The four examinations, part 2 tongue diagnosis in chinese medicine. In chinese medicine, each type of tongue quality relates to a chinese diagnosis, as well as particular physical and mentalemotional symptoms. In 1942 it was understood that what was happening in the gut was often reflected in the tongue. The tongue body is also swollen which indicates the presence of phlegm. The photos provide a graphic representation of a wide variety of common disorders. Tongue diagnosis introduction tongue is generally known as. In this article i am going to share with you knowledge about tongue diagnosis. Ideally it looks like the tongue of a six or sevenyearold child if you have access to one, check it out. Traditional chinese medicine diagnosis a beginners. For a practitioner of chinese medicine, tongue diagnosis is a fundamental diagnostic tool the tongue reflects the material state of our body. The closest doc in medicine to evaluate tmj would be an ent doc. A tongue with a thick and yellow coating or swollen taste buds will indicate excess heat or an interior heat pattern. Acupuncture points for a swollen tongue answers on healthtap. The tongue reflects how a persons body is balanced, generally in a more longterm way than pulse diagnosis.
Chinese medicine tongue diagnosis show me your tongue did you know that your tongue is giving very important clues about your overall health. But the extensive collection of photos in this book do a good job of indicating what is meant by a pale tongue, a red tongue, a swollen tongue, a thick or thin coating, etc. We are not looking at it to show the quality of your dental hygiene. It is especially important in confirming the tcm diagnosis. The tongue exam can reflect a number of underlying diagnoses such as infections, nutritional deficiencies, malignancy and even neurological dysfunction. Pulse diagnosis and tongue diagnosis are widely used in traditional chinese medicine. In fact, i can find out almost everything i need to know regarding your health just from looking at your tongue. Tongue diagnosis in chinese medicine book by giovanni maciocia.
Understanding diagnostic reasoning in tcm practice. However, the explanation in this article is more detailed than the one i found in dr. The secondary functions of the tongue are to help swallowing and chewing the food. A swollen tongue is a symptom of a variety of disorders, diseases or conditions. During an examination, the overall tongue coating, shape, and color is taken into account. Some of this can be affected by what a person did that day.
Swollen tongues, like swelling anywhere in the body, point to damp or phlegm. This method involves examination of the shape, size, color, and texture of the tongue body and coat and helps reveal the state of. In the traditional chinese medicine tcm system, the diagnosis and treatment of individuals with a conventional medicine diagnosis of hypothyroidism depends on the history, tongue, and pulse diagnosis. Other names for tongue inflammation include tongue. On physical examination, there are several characteristics of the tongue that should be noted. This is one of the most valuable tools available to us herbalists. Tongue diagnosis is an important method used in chinese medicine to. You might be self conscious of this, you do not need to be. Sacred lotus has helped millions of people learn chinese medicine for over 15 years. It is therefore very useful and important during inspection for confirming tcm diagnosis. Tongue diagnosis of traditional chinese medicine for.
Tongue diagnosis is an important part of the chinese medical assessment. When the very tip of the tongue is red this means that there is a major emotional cause of whatever the rest of the tongue indicates as disease. Changes in the tongue color usually reflect chronic illness. Tongue diagnosis in tcm is comprehensive and much information can be gathered from it such as the degree of the pathogenic factor and the state of. Based on our previous works, a tongue diagnosis system is finally. The tongue reflects the health of the internal organs and blood circulation. The upper surface contains the taste buds that act as. In tongue diagnosis, observation of the surface of the tongue is mainly focused on. Tongue analysis can be used in complement with pulse, nail, and facial diagnosis in order to really see what is going on. Tongue exam stanford medicine 25 stanford medicine. Home acupuncture open up and say aaahhh tongue diagnosis in tcm. Tongue diagnosis is a primary method in chinese medicine for understanding whats happening. I recommend this book for serious tcm students and for people who want to learn how health problems can.
The swollen tongue shape indicates accumulation of fluids, often caused by. It includes observing the tongue and any coating it may have. I invite you to book a time to find out more about how chinese herbal medicine. What your tongue can say about your health organic olivia. Doctors give trusted, helpful answers on causes, diagnosis, symptoms, treatment, and more. A misguided study to test the reliability of traditional. This book newly revised in 1995systematically describes each of the primary characteristics of the tongue body color, shape and coating and their significance in the clinic. Tongue diagnosis and analysis natural health techniques. In fall o r autumn, the tongue may be thinner with a coating that is more dry. When a practitioner of tcm looks at a patients tongue heshe is looking at many things such as the tongue body, shape, movement, coating as well as the yin and yang organs reflected on the tongue. For our herbalists, the tongue helps us select the proper herbal formula. Tongue diagnosis in chinese medicine the tongue has many relationships and connections in the body, both to the meridians and the internal organs.
This may sound strange to those of us who were raised in a western society that only looks at blood work, but youd be surprised at all your tongue can tell you. Giovanni maciocia discusses tongue diagnosis, including the importance of colour, shape and coating in chinese medicine, complete with tongue photos. The aims of this study were to 1 understand cognitive strategies and diagnostic reasoning processes of tcm practitioners engaged in tongue diagnosis and 2 investigate tcm practitioners. Tongue diagnosis is an important method in tcm to detect constitution like qi deficiency, yin deficiency, blood stasis, dampness, etc. The tongue body refers to the muscular tissue of the tongue.
When you get acupuncture, your acupuncturist will look at your tongue. This new 2nd edition of atlas of chinese tongue diagnosis contains over two hundred color photographs of tongues seen in a western clinic. The tongue is a map of the body in chinese medicine. It reveals information about the chronicity and severity of a particular pathology. Chinese medicine tongue diagnosis comox valley acupuncture. Tongue diagnosis is involved, but below youll find a shortish list of what an acupuncturist is observing. If a patient presents with a swollen tongue as in the picture above i definitely resolve phlegm.
Examination of the tongue, like the pulse, is one of the principal diagnostic methods in traditional chinese medicine. Many healing systems recognize the tongue as reflecting something about the health of a person, both patterns of overall health or imbalance and the state of particular organs and tissues. Tongue assessment in traditional chinese medicine tcm. A misguided study to test the reliability of traditional chinese medicine pulse diagnosis. Learn diagnosis tcm tongue with free interactive flashcards. It can be a strong indicator of a persons overall harmony or disharmony.
One telltale sign of an enlarged, swollen tongue is the presence of an irregular shape, with. The color of the tongue, its shape, its coating or lack of, all these details can give us information about what is going on internally. The tongue is divided into different areas, and these areas reflect the chinese medicine organ system. In ayurveda, one of the primary investigative tools of practitioners for determining the state of ones health is tongue diagnosis or evaluation of the tongue the tongue is the beginning of the digestive tract, which lumbers on for another 30 feet or so.
Swollen tongue in chinese medicine giovanni maciocia. What is acupressure tongue diagnosis a healthy tongue is slightly moist, pink, and has a very slight white coat. How tongue diagnosis works by transformational acupuncture. It is a very accurate view into the inner health of an individual.
Introduction to tongue assessment for the western herbalist. Tongue diagnosis is a practice long used in traditional chinese medicine a system of. Tongue diagnosis in chinese medicine by giovanni maciocia. Introduction to tongue nutrient diagnosis in functional. Since the tongue always reflects the basic, underlying pattern, it is extremely reliable, especially whenever there are. Traditional chinese medicine diagnosis a beginners guide. It also informs the practitioner about the underlying strength or weakness of the patient s constitution. This is after all an important aspect of tongue diagnosis, i. Scalloped tongue or teeth marked tongue, is swollen tongue that feels surrounding the teeth of the lower. Tongue diagnosis is one of the four pillars of examination in traditional chinese medicine, and reveals to the practitioner a basic guide of where disharmony is present. It also provides a good example on how to describe in decent english the concepts and terms in chinese medicine.
Since we cannot see much beyond the mouth without some invasive diagnostics, a quick look at the. Observation of the tongue, also known as tongue diagnosis, is an important procedure in tcm examination. Tongue diagnosis is a primary method in chinese medicine for understanding whats happening inside the bodyits the other mri of traditional medical systems. Tongue inflammation occurs when the tongue becomes swollen and possibly discolored. I once attended a tongue diagnosis seminar at bastyr university given my a wonderful author, giovanni maciocia. When we look at your tongue, it tells us a lot about your health. Tongue diagnosis introduction tongue is generally known as the organ of taste. Yin and yang in tongue, swollen tongue, tcm theory. In chinese medicine, each type of tongue quality relates to a chinese diagnosis, as well as particular physical and mentalemotional symptoms these will be described in more detail below.
Qi pronounced chi and yang are responsible for the smooth and orderly traffic as well as holding the organ in good shape. Click here to see when jonathan is available, or to book your appointment online. According to traditional chinese medicine, scalloped tongue means that a deficiency of qi and yang in the body. If the tongue swells sufficiently, it will press against the teeth. The tongue, according to ayurveda, is a strong diagnostic tool for looking at ones systemic health. A swollen tongue can result from an allergic reaction or the more serious anaphylactic reaction. One of the principal diagnostic methods in traditional chinese medicine tcm is the inspection of the tongue. Woman sleeping on sofa in living room, book covering face. Internal classic is an important classic book in tcm. I didnt know enough about chinese medicine or the language. They are based on imagination, not on anatomical and physiologic reality. Choose from 500 different sets of diagnosis tcm tongue flashcards on quizlet.
Practice of chinese medicine and tongue diagnosis in chinese medicine are all outstanding contributions of. Changes in tongue shape may include a swollen or puffy tongue said to be another. The appearance and qualities of the tongue is a critical part of diagnosis in chinese medicine tcm. Tongue diagnosis in tcm beachside community acupuncture. Chinese medicine diagnosis and treatment sacred lotus. Learn vocabulary, terms, and more with flashcards, games, and other study tools. It is considered a pillar of diagnosis because it provides clearly visible clues to a patients pattern of disease. A red, irritated tongue was thought to mirror a red, irritated gut. Here is what a yellow tongue may tell us, according to tcm.
Tongue diagnosis is a very traditional and effective method which has been used to diagnose diseases for over two thousand years. I had read his book several years before that and had been looking at tongues both human and animal for years, but it seemed that there was so much to know and try to understand that it seemed. Tongue diagnosis in chinese medicine tcm tongue diagnosis in chinese medicine the normal tongue in traditional chinese medicine has a light red or pinkish body with a thin white coating. The ventral surface may have some visible vasculature. Tongue diagnosis is a key process used in chinese medicine and there is. In traditional chinese medicine tcm, the tongue is considered a very important sign for both the meridians and the internal organs of the body. I found this book a very nice description of the principles and practices of the tongue diagnosis in chinese medicine. Knowledge of tongue diagnosis is one of the unique treasures of traditional chinese medicine tcm. In fact, im surprised when acupuncturists dont use it. A swollen tongue can result from infection, inflammation, allergy, genetic disorders, trauma, malignancy, metabolic diseases and other abnormal processes.
Tongue diagnosis is used all the time by acupuncturists and practitioners trained in chinese medicine it is an important way to diagnose a patients health and sometimes can be crucial in deciding what to do first. If a patient presents with a swollen tongue as in the picture. An enlarged tongue with a red body and a greasy yellow coat may indicate spleen and stomach dampheat. Hypothyroidism is generally considered to be a deficiency of spleen andor kidney yang energy, especially. Especially we can check the condition of blood and body fluids. Seasons of the year in summer, there may be more dampness present in the tongue coating, leaving it slightly thicker and light yellow. This was seen in bvitamin deficiencies, glossitis and ileitis. The chinese medicine, considers tongue as a map that corresponds.
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