Traditional Chinese Medicine uses a different language to describe health. Instead of focusing only on the name of a disease, it also looks at patterns the body may be showing. Terms such as Spleen Dampness, Heart Heat, Qi Stagnation, Blood Deficiency, and Yin Deficiency may sound unusual, but they are not simply made-up names for diseases. They are traditional ways of describing groups of signs and symptoms within the Chinese medicine framework. For example, “Spleen Dampness” may be associated with fatigue, heaviness, bloating, puffiness, loose stools, mucus, brain fog, or a swollen tongue. “Heart Heat” may be associated with restlessness, poor sleep, anxiety, palpitations, feeling hot, or a red tongue tip. Chinese medicine also considers the tongue, pulse, digestion, sleep, energy, emotions, temperature, and other signs to help identify patterns. The goal is not only to ask, “What condition does this person have?” but also, “What might be happening in the body that connects these symptoms?” This approach does not replace appropriate medical diagnosis or testing. Instead, it offers another traditional perspective for observing the whole person and understanding patterns of imbalance. True Medicine is about listening closely to the body, looking beyond isolated symptoms, and supporting balance and overall well-being.

Recently, my son told me that I keep “making up weird things” to describe the health challenges I see in people. I had to laugh because I can understand why it sounds that way to him. For most of our lives, we have spoken about health using the language of Western medicine. We say someone has diabetes, anxiety, hypertension, arthritis, migraines, IBS, depression, neuropathy, or autoimmune disease. We have been taught that once the symptoms fit a particular collection of criteria, we give that collection a name. But as I study Traditional Chinese Medicine and Oriental Medicine in preparation for my future career as an acupuncturist and Oriental Medicine practitioner, I am learning an entirely different language. And increasingly, I find myself speaking it. I’m not making things up. I’m learning to describe what the body is doing rather than simply naming the disease it may eventually produce. For 30 Years, I Have Spoken the Language of Diagnosis For more than 30 years as a naturopathic doctor and Western herbalist, I have worked largely within the confines of the Western diagnostic system. Even when I approached healing naturally, the starting point was often still a Western diagnosis: What does this person have? Then we considered what herbs, nutrients, foods, lifestyle changes, or other natural approaches might support them. Traditional Chinese Medicine is teaching me to ask the question differently: What is happening inside this person that allowed these symptoms to develop? Where is there deficiency? Where is there excess? What isn’t moving? What is accumulating? What needs nourishing? What needs cooling? What needs warming? What needs to be strengthened? Suddenly, the disease name becomes less interesting than the pattern underneath it. When “Spleen Dampness” Sounds Like I Made Something Up Imagine telling someone unfamiliar with Chinese medicine: “She has Spleen Dampness.” That certainly sounds strange! In TCM, however, the “Spleen” is more than the anatomical spleen recognized by Western medicine. It refers to a functional system strongly associated with digestion, transformation of food into usable nourishment, transportation of fluids, and the production of Qi and Blood.

One of the concepts I find most beautiful in Traditional Chinese Medicine is Ben and Biao (本标)—the root and the branch. It represents a remarkably different way of looking at illness. Rather than beginning with the question, “What disease does this person have?” Chinese medicine often begins with questions such as: What has become disturbed? Where did the imbalance begin? What is preventing the body from returning to harmony? And which symptoms are the branches growing from that deeper root? In TCM, Ben refers to the root—the underlying pattern, weakness, excess, deficiency, stagnation, or disruption contributing to the condition. Biao refers to the branch—the symptoms and manifestations we can see, hear, feel, or describe. Pain may be a branch. Insomnia may be a branch. Dizziness, headaches, digestive difficulty, fatigue, anxiety, swelling, menstrual irregularities, or chronic coughing may all be branches. The practitioner then asks a deeper question: What root is producing these branches? And therein lies something profoundly hopeful. A Diagnosis That Describes Rather Than Defines Many people have experienced the emotional weight of receiving a Western medical diagnosis. A single word can suddenly seem to redefine an entire life: Cancer. Parkinson's. Alzheimer's. Autoimmune disease. Heart failure. Kidney disease. A biomedical diagnosis can be extraordinarily valuable. It can identify pathology, guide testing, indicate emergency care, predict risks, and direct treatments that save lives. Yet the emotional experience of receiving that diagnosis can sometimes be devastating. The name can begin to feel like an identity. The patient may stop hearing: "This is what we have found." and begin hearing: "This is what you have become." Traditional Chinese Medicine offers another kind of language. Instead of defining the person primarily by the disease name, the practitioner may describe what the body appears to be doing: Liver Qi stagnation. Spleen Qi deficiency. Kidney Yang deficiency.

In Traditional Chinese Medicine, the Liver represents far more than the physical organ located beneath the ribs. It is understood as an interconnected functional system involved in the movement of Qi, the regulation of Blood, emotional adaptability, digestion, menstruation, vision, and the health of the tendons and sinews. For this reason, a person may be diagnosed in TCM with a Liver imbalance even when conventional liver enzymes, imaging, and other medical tests are completely normal. The capitalized term “Liver” refers to the broader TCM functional system, while the lowercase “liver” refers to the anatomical organ recognized in Western medicine. Chinese medicine literature specifically cautions that a TCM Liver diagnosis should not automatically be interpreted as physical liver disease. The Liver Maintains the Smooth Flow of Qi One of the Liver’s most important responsibilities in TCM is maintaining the smooth and orderly movement of Qithroughout the body. The World Health Organization’s standardized TCM terminology describes Qi stagnation as a depressed or obstructed movement of Qi that can interfere with the functioning of organs and channels. The Liver is traditionally said to prefer freedom, flexibility, expansion, and unobstructed movement. When Liver Qi flows properly, emotions can be experienced and released, digestion adjusts appropriately to stress, muscles remain relatively relaxed, menstruation proceeds more smoothly, and a person can adapt to changing circumstances. When this movement becomes restricted, the pattern is known as Liver Qi stagnation, Liver Qi constraint, or Liver Qi depression. Stagnation may be compared to traffic building up on a highway. Nothing has necessarily disappeared or become deficient; movement has simply become restricted. The resulting pressure may be experienced emotionally, physically, hormonally, or digestively. What Causes Liver Qi Stagnation? From a TCM perspective, Liver Qi stagnation may develop after prolonged emotional pressure, frustration, resentment, grief, restricted self-expression, overwork, lack of movement, chronic pain, or living in circumstances in which a person feels trapped or unable to move forward.

What if the struggles we see are only part of the story? When someone has difficulty with focus, learning, reading, memory, movement, coordination, communication, emotional regulation, or daily performance, it is easy to focus only on the symptoms. But what if there are deeper brain and nervous system patterns influencing how a person learns, moves, responds, and adapts? This August 2026, you are invited to join the NeuroCode Apprenticeship with Chena Anderson, ND. NeuroCode is designed to help you better understand the brain-body connection and recognize patterns that may influence learning, behavior, development, performance, and whole-person wellness. This apprenticeship may be for you if: You are a parent who wants to better understand your child. You are a practitioner, educator, caregiver, or wellness professional ready to expand your tools. You have personal experience with learning, focus, movement, or communication challenges. You want to upskill, refresh, or deepen your knowledge. You know a loved one, friend, or family member who may benefit from this work. NeuroCode is not about labeling people. It is about learning to see the whole person with greater clarity, compassion, and purpose. There is meaning behind the patterns. There is hope beyond the struggle. There is possibility when we learn to understand the brain and body more deeply. Coming this August 2026. Limited spots available. To learn more or secure your place, contact Chena Anderson, ND: Text: +1 417-827-2561 Email:[email protected]