BSM tongue-reading should be applied in the following three steps: observing the tongue, inquiring about symptoms, and diagnosing the problem.
- Observing: observe the tongue form (size, shape and texture) and coating. Analyze the conditions and possible reasons.
- Inquiring: inquire about the symptoms, and the urine and stool conditions.
- Diagnosis: according to the manifestation of the tongue form and coating, and the stool and urine conditions, make a diagnosis and a suggestion of healing methods.
The process of tongue-reading is similar to the process with which an inspector handles a criminal case. Through observing the tongue, analyzing symptoms, and collecting all information needed to find out the essential causes of a disease, practitioners with their medical wisdom, knowledge, experience, and special techniques should be able to make a reasonable diagnosis and recommendation.
Initially, do not pay much attention to the name of a disease; rather, take this as reference only. Like an inspector handling a special case, you can try to find an essential cause of a disease, collect evidence, and make a reasonable decision. When the evidence is not enough, you must be flexible, do not limit your mind, and observe all possibilities. You have to find more subtle evidence, and then you will find out what the root cause is. As a doctor, basic medical knowledge is important, but clinical experience is even more important. During the diagnosis, do not be misled by the name of the disease, because there are obvious differences between names of the disease, symptoms, and pathogens. For example, a headache may happen during flu or high blood pressure, as well as internal injury and insomnia. Nausea can happen along with a stomach disease, high and lower blood pressure, and a kidney disease. The symptoms of tightness and heaviness in the back can be associated with flu, or Heart and Lung Diseases. Besides these, during the process of the treatment there will be different symptoms or reactions in different periods. That is why finding the root cause is most important for further treatment.
With changes of the tongue body and coating, the doctor must observe the tongue very carefully, analyze the evidence, and then find out the root causes of the illness, followed by a proper treatment decision.
There are three steps to tongue-reading. As with any analytical process, finding evidence is very important. Changes of tongue form, localization of pits and bumps, and coating, provide helpful information for finding out the root causes of the illness, whereas the name of the disease and the symptoms are only for reference.
Observation of the physical characteristics of the tongue provides us only with a partial diagnosis. For confirmation, we have to know how the urine and stools look. This not only provides evidences for diagnosis, but also helps in the dosage prescription of herbs. We have to pay attention to all details. This process is something like taking out the silk from the cocoon. Adding evidences of the urine and stool conditions, we can make a correct diagnosis, and provide treatment strategies.
The principal treatment strategies are different from general methods. The treatment must focus on dissipating and removing energy blockage, and promoting energy flow in the Revolution Circulation 
. We need to pay attention not only to evidence collected from diagnosis, but also comparisons of tongue changes after several days’ treatment. Usually a tongue-reading is required once a week to understand the effect of a treatment.