Wang et al. Knowledge management and Chinese medicine Proceedings of the Nineteenth Americas Conference on Information Systems, Chicago, Illinois, August 15-17, 2013. 1 Knowledge Management System and Infertility Treatment Using Traditional Chinese Medicine  Dr. Wendy Wang Trident University wendy_phoenix@hotmail.com Ming Wang Fidelity Information and Technology LLC xy.wm@hotmail.com Dr. Lijuan Jiang Yunnan College of Traditional Chinese Medicine jianglijuan825@163.com ABSTRACT Traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) has been practiced for over 5000 years. Different from western medicine which has its origin from anatomy, TCM is based on the ancient Chinese perception of humans as part of the environment and universe, subject to nature and its forces, therefore, health and diseases are direct result of the interaction of humans with the environment and the balance of distinct yet interconnected organs. The effectiveness of TCM has been recognized widely, yet due to its complexity and underlying conceptual foundations, it is very challenging to seek scientific evidence on how it works using lab experiments. This paper discusses an ongoing knowledge management project that is built on the logic of TCM treatment of infertility. The purpose of this project is to promote understanding of the TCM treatment, uncover its underlying theories, preserve TCM knowledge, and facilitate its continuing development. Keywords Knowledge management, traditional Chinese medicine, data warehouse, health care, infertility INTRODUCTION Traditional Chinese medicine and western medicine Traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) is a science that studies the physiology, pathology, prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of disease. Mainly using medicinal herbs and acupuncture, TCM has been guarding the Chinese civilization for more than 5000 years. Although its effectiveness has been widely acknowledged, due to its complicated theoretical foundation, it is hard for researchers to provide scientific evidence on how and why TCM works using lab experiments. Hence, the status of TCM as a branch of science has been under constant question and examination. TCM is very different from western medicine in its foundation, diagnosis methods, and treatment: 1) Western medicine originates from anatomy; TCM is based on the ancient Chinese belief that the human body is in tune and part of the bigger universe, it is under the influence of the bigger cosmos which consists of 5 basic elements: gold, wood, water, fire, and earth. The health and illness of the human body is the direct result of its interaction with the environment and the harmony or imbalance of its distinctive and interconnected organs. Western medicine makes progress mainly via lab experiments whereas TCM makes progress mainly via first hand clinical experience. 2) Built on labs, experiments, and anatomy, western medicine collects vital information using many medical devices, e.g., stethoscope, CT scan, or MRI. TCM uses four ways for diagnosis: Observing (O), Smell (S), Ask(A), and Check (C), observing the appearance of the patients, e.g. the tongue, countenance, shape of the body; smelling and noticing any unusual odor, asking questions and making inquires, and checking the pulse of the patients; 3) TCM and western medicine also differ in method of treatment. Western medicine doctors tend to prescribe the same pills to patients who are diagnosed with the same illness, whereas TCM doctors will give customized prescription since the causes of the illness differ as well as the individual body types and the time of the year. Therefore, even