Diagnosis

The main reason to seek advice from a doctor/physician is to be diagnosed,
then, to consult ways of treating the disease/syndrome,
and to obtain treatment.

However nowadays,
patients see doctors/physician is to obtain:
1) medical certificate (MC)
2) to be diagnosed (treatment doesn't really matter)
3) to be treated (diagnosis doesn't really matter)

The flow of Diagnosis --> Treatment Method --> Treatment/Prescription,
actually links with each other.
For example,
if you are being diagnosed with dengue fever,
there are a few treatment methods to choose from, depending on the severity of your disease and symptoms.
If you are having mild decrease in platelet count, low grade fever, and without other serious symptoms,
hospitals might not admit you into the ward,
instead, you will be given paracetamol to control your fever, and instructions and advice to monitor your own symptoms and disease condition.
Thus, even if you have me diagnosed to have dengue fever, there is no reason to be alarmed.

Modern medicine diagnose patients with actual data, statistics and visual prove,
by measuring blood pressure, taking blood tests, obtaining scans etc.
Thus, there is prove, and everybody (doctors and patient) knows what is going on in your body,
although most patients doesn't really understand what is wrong with their body after all tests and scans,
but those data and evidence makes patients feels secure on the treatment method advised by the doctor or treatment given to the patients.

On the other hand,
in complementary medicine,
for example, Chinese medicine,
physicians are prohibited to implement modern medical apparatus on patients (except like some simple blood pressure monitor or stethoscope - only for taking blood pressure).
Thus, what is left, is our ancient teaching - observation, pulse taking, and tongue picture.
These diagnosis techniques give "data" which physicians can correlate with what they have learn from texts, and from experience, they know how to tackle the "problem" arise in the patients.
However,
these "data" is through perception and sensation of the physician, without "visual prove",
hence, even more difficult for patient to understand the diagnosis and treatment.

By comparison,
modern medicine gives a clearer picture to the patient, and give sense of professionalism,
while complementary medicine depends a great deal on the patient's trust.
But in either way,
because most patients doesn't really understand their own diagnosis and treatment,
(even the most basic meaning of the reading of blood pressure and the initiation of its medication),
so, the efficacy of the treatment doesn't really rely on that if you have chosen modern or complementary treatment.

If you are seeking treatment from complementary medicine,
do get tests and scans done, with diagnosis of doctors first.
Although complementary medicine can stand alone by itself,
it is better to obtain "evidence" first to:
1) be diagnose (knowing what's wrong)
2) to convince yourself
3) to convince the physician, so as to give the appropriate treatment

Complementary medicine is call "complementary",
because complements.