When we study the pathology of the Internal Organs, for the Spleen, we generally emphasize Spleen-Qi deficiency and Spleen-Yang deficiency. This is understandable as these two patterns are indeed extremely common. By contrast, when it comes to the Stomach, we do mention Stomach-Yin deficiency. In fact, some people say that this is a well-known contradiction: … Read More
Tongue diagnosis, like the pulse, is one of the principal diagnostic methods in traditional Chinese medicine. Tongue Diagnosis in Chinese Medicine, third edition is a thorough, clinically oriented exposition of tongue diagnosis by Giovanni Maciocia, one of the most respected teachers and practitioners of Chinese medicine in the West. A thorough, clinically oriented exposition of tongue … Read More
I frequently hear that a Swollen tongue indicates Qi deficiency. It is not so! In my experience, a Swollen tongue indicates Phlegm. But let us start by describing it first. A tongue is “Swollen” when the whole body is larger than normal. Crucially, a Swollen tongue is also somewhat rounder than a normal tongue. In … Read More
The “chest/breast” area is on the sides of the tongue, between the centre part and the tip. The chest area reflects a pathology of three organs: heart or lungs in men and women or breast in women. The chest area reflects pathologies of the lungs, heart or breast but in a Western medical sense. A … Read More
Empty Heat derives from Yin deficiency and the two pathological conditions (Yin deficiency and Empty Heat) are often considered as one. All modern Chinese books include Empty Heat clinical manifestations under the patterns of Yin deficiency. For example, under the pattern of Lung-Yin deficiency they will have dry throat and dry cough (Yin deficiency) and … Read More
An essential tool in Chinese medicine, the Tongue nearly always shows the true condition of the patient. It is particularly useful in complex, chronic conditions manifesting with contradicting symptoms and signs. Its strength relies in the fact that it is nearly always reliable and objective. Compared to pulse diagnosis, it is also much easier to … Read More
As the previous blog on the chest/breast area of the tongue has aroused some questions about the sides of the tongue, I would like to clarify some diagnostic aspects of the sides of the tongue. Of course the sides of the tongue reflect the state of the Liver but there are circumstances when they reflect … Read More
STOMACH-YIN DEFICIENCY Aetiology The Stomach is a Yang organ but it frequently suffers from Yin deficiency. Indeed, I would say that Stomach-Yin deficiency is very common in the patients we see. The cause of Stomach-Yin deficiency is irregular eating habits. That includes eating late at night, eating in a hurry, eating while working, eating standing … Read More
Tongue diagnosis plays a very important role in the prevention of disease especially in the elderly. Middle-aged and elderly patients often show abnormal signs on the tongue in the absence of any obvious disease. Elderly people often suffer from Internal Wind, Blood stasis, Phlegm, Heat or Yin deficiency or a combination of these. For example, … Read More
There are two types of greasy coating: one is called ni 膩 which I call “sticky”; the other is hua 滑 which I call “slippery”. The sticky coating is more common than the slippery coating. Both types of coating share a common quality of being greasy. The main difference is that with the sticky coating … Read More
