your New Patient Exam & Treatment
- Print, fill and bring Patient Forms or allow 15 minutes to complete them before your appointment.
- Request access to our On-Line Body Systems Survey. It is helpful if this is done 48 hours before your visit.
- Look forward to feeling better soon.
- You can also reach out to us below with questions.
