Taking into account swelling of the tongue body your teeth marks it confirms the yin deficiency in the spleen and accumulation of damp. If you find cracks on a pale tongue, it usually means that the qi and the blood is deficient. Within tcm there are a couple of different schools of thought with regards to where to map different organs on the tongue. Giovanni maciocia discusses tongue diagnosis, including the importance of colour, shape and coating in chinese medicine, complete with tongue photos. However, your chinese medicine practitioner will talk to you about your pulse diagnosis, and the most common descriptions are. It can be a strong indicator of a persons overall harmony or disharmony. It is especially important in confirming the tcm diagnosis.
Tongue diagnosis gillian mckeith healthy eating, weight. Tongue diagnosis is a primary method in chinese medicine for understanding whats happening inside the bodyits the other mri of traditional medical systems. These 9 changes on your tongue reveal almost all your diseases. The secondary functions of the tongue are to help swallowing and chewing the food. During an examination, the overall tongue coating, shape, and color is taken into account.
Biology of the tongue coating and its value in disease diagnosis. This is how i explain tcm tongue diagnosis to my patients. Diy ayurvedic tongue diagnosis john douillards lifespa. When a chinese practitioner carries our his diagnosis through tongue session, he would take notes of the following. A cracked pale tongue indicates insufficiency of yin and blood. Furthermore, some people have minor, unchanging cracks on their tongue, which are considered. The appearance and qualities of the tongue is a critical part of diagnosis in chinese medicine tcm. In tongue diagnosis, observation of the surface of the tongue is mainly focused on the shape, fur, and body of the tongue. Diagnosing the tongue body this refers to qualities of the tongue related to size, shape, and color independent of the tongue coating. Seasons of the year in summer, there may be more dampness present in the tongue coating, leaving it slightly thicker and light yellow. What follows on this page are the various tongue body and coating appearances, how they came to look that way mechanisms and what they indicate. It will often be necessary to crossreference several or all of these aspects to establish a full picture.
Tongue diagnosis of traditional chinese medicine for. Various parts of the tongue correspond to different bodily organs, such as kidneys, spleen and lungs, and a tcm doctor can determine their state of health and any pathological changes by observing the condition of the body muscular. For our herbalists, the tongue helps us select the proper herbal formula. The cracks, for example, may never go totally away, but the coat will repair pretty quickly. Introduction to tongue assessment for the western herbalist. Tcm diagnostics is a study of the theories, methods and techniques of diagnosis used in traditional chinese medicine tcm. Given its simple and noninvasive nature, tongue diagnosis is becoming a. To contrast and compare the heart and stomach cracks, the former is rather narrow and runs all along the tongue from near the root to near the tip, while the latter is rather wide and is only in the middle of the tongue. Observing the tongue is one of the major diagnostic tools of tcm and there are hundreds of possible indications. Cracks on the tongue with deep red color indicate excessive heat.
It includes observing the tongue and any coating it may have. There is a reasonable congruence between ayurvedic tongue assessment and tcm regarding the map of the organs on the tongue. Tcm diagnosis is the most difficult yet most important fundamental core of traditional chinese medicine. Cracks on a red tongue surface these points to a fungal infection in the body, and is often accompanied by night sweats, sleeplessness and irritability if you like the video, give it a thumbs. In this article i am going to share with you knowledge about tongue diagnosis. Tongue diagnosis in tcm acupuncture clinic of tom ingegno. The demarcations that you look for are cracks or raised areas. I actuallywill probably wind up being back again far more normally. Pdf cracked tongue recognition using statistic feature. The 2 pillars of chinese medicine treatment plan by acupro academy.
Aug 12, 20 tongue diagnosis is an important method in tcm to detect constitution like qi deficiency, yin deficiency, blood stasis, dampness, etc. Observation of the tongue, also known as tongue diagnosis, is an important procedure in tcm examination. One of the principal diagnostic methods in traditional chinese medicine tcm is the inspection of the tongue. Apr 25, 20 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. If you stick your tongue out at yourself in the mirror, you can actually see the health of your organs. Nov 24, 20 love your spleen tcm tongue diagnosis and case study foodiecure window shades and blinds actually got me simply addicted with your internet page. A tongue without cracks is frequently soft and supple. Tongue diagnosis is a primary method in chinese medicine for. Tongue diagnosis is an integral part of taking a medical history in chinese medicine. Vertical crack on the tongue usually indicates the exhaustion of your body fluids specifically yin deficiency. When the stomach is diminished and there is no coat on the tongue, thats a bad sign the coat of the tongue will change faster than the body of the tongue. It forms the foundation of all, physicians assess a persons syndromes or disease, and state of health by collecting and analyzing clinical information on the basis of different diagnostic methods. Cracked tongue pictures, causes, diagnosis, treatment. Many cracks on tongue fissured tongue ayurvedic diet.
The stomach crack on the tongue is rather wide and it is in the central section of the tongue corresponding to middle burner. In some cases, the cracks may cause burning sensation while consuming specific food type or may leave you tasteless too. It is a multidirectional and systematic analysis process which is vital in any tcm treatment determination. Tongue coating in the first place, the properties of tongue coating should be examined. The coating of the tongue would be observed separately from the actual body of the tongue. Tongue diagnosis is a practice long used in traditional chinese medicine a system of alternative medicine that originated in china.
Food and drugs may change the coating or color of the body of the tongue. If the tongue body also has cracks and there is little or no tongue coat, this usually indicates deficient heat due to. The form was divided into two sections to record the observation data systematically. The cracks, they might be congenital, otherwise they mean something has eaten up the fluids. The tongue is the beginning of the digestive tract, which lumbers on for another 30 feet or so. Love your spleen tcm tongue diagnosis and case study. Aug 20, 2011 tongue diagnosis requires a great deal of knowledge of tcm theory and experience with patients but here is a simplified guide that you can use to observe your own health. If you find cracks that are horizontal, that almost always means yin insufficiency. According to the principles of tcm, analyzing the appearance of an individuals tongue can provide a greater understanding of his or her overall health. A cracked tongue diagnosis usually involves looking at the tongue to see what else is occurring alongside the cracks. 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. These tongue cracks might go unnoticed because of their benign effects, but they change the tongue appearance. We may evaluate the size of the tongue compared to the opening of the mouth or observe any teeth marks on the sides.
However it is best to see a practitioner who specialises in tongue diagnosis. The tongue coating fur refers to a layer of moss over the tongue surface, which is produced by the stomach qi. Traditional chinese medicine diagnosis howstuffworks. 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. In traditional chinese medicine, its an ancient practice to read the tongue. Understanding diagnostic reasoning in tcm practice.
Most people dont even notice the cracks on their tongue. There are several shapes such crack and fissure on the surface of tongue, which differ in depth and numbers. Tongue diagnosis is a practice long used in traditional chinese medicine a system. The role of tongue diagnosis not all tongue irregularities are indications of disharmony, however. Why traditional chinese medicine diagnosis is worthless stephen barrett, m. Knowledge of tongue diagnosis is one of the unique treasures of traditional chinese medicine tcm. The diagnosis can also be made using the clinical symptoms of the tongue. 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. Learning to read the 28 pulses that are an essential part of chinese medicine diagnosis takes years of study and practice. While the tongue body segmentation acts an indispensable role in the automatic tongue diagnosis system. A cracked tongue can be observed as an incidental finding during a routine dental examination.
Why traditional chinese medicine diagnosis is worthless. But in ayurveda, cracks on your tongue tell an important story. The effectiveness of this has led to an integrative approach in the diagnosis of a condition. Tongue diagnosis in chinese medicine by giovanni maciocia. Tongue diagnosis is used all the time by acupuncturists and practitioners trained in chinese medicine. Fissured tongue in tcm tongue diagnosis tcm health. Diagnosis through tongue acupuncture and chinese medicine. The upper surface contains the taste buds that act as the primary organ of taste. The tongue body refers to the muscular tissue of the tongue.
Tcm doctors rely on tongue diagnosis to differentiate one syndrome from another, and use variations in the tongues colour, texture, shape and coating to evaluate a patients condition. If something is on the exterior it cannot change the tongue coating. However, a cracked tongueof long term duration without any other symptoms can be considered normal. When we ask you to stick your tongue out, we are observing the appearance of the tongue in three distinct areas. In fall o r autumn, the tongue may be thinner with a coating that is more dry. Jan 25, 2017 vertical crack on the tongue usually indicates the exhaustion of your body fluids specifically yin deficiency. It is rare to need a biopsy to diagnose a fissured tongue. Jun 24, 2017 cracked tongue is a condition in which the top visible surface of your tongue gets cracks or fissures. Weve been doing more work with tongue diagnosis in class, and i wanted to. Sep 11, 20 tongue assessment is part of both tcm and ayurvedic medicine.
Traditional chinese medicine tcm is based on fanciful notions that ill health is caused by imbalances of the flow of vital energy chi or qi through alleged pathways called meridians. Tongue diagnosis is an important part of the chinese medical assessment. The tongue is a map of the body in chinese medicine. Tongue diagnosis is a very traditional and effective method which has been used to diagnose diseases for over two thousand years. Tcm doctors rely on tongue diagnosis to differentiate one syndrome from another, and use variations in the tongue s colour, texture, shape and coating to evaluate a patients condition. Jun 24, 2016 in traditional chinese medicine using the tongue in order to clearly see the health of the body is very common. The tongue reflects the health of the internal organs and blood circulation. 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. Tongue diagnosis is one of the most important instruments in traditional chinese medicine tcm. How tongue diagnosis works by transformational acupuncture. Tongue diagnosis introduction tongue is generally known as the organ of taste. Pdf tongue diagnosis is one of the most important diagnostic tools in traditional chinese medicine. The symptoms of a fissured tongue are cracks on top surface of the tongue. It is an important way to diagnose a patients health and sometimes can be crucial in deciding what to do first.
Tongue assessment in traditional chinese medicine tcm. Changes in the tongue color usually reflect chronic illness. Traditional chinese medicine tongue diagnosis carahealth. In chinese medicine, each type of tongue quality relates to a chinese diagnosis, as well as particular physical and mentalemotional symptoms. The cracks in the stomach area indicate stomachyin deficiency and the. Chinese medicine considers the tongue to be the window to total body health.
Tongue diagnosis in tcm tongue diagnosis is one of the main diagnostic tools in traditional chinese medicine. A peeled or cracked tongue coat indicates insufficient lining or flora in the digestive. Often, the practitioner can diagnose a disease through an inquiry and external examination. The cornerstone classics of chinese medicine tongue diagnosis, tongue diagnosis is. In fact, im surprised when acupuncturists dont use it. For example, coffee yellows the coating and peptobismol turns the tongue black. This tongue diagnosis technique will show the practitioner what is wrong with the body so that he or she can then recommend treatments such a nutrition, massage, herbal remedies, exercise, acupressure, or acupuncture. A diagnosis in traditional chinese medicine requires keen observational skills and indepth inquiry.
Discover what a tongue diagnosis of cracks on your tongue means and how to remedy a cracked tongue with ayurveda. Sep 11, 2009 tongue apperance and mechanisms a quick guide tongue diagnosis is a powerful means by which a practitioner of chinese medicine can quickly locate the solution to many issues of internal medicine. Tongue diagnosis can be complicated but there are a few easy to look for signs that may give you an indication of whats going on. Many dont use pulse diagnosis either, which is another vital way to. This tcm tongue assessment form was developed through consultation with several tcm academics and clinicians.