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Developing A Traditional Chinese Medicine Diagnostic Structure For Post Traumatic Stress Disorder Essay

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A PTSD-Specific TCM Protocol – Sinclair Lian Model In 2006, The Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine published a study conducted by N. Sinclair-Lian, M. Hollifield M. Menache, T. Warner, J. Viscaya and R. Hammerschlag – “Developing a Traditional Chinese Medicine Diagnostic Structure for Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder”. In order to develop a TCM structure for the treatment of PTSD, and in preparation for a phase II clinical trial, the authors conducted an 11-textbook review of depression, anxiety and insomnia; a survey of 20 TCM practitioners, and a diagnosis of 21 PTSD patients. DSM –IV definitions of PTSD were utilized. The study resulted in the following primary diagnostic patterns for PTSD: • Heart Shen disturbance • Liver Qi stagnation • Kidney deficiency. The following secondary patterns were determined: • Liver Qi stagnation- • Wood-Earth Disharmony • Liver Fire • Phlegm Fire • Phlegm-Damp • Heart Fire • Xu of: Heart, Kidney, and Spleen The TCM diagnosis for PTSD required arousal symptoms that were not exhibited before the traumatic event; two of the following would need to be present in order to make a PTSD diagnosis: difficulty falling or staying asleep, irritability or outbursts of anger, difficulty concentrating, hypervigilance or exaggerated startle response. Symptoms were assigned to a general organ system. Heart patterns covered re-experiencing and increased arousal; liver patterns covered anger, detachment, flat affect, depression, somatic

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