The syndrome is a description of various functional states of the human body. It is mainly composed of the following five aspects: (1) the depressed consciousness state, which is a sign of partial pathological changes; (2) the feeling of the patient, whose partial meridian system is not expeditious, such as soreness, pain, sickness, or numbness; (3) the blood pulse corresponding to the whole will, which is one of the key features diagnosed by the pulse-taking technique in TCM; (4) the outlook of certain symptoms related to the functional state of the human body; and (5) the pathological changes of interior viscera cells, as usually diagnosed by Western medicine. CWM is successful in catching diseases that have already developed to a certain degree and are diagnosable by instruments. However, by using the sensing function that has been accumulated and passed on from generation to generation, TCM is more successful in discovering the syndrome before the disease has fully developed. This difference in timing is often crucial. TCM plays an important role in helping those living in a “sub-health” state, which reportedly accounts for 75% of city residents.
By knowing the various functional states and their manifestation in the human body, the TCM and CWM methods can be combined in diagnosing diseases. For example, utilizing the four diagnoses method in TCM before pathological changes appear can accurately diagnose and eliminate the disease in its embryonic stage by adjusting the internal environment. Western medical diagnostic techniques can be used to confirm the disease and quickly eliminate the pathological changes and restore health. In conclusion, the theory of the functional states of the human body links CWM with TCM and promotes understanding of the complex systems of the human body. A basic understanding of this theory will promote scientific breakthroughs for disease prevention with applicability to various new diseases and difficulties in curing contemporary ones.