Disclaimers and Legalities

Good morning -

before I get into the fun of writing about traditional Chinese medicine, I just wanted to take care of some of the administrative and legal obligations pertaining to this blog.

Remember that the information on this blog is provided for informational purposes only and is not intended as a substitute for the advice provided by your physician or other healthcare professional. You should not use the information on this blog for diagnosing or treating a health problem or disease, or prescribing any medication or other treatment.

While the subjects I intend to write about will be safe and useful for the general population, please remember that if you take prescription medications or have any serious health issues (for example, but not limited to, hypertension, blood-clotting conditions, cancer, diabetes), to consult with your primary physician before starting any new health protocol. Some herbal medications and supplements can have serious interactions with some Western medications (for example, but not limited to, Coumadin, Warfarin, some anti-depressants and psychotropics, etc), and can also be unsafe for women who are pregnant or nursing. So, again, be sure to talk to your primary physican, health care professional, or pharmacist before taking any herbal supplements.

Also, to correctly diagnose and treat someone with traditional Chinese medicine and acupuncture it is necessary to look at what we call in the medicine the "Four Pillars." These are diagnostic tools that we use to correctly assess and diagnose a patient's condition and are comprised of the following: diagnosis by looking, hearing, asking/listening, and palpating. Diagnosis by Looking means observing the patient: his/her spirit, face, demeanor, tongue, body language, etc. Diagnosis by hearing means that we listen to your voice, breathing, coughing, etc., to assess your condition. Diagnosis by Asking/Listening is also often known in our medicine as "the 10 Questions" in which we will ask you about your energy, sleep, digestion, elimination, thirst, temperature, sweating, menstruation (for females), aches/pains, emotional well-being, among other things. This information is used to get a clear picture of the "overall you": not just your chief complaint, but who you are and how you are feeling overall. Diagnosis by Palpation includes feeling your pulse, palpating acupuncture channels, muscle spasms, physical and orthopedic exams and tests, etc. These Four Pillars of diagnosis when taken all together, reveal patterns both for one's chief complaint and overall health constitution, and allows us to put together an effective treatment plan for you. .....That said, this means that while I welcome questions and emails from you, I cannot diagnose conditions or prescribe supplements over the Internet. I can only treat conditions by doing a full health assessment in my office. ....And for those of you who might be reading this from somewhere other than the San Diego area, I hope to add referral resources to this blog that can assist you in finding a qualified practitioner in your area.

Okay....so I believe the "housekeeping" chores and disclaimers are done for now. Now it's on to the fun stuff!!

Peace to you and yours,
Pat