Abdominal examination actually arose out of the Japanese medical tradition, which has the same roots as traditional Chinese medicine. In Japan, traditional therapists have developed the abdominal examination in order to better distinguish between several formula patterns – this form of abdominal diagnosis is called Fukushin. In addition, there are other forms of abdominal diagnosis, such as for Japanese acupuncture – this is called Hara diagnosis.

Similar to conventional medicine, different areas of the abdomen give us information about the condition of different organs – however, in TCM we use certain acupuncture points that correspond to those organs. The texture and resiliency of the tissue tells us how well the blood and body fluids nourish the muscles. Finally, the relative color and warmth of the skin tell us something about the availability and quality of the underlying qi, blood, and bodily fluids. All of these details help us see and diagnose the entire internal landscape of the body.