An acupuncturist will ask the patient about their symptoms and fit these into a common symptom picture called a pattern.  In Western medical diagnosis, a pattern is called a syndrome.  A syndrome is seen as different from a disease in that a syndrome is a collection of symptoms that always seem to occur together where the exact cause is unknown.   For example, irritable bowel syndrome usually is experienced as constipation alternating with loose stools, tiredness, anxiety or depression, bloating etc.  Common medical tests have no markers for this condition and so it's called a 'syndrome' instead of a 'disease' which could be definitively identified by some biological marker such as an ulcer. 

 

In Chinese Medicine, all diseases are treated as syndromes.  That means that symptoms don't occur in isolation, they appear as part of a larger group of signs and symptoms.  So if a patient complains of insomnia, the acupuncturist will ask if there is anxiety, palpitations or thirst.  These symptoms would fit into a pattern called heart on fire or heart in flames.  This is similar to the conventional medical diagnosis of heart inflammation or cardiovascular disease.  The acupuncturist would then choose points on the body that are known to target the heart organ and supporting systems such as the adrenal glands.  Increasing nervous system signalling along a specific pathway like this alters electrical signalling in the brain and redirects blood flow to specific areas.​

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Much of the science of acupuncture is yet to be discovered but an enormous amount of empirical evidence has been carefully gathered, cross-referenced and refined by Chinese scientists and medics over many centuries to create a medical technology that is unparalleled in terms of its combined safety and efficacy.   It's no wonder this technique has spread all across the globe and continues to grow in popularity as more people experience its fascinating power to restore healthful functioning of body and mind.