TCM diagnosis Based on Syndrome Differentiation:
Based on four examination techniques, TCM practitioners will diagnosis atherosclerosis according to its clinical symptoms and further characterize it by the disharmony patterns displayed by each individual. At various stages of disease, different disharmony patterns are present and individuals with the same disease will be treated differently depending on the type of disharmony pattern they have. Atherosclerosis usually classify into 6 type:

1. Blockage of heart vessels due to ae blood stasis pattern.
2. Blockage due to a phlegm dampness pattern
3. Deficiency of both qi and yin
4. Deficiency of heart yang
5. Obstruction of heart yang
6. Deficiency of kidney yang


Diagnosis in Western Medicine:
Diseases caused by atherosclerosis are the most common cause of death in the world. The one test that can directly show blocked arteries is called angiography. Angiography is an "invasive" test:

A thin tube is inserted inside an artery in the leg or arm.
It is then threaded through the body's maze of branching arteries.
Injected dye shows arteries -- and any blockages -- on a monitor.
Angiography involves some risk. Serious complications occur rarely, but it's too high a risk for people who aren't likely to have blockages.

Instead, expert groups developed a system to separate people into risk groups. People can then be tested appropriately, according to risk level. Low-risk people receive risk-free testing. Angiography is usually reserved for people already at high risk of atherosclerosis.