Excess Heat Diagnosis & Diet(Some more on differenciation in TCM)

[Guest guest]

For list members who are new to TCM:

 

In general, a thick tongue coat points to an Excess problem. (One

caused by there being too much of something.) A thin or even absent

tongue coat points to a Deficiency problem. (One caused by there not

being enough of something.) An absent tongue coat points very strongly

to Stomach Yin Deficiency.

 

In general, a very booming voice and forceful movements point to an

Excess problem. A very quiet and weak voice and weak movements point

to Deficiency.

 

In general, Heat speeds things up: Rapid pulse (there are exceptions),

rapid speech, rapid movements. Cold slows things down: Slow pulse

(there are exceptions like a well-conditioned athelete), slow speech,

slow movements.

 

In general, the color red in the complexion or tongue tissue points to

Heat. So does a yellow tongue coating and yellow nasal secretions,

etc. The color white/pale points to Cold. Pale complexion, pale (or

blue tongue), white tongue coating (but a white coating also is

normal), white or clear nasal secretions, etc. HOWEVER, there is

something called False Heat - True Cold and False Cold - True Heat. For

example, in False Heat-True Cold, there is a redness in the face, but

it's like a coat of rougue on the person's cheeks. It's very surface.

The red complexion of Yin Deficiency Heat tends to be mottled or what

is called " a malar flush " . The complexion redness of Excess Heat tends

to be uniform. The entire face is red. It's not blotchy like Deficiency

Heat is.

 

Note: The common cold is due to Wind Cold or Wind Heat invading the

body. Usually it's Wind Cold. TCM pays a lot more attention to the

effects of environment on health than allopathic medicine does.

What " Wind Cold Invading the Body " or " Wind Heat Invading the Body "

means is that the body has been affected by the weather in such a way

that it now is very vulnerable to to a cold virus multiplying and

taking over. The color of the nasal secretions helps the healer to

determine if it's Wind Cold or Wind Heat. Treatment will differ

according to if it's Wind Cold or Wind Heat. There will be other signs

and symptoms besides the color of the nasal secretions to help the

healer determine which it is.

 

One of the most confusing things to people who are new to TCM is the

way different patterns (Roots) can manifest in different ways. For

example, Wind Cold Invading and Wind Heat Invading also can manifest as

allergy-like symptoms. If the person is run-down and a cold virus is

around, chances are it will manifest as the person catching a cold. If

not, chances are it will manifest as allergy-like symptoms. Invasion by

Wind Cold Damp can manifest as arthritis. Etc. In TCM arthritis is

called Painful Obstruction Syndrome (aka Bi Syndrome).

 

Artificial " weather " conditions also affect people. Things like

heating systems, air conditioning, fans, hair dryers, etc. This is why

the healer can't just assume that because it's cold outside, it must be

Wind Cold. It could be the results of the house or office being kept

too hot.

 

The term " Wind " applies not only to the actual wind but also to changes

in barometric pressure and changes in ion concentrations.