Yin scores and yang scores: A new method for quantitative diagnostic evaluation in traditional Chinese medicine research.

Objective: To develop and evaluate a method for quantitative evaluation of yin and yang (yin and yang scores) in human subjects for the purposes of research. This method aims to classify subjects into groups allowing future quantitative testing of key research questions such as: do different groups of patients respond differently to acupuncture treatments or Chinese herb formulas?

Methods: In a pilot study of inter-rater reliability, 12 volunteers were each successively interviewed and examined by 6 acupuncturists on the same day. Each acupuncturist gave each volunteer a score for yin and a score for yang on a scale of -10 to +10, zero representing a "balanced" score.