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TCM Wellness Center, 661 Pembina Highway, Winnipeg, MB (2026)

10/23/2026

📖 Reflections on the Art of Medicine | 医门论道

SERIES · 09

Chapter One: On Diagnosis

The Art of Observation — Part VII

Follow-Up: The Importance of Palpation in Diagnosis

The woman whom I had previously diagnosed with a “Fire” pattern returned for a follow-up visit.

The cramping pain between her shoulder blades had improved significantly. The numbness in the front of her chest had occurred only once, lasting just a few minutes, whereas previously it had been constant.

During the consultation, I asked, “Do your hands and feet feel hot?”

“No,” she replied. “They feel ice-cold. I even need a hot-water bottle to warm my feet at night.”

I touched her hands. They were actually quite warm.

I then asked her to remove her socks so I could examine her feet. Only the areas below her ankles felt cold.

According to my traditional Chinese medicine interpretation, coldness extending below the knees may indicate Kidney Cold, whereas coldness limited to the feet below the ankles may suggest an upward movement of Qi and Blood, creating Heat above and Cold below.

I also considered my previous examination findings: tenderness at the Shanzhong (CV17) acupuncture point, fullness of the skin in that area, and her impatient temperament.

Based on these observations, I concluded that impaired circulation of Liver Qi was contributing to a pattern of Qi Stagnation.

I adjusted the treatment approach according to traditional Chinese medicine principles and prescribed an individualized herbal formula.

I asked the patient to return for another follow-up in one week so that I could reassess her condition and response to treatment.

The Importance of Verification

Diagnosis must never rely solely on what a patient reports. A physician must also perform a physical examination, including palpation, to verify the findings.

— Dr. Zhang
Adapted excerpt from the published book Reflections on the Art of Medicine | 医门论道

TCM WELLNESS CENTRE
📞 204-219-6766

10/21/2026

🌿 Patient Story | A Remarkable Improvement

A patient experienced persistent hand tremors for nine months following a dog bite.

After just one visit to TCM Wellness Centre, the patient reported that the hand tremors had stopped.

We are pleased to share this encouraging experience!

✨ Every patient's journey is unique. Individual results may vary.

📍 TCM WELLNESS CENTRE
📞 204-219-6766

10/21/2026

📖 Reflections on the Art of Medicine | 医门论道

SERIES · 08

Chapter One: On Diagnosis

The Art of Observation — Part VI

The Physician as a Detective

Visual diagnosis includes two aspects: observing the spirit (Wang Shen) and observing the form (Wang Xing).

Observing the Spirit

The term Shen refers to more than just the expression in a person's eyes.

More importantly, it involves observing the person's overall mental state, speech, behaviour, and mannerisms.

Through these observations, a traditional Chinese medicine practitioner seeks to assess patterns of deficiency and excess in the internal organ systems.

Observing the Form

This involves observing how a patient walks, sits, stands, and lies down.

By examining the patient's posture and physical movements, the practitioner looks for clues about possible structural problems involving the bones and muscles.

The Physician as a Detective

Ultimately, a physician diagnosing an illness is much like a detective investigating a case.

Both gather subtle clues and use logical reasoning to analyse what they observe.

The physician then uses the results of treatment to evaluate whether the original reasoning was correct.

— Dr. Zhang
Excerpt from the published book Reflections on the Art of Medicine | 医门论道

TCM WELLNESS CENTRE
📞 204-219-6766

10/16/2026

📖 Reflections on the Art of Medicine | 医门论道
SERIES · 07
Chapter One: On Diagnosis
The Art of Observation — Part V
Appearance, Heredity, and Social Change
People who spend much of their time working outdoors often have darker skin, rougher pores, and stronger muscles.
By contrast, wealthy individuals or those in positions of power have traditionally spent more time indoors, directing others and enjoying comfortable living conditions. With adequate nutrition and less physical labour, their skin may appear lighter, while their bodies may have a higher proportion of fat and softer muscles.
Historically, many social positions and occupations were hereditary. Emperors inherited their thrones, officials inherited their positions, and the roles of soldiers, craftsmen, and farmers were often passed down through generations.
The author suggests that, over time, these patterns reinforced certain characteristics that were passed from one generation to the next.
From this perspective, he proposes that a person's skin complexion and muscle tone may offer clues about their ancestors' occupations and dietary habits.
He further reflects that inheritance extends beyond skin colour and physical characteristics, including susceptibility to diseases of the internal organs, personality, intelligence, and values.
Of course, we must view these ideas from a perspective of continuous development.
As society advances rapidly, science, technology, and information spread more widely. In a fair and democratic society, individual effort can overcome traditional class boundaries.
Even the descendants of farmers may one day become leaders of a nation.
— Dr. Zhang
Excerpt from the published book Reflections on the Art of Medicine | 医门论道
TCM WELLNESS CENTRE
📞 204-219-6766

10/16/2026

📖 Reflections on the Art of Medicine | 医门论道
SERIES · 06
Chapter One: On Diagnosis
The Art of Observation — Part IV
The Meaning of Colour in TCM Diagnosis
Let us return to the subject of observation.
In everyday Chinese, visual diagnosis is often described as observing a person's words, expressions, and appearance.
However, the concept of colour in traditional Chinese medicine is not simply about the overall colour of a person's skin.
According to the Huangdi Neijing (The Yellow Emperor's Inner Canon), traditional Chinese medicine associates five colours with five organ systems:
- Red — Heart
- Yellow — Spleen
- White — Lung
- Black — Kidney
- Green or Blue-Green — Liver
This traditional approach to colour diagnosis focuses on subtle, localized changes in appearance relative to a person's normal, healthy complexion.
The natural colour of human skin, however, is primarily influenced by ancestry, genetics, and the environment in which populations have lived over many generations.
For example, in regions with prolonged exposure to strong sunlight, greater skin pigmentation helps protect against ultraviolet radiation. This is one reason darker skin tones are common among populations whose ancestors lived in regions such as Africa.
In higher-latitude regions, where sunlight is less intense for much of the year, lighter skin pigmentation became more common in some populations. This adaptation is often discussed in relation to the body's ability to produce vitamin D under lower ultraviolet exposure.
The author connects these differences in human appearance with the long-term influence of geography, climate, and heredity.
In the art of observation, understanding a person's natural appearance is an important starting point for noticing changes.
— Dr. Zhang
Excerpt from the published book Reflections on the Art of Medicine | 医门论道
TCM WELLNESS CENTRE
📞 204-219-6766

10/14/2026

📖 Reflections on the Art of Medicine | 医门论道

SERIES · 04

Chapter One: On Diagnosis

The Art of Observation — Part II

The First Patient: Reading the Signs of Deficiency

Yesterday afternoon, two female patients arrived at the clinic almost simultaneously.

The first woman wore a face mask. She had delicate features and spoke slowly.

During pulse examination, I noticed a hollow quality at the right cun position (associated with the lungs in TCM) and a weak, rough pulse at the left cun position (associated with the heart).

I asked whether she had experienced any heart-related discomfort.

She explained that her Apple Watch sometimes recorded a nighttime heart rate in the forties. Her blood pressure had also reportedly dropped into the sixties, accompanied by palpitations. She had previously had COVID-19 but no cough.

I asked about her diet.

“Normal,” she replied.

“Have you been deliberately eating less because you are afraid of gaining weight?”

“Yes,” she admitted.

From a traditional Chinese medicine perspective, I considered this a deficiency pattern and encouraged her to eat more nutritious food.

I then asked about her parents' heart health.

“Both of them have heart problems,” she answered.

I explained that her family history might indicate a hereditary predisposition to heart-related conditions, making adequate nutrition and sufficient sleep particularly important.

During acupuncture, I palpated her back again and found tenderness and a slight depression around the areas traditionally associated with the Heart and Lung Shu points. I selected the tender points for treatment.

I prescribed five doses of a herbal formula combining Si Jun Zi Tang (Four Gentlemen Decoction) and Gui Zhi Gan Cao Tang (Cinnamon Twig and Licorice Decoction), with the addition of Huang Qi (Astragalus).

The art of diagnosis begins with careful observation, thoughtful questions, and attention to the smallest details.

— Dr. Zhang
Excerpt from Reflections on the Art of Medicine

TCM WELLNESS CENTRE
📞 204-219-6766

10/10/2026

📖 Reflections on the Art of Medicine | 医门论道

SERIES · 03

Chapter One: On Diagnosis

Part One: Observation (Visual Examination)

Diagnosis is the foundation of all treatment. Without a proper diagnosis, treatment is nothing more than guesswork.

Observation begins the moment a patient walks through the door.

From the way a patient enters the clinic, changes their shoes, walks, and carries themselves, to the conversations they have with accompanying family members, every detail may offer useful information.

Once seated in the waiting area, does the patient sit quietly and comfortably? Do they immediately look down at their phone? Or do they actively engage in conversation with others?

For an observant practitioner, these behaviours may become part of the overall clinical picture.

Some patients appear particularly impatient. They repeatedly ask when they will be seen and seem eager to speak with the doctor immediately. Even when they encounter the doctor in a hallway, they may begin describing their symptoms, regardless of whether the doctor is already speaking with another patient.

In traditional Chinese medicine (TCM), such behaviour may prompt a practitioner to consider a pattern traditionally described as excessive Liver Fire.

This pattern is associated in TCM theory with symptoms such as dizziness, ringing in the ears, a bitter taste in the mouth, dryness of the throat, blurred vision, dark urine, and constipation.

The author observes that some patients displaying these behaviours may also be quick-tempered, strongly controlling toward family members, yet highly trusting of their doctors. At the same time, they may be susceptible to misleading health information online, potentially resulting in inappropriate or excessive medication use.

These are the author's clinical impressions rather than reliable conclusions about an individual's personality or medical condition.

An experienced practitioner may begin forming a preliminary impression of the patient's constitution simply by observing their emotional state and behaviour.

In the author's account, the practitioner may already be considering a TCM pattern traditionally associated with Long Dan Xie Gan Wan (Gentiana Formula).

The patient is then invited into the consultation room, where the four traditional diagnostic methods—observation, listening and smelling, inquiry, and palpation—are used to examine and verify the initial impression.

However, an initial impression should never replace a complete assessment or be treated as sufficient grounds for prescribing medication.

Consider another example.

During winter, even when everyone is exposed to the same indoor temperature, patients may dress very differently.

Some remove their coats and remain comfortable in short sleeves. Many are younger people. The author associates this behaviour with an open, optimistic personality and a greater willingness to trust others.

Other patients remain wrapped in several layers of clothing, sometimes keeping their hats and gloves on.

This does not necessarily indicate what TCM calls a cold constitution. The author suggests that it may sometimes reflect a more cautious, guarded, or self-protective disposition.

Such interpretations are subjective and cannot establish personality or constitution on their own.

Some patients arrive neatly dressed in suits, shirts, and ties, presenting themselves with a polite and professional manner.

They may be business managers or professionals whose work requires prolonged periods of formal, upright, or relatively rigid posture. In the author's experience, some of these individuals also experience neck and shoulder discomfort.

Patients with darker, weathered skin and strong physiques may work in physically demanding occupations. Repetitive lifting, strenuous activity, and prolonged physical labour can contribute to lower-back muscle strain or injuries involving the shoulders and elbows.

Other patients may have fair complexions and fuller physiques. The author associates some of these appearances with comfortable lifestyles, rich diets, and insufficient physical activity.

In such cases, the practitioner may wish to ask about exercise habits, cardiovascular health, and blood glucose levels. Appearance alone, however, cannot determine a person's lifestyle or disease risk.

Younger patients with oily, yellowish-looking skin and frequent acne may lead the practitioner to ask about dietary habits, including frequent takeout meals and rich or spicy foods.

Within TCM theory, certain combinations of symptoms may be interpreted as Damp-Heat, a traditional pattern sometimes discussed in relation to digestive complaints and other symptoms.

The author also mentions diarrhea and gout among the conditions that may warrant further inquiry. Neither can be diagnosed from skin appearance or dietary assumptions alone.

Patients sometimes believe that a practitioner possesses an almost mysterious ability to understand their health simply by feeling their pulse.

After asking only a few questions, the practitioner may seem to describe their symptoms with remarkable accuracy.

Yet what appears mysterious may actually be the result of careful observation.

In the brief moment when a patient walks past, an attentive practitioner may already have begun gathering valuable information.

That is where the art of observation begins.

— Dr. Zhang
Reflections on the Art of Medicine | 医门论道

Shared by TCM Wellness Centre

Editor's note: This essay presents the author's reflections on traditional Chinese medicine. Observations about appearance, clothing, behaviour, or personality are not independently reliable methods of diagnosing disease. Clinical decisions require an appropriate medical assessment.

10/07/2026

📖 Reflections on the Art of Medicine | 医门论道

SERIES · 02

What Is Illness? The Loss of Beauty

What is illness?

In a sense, it is the loss of beauty.

Whether we practice tai chi, yoga, dance, running, swimming, or other forms of physical exercise, the goal is to make the body stronger and healthier.

At their highest level, movements are beautiful. The curves of the body are harmonious, natural, smooth, and flowing. When distortion or disharmony appears somewhere in the movement—when a smooth curve suddenly becomes a sharp angle—that part of the body becomes more vulnerable to injury.

Consider football.

When we watch world-class players such as Lionel Messi, Cristiano Ronaldo, and Neymar in slow motion, their movements with the ball often unfold through a series of graceful curves. They can resemble the flowing movements of cloud hands in tai chi: angled yet balanced, constantly changing yet always rounded and fluid.

When another player comes in with a straight-line tackle and the player cannot avoid it, turn with it, or disperse the force through movement, a local injury may occur.

This, too, can be understood as a form of illness: the body’s original harmony has been disrupted.

A healer may use manual techniques to help an injured or distorted ligament return toward its normal alignment and function, or surgery may reconnect a ruptured tendon or fractured bone so that normal structure and function can be restored.

To restore beauty—this is part of the healer’s calling.

Even in gentle forms of movement such as tai chi, proper alignment matters. If the waist, hips, or knees lose their harmonious relationship, and a sharp angle appears where movement should remain smooth and rounded, injury may occur. The knees are a common example.

The same idea of balance and harmony can also be used as a metaphor when thinking about the internal organs.

Cardiovascular and cerebrovascular disease, for example, can involve disturbances in the pathways through which blood flows. Conditions such as atherosclerosis can narrow or obstruct blood vessels, interfering with normal circulation.

One might compare this to traffic in a city: when a major route becomes severely congested, the movement of the entire system can be affected. Restoring healthy circulation, where medically possible, is in some ways like restoring the orderly movement of traffic.

The organs of the body also exist in a remarkably interconnected relationship. Each occupies its own place, performs its own function, and supports the others.

When an organ becomes abnormally enlarged, for example, it may compress surrounding structures and interfere with their normal function. When this delicate relationship is disturbed, the harmony of the whole can be affected.

From this perspective, illness can be seen as a disruption of the body’s natural balance.

Tumours provide another striking visual metaphor.

Some benign tumours may appear relatively well circumscribed or encapsulated, while malignant tumours can sometimes display irregular or invasive patterns of growth. Benign tumours generally do not invade surrounding tissues, whereas malignant tumours have the ability to invade nearby structures and spread to other parts of the body.

A physician experienced in tumour assessment once described this visual impression to me in very simple terms: sometimes, what appears orderly looks very different from what appears invasive and disordered.

Yet appearance alone does not determine whether a tumour is benign or malignant; proper medical evaluation and pathological diagnosis are essential.

Tumours of the brain deserve particular attention. Even a benign tumour can be dangerous because its location and growth may place pressure on critical structures within the brain.

To become a restorer of beauty, a healer must first develop the ability to perceive beauty and harmony.

But natural sensitivity alone is not enough.

It requires years of disciplined study, practice, observation, and refinement.

Even the greatest musicians continue to practise their instruments into their eighties and nineties.

So it is with medicine.

A healer’s exploration of the art and way of medicine never ends.

— Dr. Zhang
Reflections on the Art of Medicine | 医门论道

Shared by TCM Wellness Centre

10/07/2026

🌿 We’re always grateful to hear when a patient is feeling better. Today, we’d like to share one recent patient experience.

Patient Story | Relief from Long-Term Stomach Pain

Recently, a patient came to our clinic after experiencing recurring stomach pain for about a year.

After an assessment, Dr. Zhang provided acupuncture along with individualized supportive care based on the patient’s condition.

We were delighted to hear that after just one treatment visit, the patient reported no recurrence of the stomach pain over the following two weeks.

After dealing with this discomfort for such a long time, this was very encouraging news.

At Tang TCM Clinic, we believe that every patient is different. Treatment is tailored to each individual’s condition and needs, with the goal of supporting their health and overall well-being.

If you are experiencing ongoing digestive discomfort, you’re welcome to contact us to learn more about whether acupuncture may be appropriate for you.

📞 Tang TCM Clinic
204-219-6766

Individual responses to

10/06/2026

Reflections on the Art of Medicine | 医门论道

Starting today, we will be sharing selected writings from Dr. Zhang’s Reflections on the Art of Medicine—his reflections on medicine, the human body, healing, beauty, and life.

SERIES · 01

The Healer: A Restorer of Beauty

1.

On the planet we call home, billions of living beings coexist in harmony. They are born, grow, flourish, age, and eventually pass away, giving way to new forms of life.

No two leaves are exactly alike, yet together they compose a magnificent symphony of life. Such extraordinary beauty seems possible only through the hand of a great Creator.

2.

From atoms and electrons to DNA, and from the smallest structures of life to the vastness of the universe, everything appears to possess an astonishing mathematical order and precision.

From whatever perspective we observe them, we find patterns, structures, proportions, and harmony. Are these not among the Creator’s greatest works?

3.

Among all these creations, the human body must surely be one of the most exquisite works of art—a living masterpiece composed of countless intricate structures, each functioning in extraordinary coordination with the others.

4.

Beauty has its own laws.

Consider a painting. Its composition, proportions, and lines often reveal an underlying sense of balance, sometimes reflected in principles such as the golden ratio.

But is such harmony created merely to please the eye of the observer?

Perhaps not.

Through the harmony of its proportions and structures, the work achieves a state of balance within itself. What we experience as beauty may simply be our response—our resonance with that harmony.

5.

In the sculptures of ancient Greece, the balance of muscle, proportion, and line radiates a timeless beauty. At the same time, these works reveal humanity’s enduring admiration for health, strength, and the perfection of the human form.

The works of Raphael, Michelangelo, and Leonardo da Vinci likewise remind us that the study of beauty has always been closely connected with the study of the human body.

6.

Music may be infinitely complex and endlessly changing, yet the harmony among its notes still follows fundamental principles.

I once witnessed a violin maker gently tap the bridge of a violin only twice with a small wooden hammer. Those two seemingly insignificant adjustments transformed the beauty of the instrument’s sound.

A conductor standing before an orchestra of a hundred musicians can detect a single note played slightly out of tune. The conductor corrects it, adjusts the balance, and guides the orchestra until the music can express serenity, richness, sorrow, passion, or triumph.

How similar this is to the work of a healer—to diagnosis and treatment.

In 1961, during an international conducting competition in France, the young conductor Seiji Ozawa reportedly noticed an incorrect note during an orchestral performance. Rather than ignoring what he heard, he stopped the orchestra and insisted that the passage be played correctly.

The human body is one of the greatest works of art in the world.

Every human being is unique.

And the healer is, perhaps, simply a restorer of beauty.

Painting offers another example. In the hands of a master, a single finishing stroke can bring an entire work to life. Upon a two-dimensional surface, the artist can create spirit, emotion, and limitless imagination.

Great music finds its voice.
Great beauty finds its form.

How, then, do we cultivate ears capable of hearing beauty, eyes capable of seeing beauty, and a heart capable of feeling beauty?

From birth until death, may we remain able to experience the feast of beauty that surrounds us, so that our journey through this world will not have been in vain.

God bestowed upon the human being not only an exquisite physical form, but also something even more precious—a soul.

Yet some souls lose their restraint. From them arise destructive thoughts and insatiable desires: the hunger for power, war, slaughter, and destruction.

Human beings turn against their own kind; brothers devour brothers.

The world weeps for this suffering, while humanity itself bears the pain of its own distortion.

— Dr. Zhang
Reflections on the Art of Medicine | 医门论道

Shared by TCM Wellness Centre

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