Diagnosis Through Listening

Diagnosis through listening involves paying attention to the patient's tone of voice, breathing patterns and taking a sniff of the patient's breath.

The following tables show some of the conditions that may occur and what they mean.

Diagnosis through listening to the patient's voice

Strong, loud voice	Presence of yang, heat.
Feeble, broken voice	Presence of yin, cold. Shows as deficient vital energy and lowered resistance.
Hoarseness or loss of voice due to recent illness	Caused by febrile factors, usually the result of external colds and heat.
Hoarseness or loss of voice due to prolonged illness	Lack of energy and reduced resistance; weakness of the lungs and kidneys.
Deep coughs, clear phlegm	Wind-cold has attacked the lungs.
Sudden coughing, thick and yellow phlegm	Excess heat in the lungs.
Phlegmy cough	Presence of phlegm.

Strong and heavy breathing	Caused by febrile factors, excess pathogenic internal heat.
Weak, short breaths	Caused by deficiency in the function of the lungs.
Breathing difficulties, wheezing sounds	Asthma.
Uneven breathing or heavy sighing breaths	Serious condition, with damage to the vital essence or poisoning.
Loud breathing accompanied by snoring sounds	Stroke patients and comatose patients suffering from liver ailments and diabetes.
Rapid breathing, exhalation brings relief	Usually seen in cases of lung infection or phlegm-retention.
Low breathing sounds, inhalation brings relief	Decline in the function of the kidney

Bad breath	Poor digestion, heat in the stomach or poor oral hygiene.
Sourish breath	Undigested food in one's system.
Decaying breath	Stomach ulcer and sores.
Body odour	Caused by pathogenic dampness-heat.
Nose emits odour, runny nose	Heat in the lungs or pathogenic dampness-heat accumulated in the spleen and the stomach.

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