TCM Vocabulary

There are certain TCM clinical terms that I keep getting asked about. One of the popular is “QI”. This is a term that most often is associated with the philosophy of TCM. What do I mean by this? Majority of people lump TCM with fields that are not considered “empirically” valid. That is, TCM modalities cannot be assessed according to Western empirical parameters.

I have written many blogs discussing how we are progressing towards satisfying these Western clinical guidelines. Therefore, we are integrating with other Western modalities. However, perception is always an issue we are battling against. Additionally, a very clinical term, like “QI”, is often perceived inaccurately.

Most of patients are excited to tell me that they have heard of “QI” and give me their explanation of the term. Now some of them have a pretty good understanding and some not so much. However, when I give them my explanation, all of their eyes light up, as they were not aware of its significance to us, TCM practitioners.

Many of them describe “QI” as simply energy that is running through the body. While this understanding is not inaccurate, it is very basic. For one, I look at “QI” as a clinical tool that helps me in both my diagnosis and treatment. During my patient intake, I ask questions in order to get an assessment of “QI”.

Why is it important for me to evaluate a patient’s “QI”? It gives me an indication the overall vitality of the Meridians running through the body. I use “QI” as the clinical indicator noting this. When I am diagnosing which specific Meridian(s) are affected, I will note whether the “QI” in the Meridian is stagnated. If I determine that it is then I will then proceed to create a treatment plan to relieve this stagnation.

With regards to TCM, “QI” is much more than an expressive term describing the art of TCM. It actually is very clinically relevant.