Based on these so-called four methods of diagnosis, instead of determining the name of the diseased organ and the specific names of the diseases, as commonly required in Western medicine, they classify symptoms of the patient into eight categories syndromes. They in turn belong to the following four pairs of opposing syndromes: 1) Yin and Yang; 2) Deep and superficial; 3) Empty and full; 4) Cold and hot.
Therefore, once all of the patient's symptoms are classified into 4 categories of these eight choices of possible categories of syndromes, the choice of treatment, are automatically determined. The decisions were such as whether acupuncture should be used mainly and moxibustion only supplementary, or whether moxibustion should be mainly used and acupuncture used only supplementally, and how these treatments should be given. Such a method of treatment is called “Treatment Based on the Classification of Syndromes.” It is interesting to note that the average Oriental physician of more than 2000years ago examined the circulatory condition of various parts of the body more meticulously than most of the vascular specialists in Western medicine of today.
