Page 32 - Study Report_PH Amila Nishani Piyasingha

Theory of Diagnosis Principles for prevention and treatment theory

Prevention

Prevention includes taking certain steps in advance to stop the
occurrence and development of diseases. TCM has always attached

great importance to the prevention of disease. As early as two thousand
years ago, the Huangdi’s Internal Classic put forward the concept of

“treating the undiseased” which includes treatment to prevent disease
and before disease develops.

This implies that before a disease occurs, various measures should be

taken to prevent its occurrence. The onset of a disease involves two
aspects,

1. A deficiency or functional disturbance of anti – pathogenic-qi,
2. An invasion of the body by pathogenic factors.

The pathogenic factor is an important condition while the anti –

pathogenic –qi is seen as the internal cause, with the former becoming
operative through the latter. Therefore, for prevention of occurrence of

a disease both aspects should be taken into consideration.

Treatment Principles

The treatment principle is the general method in treating disease. It is

formulated under the guidance of the concept of wholism and
treatment determination based on syndrome differentiation. It is a

universal guiding principle for the determination of methods, formula

and dosage. It should be noted that the treatment principle is different
from the treatment method. The treatment principle is the general rule

of guiding the method, while the treatment method embodies the
principle. Thus any method always belongs to a certain treatment

principle.