wk6 - tongue coat Flashcards
(27 cards)
which changes more quickly: tongue coat or tongue body?
tongue coat
tongue coat changes more quickly in acute or chronic situations? give an example.
acute situations, like external invasion of wind-cold or wind-heat
describe a normal tongue coat
- thin, white, moist
- contiguous, evenly distributed (though thinner in front and thicker in back)
- rooted (equivalent of spirited)
- generally not much coating on sides
if a patient’s tongue coat moves from the tip to the center over a period of one day or several hours, what does this indicate?
- disease process moving from exterior to interior (since the tongue coat progression has a rapid onset & quick progression)
- tip of tongue represents exterior; center represents interior
if a patient’s tongue coat moves from the sides to the center over a period of one day or several hours, what does this indicate?
- disease process moving from exterior to interior (since the tongue coat progression has a rapid onset & quick progression)
- sides of tongue represent exterior; center represents interior
what does a tongue coat on only the LEFT side indicate?
LV pathology
what does a tongue coat on only the RIGHT side indicate?
- Shao Yang disorder (half-exterior & half-interior)
- or GB pathology
what pathology is associated with WHITE tongue fur?
normal or cold
what pathology is associated with YELLOW tongue fur?
heat
what pathology is associated with BLACK or GREY tongue fur?
extreme heat (though be careful, this is not necessarily excess)
what pathology is associated with NO tongue fur?
yin vacuity
how would the tongue coat progress from early stage, to middle stage, to late stage yin vacuity?
- dry (early stage yin vacuity)
- thin, yellow, dry, red or scarlet body, horizontal lines (middle stage yin vacuity / heat signs)
- no coat, scarlet body, center line with horizontal cracks off it (late stage yin vacuity)
what does THICKNESS of tongue coat indicate?
strength of pathogen
what does THINNESS of tongue coat indicate?
weakness of patient
if coat distribution is THICKER in the center, what does this indicate?
ST/SP excess (pathogen is strong)
if coat distribution is THINNER in the center, what does this indicate?
ST/SP deficiency (patient is weak)
what pathology is associated with GREASY or TURBID tongue coats?
- damp or phlegm (excess pathology)
- sometimes could be a deficiency which shows up as excess (e.g. ST/SP vacuity presenting as a depression in center, with a greasy coat over it)
what pathology is associated with a MOLDY tongue?
- damp or phlegm (probably a longer term chronic condition than a greasy/turbid coat)
- usu. ST heat
- or chronic damp
T or F: there are generally not many changes in the HT location in terms of tongue coat
true
T or F: changes in tongue coat in the LU location are common
true
what do changes in tongue coat in the GB location (right side) indicate?
- Shao Yang disorder
- LV/GB damp presentation
what do changes in tongue coat on BOTH SIDES indicate?
LV/GB presentation, usu. with yellowish and greasy coat
do ST pathologies present quickly or slowly on the tongue coat?
quickly, bc the ST is directly related to fluids & tongue coat
what do changes in tongue coat in the LOWER JIAO indicate?
- lower jiao damp heat presenting as thick, greasy, yellow in back (e.g. UTI, diarrhea)
- or UB, SI, LI issues (damp turbidity moving down)
- KD yin vacuity (usu. starts with peeling)
- KD yang vacuity (at first thicker white coat due to failure of transformation; over time phlegm)
