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