Question for Dr. Josh Eha: When someone walks in through the door, how does a traditional Chinese medicine expert such as you, start the diagnosis process? Is it similar to Western medicine when they bring in a bunch of paperwork or run a bunch of lab reports or what's your procedure?
That's a very good question. I think the approach a practitioner takes from any medicine, has a huge impact on the results they're going to get with the patient. My particular approach and one that many of us practitioners use, is an interview process that's extensive. I don't spend 10 or 15 minutes with a patient when they come in. I spend a whole hour with a patient. I want to get to know you. I don't just want to get to know your symptoms, and put you in a category and treat you according to how most people in that category respond. Because, there's a person behind what you're feeling, and that person has a variety of experiences that they may or may not know, contribute to that issue. What I want to know is who you are and what your personality is, to get a better sense of not only how I can treat that issue, but also to understand how our lives contribute to that issue. How our lives can be better in the future so that you don't have to keep coming back for the rest of your life.
So when I get a sense of who you are in my clinic, I start the Chinese Medicine diagnosis which starts with medical pulse diagnosis. Chinese Medicine, especially the herbal portion, is very much directed at fixing organs that aren't receiving enough blood flow. Organs don't receive enough blood flow because of blockages, because of inflammation and swelling, vasoconstriction which makes blood flow limited to an area. The body naturally does this because we have to survive. Prehistorically, when we had a chronic issue, the body would cut off blood supply to that area so that we wouldn't suffer sepsis, which is an infection throughout the entire body. These infections can be limited to a particular area.
In modern medicine our problems are not infectious normally, so the problem with limiting blood flow is one of limiting the benefit of the body healing itself. Because, the healing components come with the blood, so if we can maximize blood flow, we maximize healing, that's huge. And if there is an infection we have ways of dealing with that, that we know now, that our bodies didn't know then.
About Dr. Josh Eha, DAOM, L.Ac., C.SMA
Dr. Josh Eha, DAOM, L.Ac, C.SMA brings a sophisticated, holistic approach to the art of medicine in Minnesota. In just a few visits, he will catalyze the growth and healing you have been looking for - even after failed surgery, physical therapy, meds, or chiropractic. This video is part of our Educational Series at Trailhead Health, where our community of amazing Doctors and Practitioners share their experiences to help answer your health-related questions.