ESCAPADA E-MAGAZINE
WHY DOES MY ACUPUNCTURIST LOOK AT MY TONGUE?
In Chinese Medicine, it is believed that the appearance of your tongue is a reflection of your health and can be a powerful diagnostic tool. Tongue diagnosis is a very traditional and effective method, which has been used to diagnose diseases for over two thousand years. Knowledge of tongue diagnosis is one of the unique treasures of Traditional Chinese Medicine.
Different areas of the tongue reflect the health of five corresponding organ systems: liver, lung, spleen, heart, and kidney.
*It is important to note that tongue diagnosis is performed as part of a thorough health consultation and tongue diagnosis should not be used as a substitute for standard medical care or to diagnose potential health problems.
WHAT DO THEY LOOK FOR?
Body of the tongue: The normal tongue body should be flexible, shape of the tongue should
be suitable to mouth size (not too puffy or narrow)
Coating: The tongue coating is the layer over the tongue. A normal healthy coating should
be white, thin and allow the tongue body to be seen through the coating.
Colour. A fresh red (not too dark, too red or pale)
Have suitable moisture (not too dry/wet)
Cracks in the tongue body can be an indicator of disease progression
A Chinese medicine practitioner will look at each of these areas and any imbalances seen can further confirm diagnosis. Tongue diagnosis will be done in conjugation with pulse taking and a full consultation.
Tips
Here are some key points to keep in mind if you're thinking of undergoing a tongue diagnosis.
Some disorders don't show up on the tongue. It should also be noted that TCM practitioners do not rely on tongue diagnosis alone in evaluating a patient's health.
In most cases, the tongue is examined for no longer than 15 seconds at a time. Extending the tongue for longer may cause changes in tongue shape and color (two crucial elements of tongue diagnosis).
Before receiving a tongue diagnosis, you should avoid food and beverages that might discolor your tongue (including coffee, beets, and foods made with artificial food coloring). Consumption of vitamin C may also affect your tongue coloring.
If you use a tongue brush as part of your oral hygiene routine, discontinue use of the brush for at least a full day prior to your tongue diagnosis.
HOW DO I LOOK AT MY TONGUE?
Make sure you have good natural light. The tongue body needs to be relaxed so only stick your tongue out for short intervals at a time. Make sure you haven't eaten or drank anything recently that will effect the colour of coating on tongue.
A SIMPLE AT HOME GUIDE
We do recommend completing tongue diagnosis with your acupuncturist but here are some simple things that you can tell about your health at home:
Qi Deficiency
Presentation: Slightly pale tongue with red spots. May be swollen with teethmarks on the side
Symptoms: Fatigue, poor appetite, over thinking and worrying
What it means - qi is the life force that drives every activity in organic life forms, according to TCM. It’s thought that a sufficient amount of qi is required to maintain the yin and yang of your body. When a person’s qi is balanced and in harmony, they’ll benefit from health, well-being, and contentment. When one’s qi is deficient, pain, suffering, and illness may occur. Dependant on where the qi deficiency is, individuals have different symptoms related to that organ, for example, Lung qi deficiency - shortness of breath
Diet
The majority of a person’s qi comes from the foods they choose to eat and the air they breathe, so we would obviously look at an individuals diet and make nutritional recommendations. Typically, a Chinese medicine practitioner would reduce/eliminate raw and cold food. Utilising heat to cook foods by steaming, grilling or roasting can build qi. It will also be recommended that junk food, fried foods and dairy be dramatically decreased or removed. Warming and qi nourishing foods such as grains, pumpkin, chicken as well as spices like cumin, cayenne and ginger should be consumed frequently
Slow down!
While Western culture tends to reward and admire people who are always on the go and constantly busy, TCM advocates for the opposite. Slowing down one’s lifestyle and not doing many things at once, or multitasking, is often recommended to get one’s qi in balance.
Regulate sleep!
Sleep is as important as diet and exercise. Our bodies need sufficient sleep in order to maintain or build qi. Sleep deprivation is one of the leading causes of qi deficiency.
Dampness
Presentation: Swollen with teethmarks on the side and a thick white coating on the tongue
Symptoms: Fatigue, poor appetite, bloating and poor concentration
What it means: Dampness represents a condition existing within the body that is a reflection of dampness as it occurs in nature. Dampness arises from the body being affected in several ways. It can be due to either a problem arising from the inability of the digestive system to transport and transport fluids, or from the body being overwhelmed by external damp from the environment, (damp weather, damp living conditions, damp- producing foods). It can also arise as a response to an illness, or from the overuse of medication that promotes dampness, such as certain antibiotics. Phlegm is seen as a condensed form of dampness.
Diet:
Foods to resolve dampness include;
Grains: Corn, barley, basmati rice
Vegetables: Alfalfa sprout, button mushroom, caper, corn, pumpkin, radish, turnip,
Fruit: Papaya, lemon, umeboshi plum
Beans: Aduki, lentils,
Fish: Eel, tuna,
Herbs, spices: Aniseed, garlic, horseradish, marjoram, nettle, parsley, white pepper
Beverages: Green tea, raspberry leaf tea, jasmine teaFoods to avoid in cases of dampness
It is essential that those prone to dampness avoid excessive amounts of food that will contribute to promoting dampness in the body these include:
Dairy products: milk, cheese, ice cream and all foods that contain high amounts of dairy products such as dairy milk chocolate. It is important to read food labels as some food (such as muesli) may contain high levels of milk powder. Yoghurt is perhaps the exception to the dairy food rule. Sheep and goat products are regarded as less prone to causing dampness. In dampness and phlegm, it is important to nourish the Spleen, which means that the consumption of raw, cold and processed sugary or fatty foods need to be limited to aid the spleen’s essential digestive function.
