Browse clinical reading by treatment area. Each guide has a downloadable educational summary; books and their purchase access remain in the book library.
For education, not individual medical advice. Treatment decisions require a qualified practitioner’s assessment.
Migraines are one of the most common conditions treated with acupuncture. In TCM, migraines are rarely a single pattern — they can stem from Liver Yang Rising, Blood Stasis, Phlegm-Damp obstruction, or Qi and Blood deficiency. Effective treatment depends on accurate pattern differentiation.
4 patterns to consider
The lumbar region is governed by the Kidneys in TCM. Lower back pain can arise from Kidney Yang deficiency, Cold-Damp invasion, Blood Stasis, or Qi stagnation. Treatment strategies vary significantly depending on the underlying pattern.
4 patterns to consider
Sciatica follows the Bladder and Gallbladder meridian pathways in TCM. Treatment focuses on opening the channels, moving Blood Stasis, and expelling pathogenic Cold-Damp that obstructs Qi flow along the affected meridian.
3 patterns to consider
Fibromyalgia challenges conventional medicine but maps well to TCM's multi-pattern framework. The widespread pain, fatigue, and cognitive fog typically involve complex combinations of Qi and Blood deficiency, Liver Qi stagnation, and Damp-Phlegm obstruction.
3 patterns to consider
TMJ disorder involves the Stomach, Gallbladder, and Small Intestine meridians that traverse the jaw. TCM treats TMJ by addressing both the local channel obstruction and the underlying pattern — commonly Liver Qi stagnation with muscle tension or Stomach Fire rising.
3 patterns to consider
Plantar fasciitis presents as sharp heel pain that is worst on the first steps of the morning. In Chinese medicine the heel sits on the Kidney and Bladder channels, so persistent heel pain is rarely just a local strain — it usually reflects Kidney deficiency failing to nourish the sinews and bone, complicated by Cold-Damp obstruction or Blood Stasis in the channel.
4 patterns to consider
Neck pain crosses the Gallbladder, Small Intestine, Bladder and Du channels, so effective point selection starts by identifying which channel the pain actually follows. TCM separates acute Wind-Cold stiff neck from chronic postural strain with Qi and Blood Stasis, and from degenerative cervical change with underlying Liver and Kidney deficiency.
4 patterns to consider
Knee osteoarthritis commonly presents with pain, stiffness and reduced function. Chinese medicine usually places it within Xī Bì (膝痹), with Cold-Damp obstruction, Blood Stasis and Liver-Kidney deficiency considered alongside exercise, load management and medical assessment.
3 patterns to consider
Insomnia in TCM is understood as a disruption of the Shen (spirit) housed in the Heart. Rather than simply sedating the mind, TCM identifies the root imbalance — whether it's Heart Blood deficiency, Heart-Kidney disharmony, or Liver Fire disturbing the Shen.
4 patterns to consider
Anxiety disorders map to several TCM patterns involving the Heart, Liver, and Spleen. TCM views anxiety not as a single disease but as a manifestation of underlying organ disharmony — ranging from Liver Qi stagnation to Heart Qi deficiency or Phlegm misting the Heart.
4 patterns to consider
Depression requires assessment and care from qualified mental-health professionals. Chinese medicine may be used only as an adjunct, with patterns such as Liver Qi Stagnation, Heart-Spleen deficiency and Phlegm obscuring the Shen considered within an integrated treatment plan.
3 patterns to consider
IBS is one of the conditions where TCM pattern differentiation truly shines. The alternating symptoms of IBS — bloating, diarrhoea, constipation, and abdominal pain — often point to Liver-Spleen disharmony, Spleen Qi deficiency, or Damp-Heat in the Large Intestine.
4 patterns to consider
Fertility in TCM centres on the Kidney system, which governs reproduction, and the Liver and Spleen, which regulate Blood and Qi. TCM fertility treatment follows the menstrual cycle phases — follicular, ovulatory, luteal, and menstrual — with targeted protocols for each stage.
4 patterns to consider
Acupuncture is one of the most-requested adjuncts in modern fertility care. The evidence is strongest for cycle regulation and stress-driven sub-fertility, with a smaller and more contested effect around IVF live-birth rates. In clinic, effective treatment always follows careful pattern differentiation — Kidney Yáng deficiency, Kidney Yīn deficiency, Liver Qì stagnation, Blood deficiency, and Blood stasis with Damp obstruction are the classical patterns to distinguish.
5 patterns to consider
Menopause represents the natural decline of Kidney Essence (Jing) and Tian Gui in TCM. Symptoms like hot flushes, night sweats, irritability, and insomnia typically reflect Kidney Yin deficiency with Empty Heat rising — though individual presentations vary widely.
4 patterns to consider
Polycystic ovary syndrome maps in Chinese medicine onto a cluster of well-described patterns rather than a single diagnosis. The most frequent clinical picture is Phlegm-Damp accumulation obstructing the Chōng and Rèn vessels, layered over Kidney deficiency. Liver Qi stagnation and Blood Stasis are common complicating factors, particularly where cycles are long, irregular or absent.
4 patterns to consider
Eczema (湿疹 shī zhěn) is classified in Chinese medicine by the character of the lesion rather than the diagnosis. Weeping, red, intensely itchy skin points to Damp-Heat; dry, thickened, lichenified skin points to Blood Deficiency with Wind-Dryness. The same patient often moves between these pictures across a flare cycle, so the prescription should move with them.
4 patterns to consider
Hay fever is treated in Chinese medicine on two timelines. During a flare the work is on the branch (标 biāo) — releasing the exterior and opening the nasal orifices. Between seasons the work is on the root (本 běn) — consolidating the Wèi Qi and tonifying Lung, Spleen and Kidney so the next season lands more softly. Treating only the flare is the most common clinical mistake.
4 patterns to consider
Chinese medicine has differentiated tinnitus (耳鸣 ěr míng) for two millennia along a single decisive axis: excess or deficiency. A loud, sudden, high-pitched ring that worsens with pressure on the ear suggests Liver Fire or Phlegm-Fire rising. A faint, chronic, low hum that worsens with fatigue and improves with pressure suggests Kidney Essence or Spleen Qi failing to reach the ear.
4 patterns to consider
