title: An integrative approach of linking traditional Chinese medicine pattern classification and biomedicine diagnosis.
abstract: Traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) is a medical system with over 3000 years of continuous practice experience and refinement through treatment observations. The TCM pattern classification (also defined as Syndrome or Zheng differentiation) and treatment of ill health is the basis and the key concept of the TCM theory. All diagnostic and therapeutic methods in TCM are based on the differentiation of TCM pattern. TCM pattern can be considered as the TCM theoretical interpretation of the symptom profiles. Pattern classification is often used as a guideline in disease classification in TCM practice and has been recently incorporated with biomedical diagnosis, resulting in the increasing research interest of TCM pattern among various disciplines of integrative medicine. This paper describes the historical evolution on the integration of the TCM pattern classification and disease diagnosis in biomedicine, the methodology of pattern classification for diseases, efficacy of TCM practice with integration of TCM pattern classification and biomedical disease diagnosis, and the biological basis of TCM pattern. TCM pattern classification, which may lead to new findings in biological sciences, was also discussed.
authors: China Academy of Chinese Medical Sciences, Beijing 100700, China. lap64067611@126.com
authors: Aiping
authors: A
authors: Lu
authors: Miao
authors: M
authors: Jiang
authors: Chi
authors: C
authors: Zhang
authors: Kelvin
authors: K
authors: Chan
mesh_terms: D004365:Drugs, Chinese Herbal / Q000145:classification* / Q000266:history / Q000627:therapeutic use; D049673:History, 20th Century; D049674:History, 21st Century; D006801:Humans; D055048:Integrative Medicine / Q000145:classification*; D008516:Medicine, Chinese Traditional / Q000266:history; D010363:Pattern Recognition, Automated; D011237:Predictive Value of Tests; D049490:Systems Biology; D018511:Systems Integration; D009626:Terminology as Topic; D018875:Vocabulary, Controlled
chemical_list: D004365:Drugs, Chinese Herbal