Inquiry

Question 1

What is inquiry?

Answer 1

Inquiry: build rapport with the patient.
Obtaining general data from the patient such as age, occupation etc.
Medical history of the patient.

What is their main complaint: Onset of disease – time and duration, cause or inducing factors, mode of onset, Current characteristics – location, nature, severity, better for / worse for. What are the accompanying symptoms, the development of the disease, the course of diagnosis and prior treatment by other practitioners.

Question 2

What are the 10 questions?

Answer 2

The 10 questions: 1. Temperature (hot/cold), 2. Perspiration (lack of? Spontaneous), 3. Head & body (pain/sensations), 4. Stools & urine (frequency, colour, form), 5. Diet (what are you eating and when?), 6. Chest & abdomen (breathing, palpitations, reflux), 7. Hearing (tinnitus, deafness), 8. Thirst (presence or absence?), 9. Gynaecology 10. Paediatrics or 9. Previous illness and 10. Cause of illness

Question 3

What does asking about temperature indicate?

Answer 3

Aims to identify the type of external pathogenic attack and its possible location.

You may ask the patient if they feel hot or cold, or both?
What time of the day does the client feel hot or cold?
Where on the body do they feel hot or cold?

• Chills without fever (Yang deficiency, internal cold, wind cold)
• Fever without chills (low grade = blood/yin/qi xu, exterior pathogen reaching the interior = big fever & pulse)
• Simultaneous chills and fever (exterior pathogen at the surface)
• Alternating chills and fever (pathogen lodged between interior and exterior = shao yang).

Question 4

What are we asking about perspiration / sweating?

Answer 4

Perspiration: night sweating, spontaneous sweating, 5 palm heat. Absence of sweating.

Is there abnormal sweating? Location? Time? Severity?

Question 5

What are we asking about the chest and abdomen?

Answer 5

Chest and abdomen: breathing, cough palpitations, bloating, reflex, pain?

Question 6

What are we asking about in relation to hearing?

Answer 6

Hearing loss is usually associated with the kidneys

Health of the eye relates to the liver

Question 7

What questions should we be asking about a woman’s menstrual cycle?

Answer 7

• Menstrual cycle: provides key information as to the status of blood and yin in a woman. Provides significant clues as to disease aetiology.
• Length of cycle? Length of bleed? Colour of blood? Quantity? Pain/location/nature/severity/timing. Clotting? Spotting? Abnormal vaginal discharge?
• Movement of blood
• Signs and symptoms after menses? Deficiency of blood and yin. Capacity of spleen and stomach to rebuild.
• Signs and symptoms at ovulation? Strength of the kidneys, health of jing and yin and yang.
• Pre-menstrually? Movement of Liver-qi