The Art of Palpating the Abdomen for the Purpose of Prescribing Chinese herbal formulas

This is a guest post from recent National College of Natural Medicine (NCNM) graduate, Kumiko Shirai.  She is a fine herbalist already and obviously has an expertise in the (almost) lost art of abdominal diagnosis.  I have seen this work in action and can attest to its amazing effectiveness!  Please enjoy the article.  There are more guest articles to come! -Eric

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Japanese abdominal diagnosis, known as fukushin 腹診 is an art form of medical practice that is virtually lost in modern practice of Chinese medicine. There are two major schools and types of abdominal diagnosis, Nanjing and Shanghan Lun schools, which separates into the Japanese schools of acupuncture and the schools of herbalism respectively. There are many modern books written on acupuncture style of abdominal diagnosis, which is also referred to as hara diagnosis, however books written on herbal prescription style of fukushin are difficult to find.

In the studies of Japanese style of herbal prescriptions, kampo, 漢方 which is mostly based on Han Dynasty formulas from the classical texts of the Shanghan Lun and the Jingui Yaolue, one can find many abdominal patterns and findings for almost every formula. It appears, though it is not certain, that Zhang Zhongjing used abdominal palpation as part of his diagnostic tools.  And there are many Japanese scholars who have elaborated and perfected their practices of fukushin for the purpose of herbal prescriptions based on Zhang Zhongjing’s classical texts.

The concept and significance of the abdomen are different in Japan from what exists in Western cultures. It was not too long ago that Japanese people commonly said, “I am going to go see a doctor to get my abdomen examined.” In Japanese culture, the abdomen or hara is central.  Alternatively, the nervous system and mind seem to be central in Western cultures.  But, when we think about it, the Japanese idea makes a lot of sense.  The abdomen is physically a central part of the body, containing many of the vital organs.  Japanese people also believe that hara is the seat of the soul, where self-consciousness is anchored. On the other hand, from pathological sense, the abdomen is where people hold emotional stress, affecting their digestive problems as well as other physical discomforts. For this reason, in Japanese medicine,  the hara becomes a pivotal part of the body during the examination, diagnosis, and treatment.

In fukushin, abdominal patterns are named after herbal formulas such as “Xiao Chaihu Tang pattern” or “sho” in Japanese, which already gives a diagnosis and a treatment plan.  On the other hand, in the Nanjing school of abdominal diagnosis, abdominal patterns are named after theoretical diagnostic concepts such as  “Liver qi overacting on Spleen”.  The difference between Nanjing style of theoretical approach versus Shanghang Lun style of clinical approach is interesting in that it shifted the clinical practice of kampo in Japanese medical history. One of the most influential Japanese scholars, Todo Yoshimasu (1702-1773), emphasized mastering clinical skills rather than understanding theories. He claimed that “proof is always more convincing than logic,” accentuating the importance of the practice of palpation, and to treat what is obvious by carefully examining the abdomen. For this reason, Todo inspired many practitioners to practice palpation during the examination. However, Japanese scholars did not ignore fundamental theories of Chinese medicine completely, and fukushin is still very much based on theory as well.

In order to give an herbal formula based on abdominal diagnosis, one must understand the architecture of the formulas first. There are eight therapeutic methods in the study of herbal prescriptions, however, it is important to break up each method into further smaller groups, understanding the function of the pivotal herb or herbs in each formula. The key herb in a formula may not always be the emperor of the formula, though often times it is. For example, in the purging method, there can be different causes for accumulation in the middle burner hence requiring different approaches and treatment plans. While Dahuang (in Da Chengqi Tang) treats fullness caused by middle burner accumulation due to qi stagnation causing heat, Mangxiao (in Tiaowei Chengqi Tang) treats accumulation of the middle burner due to dryness of the intestines, and Taoren and Mudanpi (in Dahuang Mudanpi Tang) treat fullness by breaking up blood stasis, hence moving both qi and blood. As a consequence, these three formulas, which share a common category of method, will have different abdominal patterns and imply different treatment plans.

In closing, I want to emphasize that examining a person’s center is not only theoretically appropriate but also clinically helpful in the process of assessment, diagnosis and finally planning a treatment. Hence, Chinese medicine practitioners, are encouraged to cherish the art form of practicing this medicine by observing and touching each patient and interpreting such information as holographic representation of the body.

Kumiko

Tagged as: abdominal diagnosis, asian medicine, clinic, Diagnosis, formulas, japanese medicine, patterns, schools, shang-han-lun, study, Theory