4 . When Arvin Kuipers, who graduated from Beijing University of Chinese Medicine in 2017 and loves Chinese culture, asks his patients to stick out their tongue so he can diagnose(诊断) their illness, many are confused.

Kuipers, 30, practicing Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) in Amsterdam in the Netherlands, said, “In TCM I need to do face and tongue diagnosis. That’s strange for people in my country.” One elderly woman had been visiting him occasionally for advice, but her first experience with TCM surprised her. She had never experienced acupuncture (针灸) or any other TCM treatment. “She came in, and I examined her face and tongue,” said Kuipers. “I told the patient her kidneys were not doing well and that she wasn’t getting proper sleep.” The woman was shocked by his insight and asked if he had been spying on her. “Actually, it was easy to diagnose her condition when I saw the dark rings under her eyes. Her energy levels were also very low at the time.”

Kuipers opened his TCM clinic in September. Most of his work involves performing acupuncture, cupping as well as tuina — a TCM massage that patients in the West like the most, he said. In some cases he also gave his patients traditional herbal medicines.

Kuipers usually makes a cup of Chinese tea to calm his patients if they are nervous about the acupuncture needles. He also explains to them the meridian (经络) system, which is a central concept of TCM, yin and yang, and other concepts. “In TCM, good health requires balanced yin and yang, so practitioners not only pay attention to a patient’s illness, but also to his or her overall physical condition,” said Kuipers. “TCM is also a different culture and offers a new perspective, instead of being a curing method.”

As of early April, Kuipers has treated more than 200 patients, many of whom come to his clinic every week. “TCM does work, and works well. My patients really feel better with it, so I value it, and when my patients feel better I also feel better.”

Imagine for a moment that your unborn child has a rare genetic disorder. Not     1     at least vaguely familiar, such as sickle-cell anaemia or cystic fibrosis, but rather a condition     2     (bury) deep within the medical dictionary. Adrenoleukodys trophy, maybe. Or Ehlers-Danlos syndrome.

Would you, when your child is born, want to know about it? If effective treatments were available, you probably would. But if not? If the outcome were fatal, would your interest in knowing about it depend on whether your newborn had five years of life    3     (look) forward to, or ten? Or 30?

Today these questions are mostly hypothetical. Precisely because they are rare, such disorders are seldom noticed at birth. They manifest (显现) themselves only gradually, and often with unpredictable severity. But that may soon change. Twenty years after the first human genome     4     (map), the price of whole-genome sequencing has fallen to a point     5     it could, in rich countries at least, be offered routinely to newborns. Parents will then have to decide exactly how much they want to know.

Early diagnosis brings with it the possibility of early treatment. Moreover, sequencing the genomes of newborns could offer a lifetime of returns. A patient’s genome may reveal     6     drugs will work best in his or her particular case for conditions such as ADHD, depression and cancer. Combined with information about someone’s way of life, it could highlight easily neglected health risks such as cancers and cardiovascular disease, leading to better preventive measures. A database of genomes,     7     (match) to living people, would be a benefit to medical research. The fruits of that research, in turn, would make those genomes more useful to their owners as time goes on.

Such a powerful new technology create new dangers. Widespread screening for thousands of potentially harmful genes may be counterproductive: some results may worry parents unnecessarily, because some genetic variations,     8     occasionally indicative of disease, are not strongly so. Parents may not want to unlock all the secrets that their newborn’s genome might reveal. Some may indeed prefer not to know about conditions that cannot be treated. Adult-onset illnesses pose a different dilemma — a reasonable position is that it     9     be up to the children themselves, once grown, to decide whether they want to look at their genomic information. A further concern is that data will not be kept secure, and may be leaked or otherwise misused     10     some point in the future.

8 . When you’re sitting on an examining table, it’s easy to forget all the questions that brought you in to see the doctor in the first place. Maybe you thought your physician would ask you about something, but they didn’t, so you weren’t sure if you should bring it up. Or a symptom (症状) felt like a big deal to you, but they brushed it off. How to get the best care from your physician?     1    

Prepare for an appointment

Most patients feel that the doctor is all-knowing, and that in the medical relationship they are powerless.     2     This is a partnership. Doctors and patients should work together as “co-detective”. And that detective work will be easier for you and your doctor if you come to your appointment ready. You can begin with thinking about your current problems as well as giving your medical history.

    3    

If you feel dismissed by your doctor, don’t hesitate to voice your opinions. Some helpful phrases can be used in those moments: “This is limiting my life,” and “I think that there’s something going on and I’m having a hard time putting it together. I need your help.” You can also ask for a referral (转诊) to see another specialist and bring a friend or family member to your next appointment to ask questions or take notes.

Take information home with you

Taking written or recorded information home with you can help you remember information and instructions any time you need to. Your doctor is a good source of accurate information you can trust. You can take home with you the notes that you have taken during the appointment.     4     If necessary, you can even take brochures or other educational materials.

Follow up with your doctor

    5    , like taking medicine, scheduling a test or scheduling an appointment with a specialist. If you’re confused or if you’ve forgotten some information, it’s ok to contact your doctor.