TCM Diagnosis: Stomach and Intestine System - Inquiry Method

Introduction

• Presenter: Clara from Acapulco Beanie
• Focus: Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) diagnosis, specifically stomach and large intestine.
• Related to: Digestive system
• Common Disorders: Diarrhea, constipation, stomach rebelling, acid reflux.
• Resources: Website (acuibadetomy.com), PDFs, treatment protocols, and courses.

Mouth - The Start of Digestion

Taste and TCM

• Bitter Taste: Stomach or heart fire.
• Sweet Taste: Dampness affecting spleen.
• No Taste: Spleen Qi deficiency.
• Salty Taste: Kidney Qi deficiency, internal cold.
• Sour Taste: Liver heat, sometimes stomach.

Mouth Ulcers

• Heart Fire: Canker sores on the tongue.
• Stomach Fire: Canker sores in oral cavity.

Gums and Teeth

• Sensitive Gums: Spleen Qi deficiency.
• Bleeding Gums: Stomach fire.
• Loose Teeth: Kidney Qi deficiency.

TCM Patterns: Stomach

Common Patterns

• Stomach Fire: Burning sensation, thirst, mouth ulcers, constant hunger, bleeding gums, constipation, acid reflux, bad breath, heartburn.
  • Symptoms: Red tongue with thick yellow dry coat, full rapid pulse.
  • Treatments: Cooling foods (parsley juice, cucumber, celery juice), avoid spicy food and alcohol.

Stomach Cold Invading

• External pathogen (cold): Acute pain, shivering, vomiting clear fluids, aversion to cold drinks.
  • Symptoms: Floating tense pulse, thick white tongue coat.

Food Retention

• Overeating: Bloating, nausea, sour regurgitation, belching, inability to sleep.
  • Symptoms: Slippery pulse, thick greasy tongue coat.

Stomach Blood Stasis

• Stabbing pain: Worse with pressure, vomiting dark blood, blood in stool.
  • Symptoms: Wiry choppy pulse, purple tongue with dots.

Stomach Qi Deficiency

• Similar to Spleen Qi deficiency: No appetite, lack of taste, fatigue, loose stools.
  • Symptoms: Weak pulse, pale tongue.

Stomach Yin Deficiency

• Common Pattern: No appetite, sipping cold drinks, constipation with dry pellets, dry mouth.
  • Symptoms: Thin rapid pulse, red peeled tongue.

Stomach Yang Deficiency

• Pain Relief with Warmth: Worse after bowel movement, better after eating, prefers warm foods.
  • Symptoms: Deep weak slow pulse, pale swollen tongue.

TCM Patterns: Large Intestine

Constipation

• Gas/Bloating: Worse by end of day, straining during bowel movement - Liver Qi stagnation.
  • Complicate with Spleen Qi deficiency: Due to overacting liver on spleen.

Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS)

• Stress-Related: Alternating constipation and diarrhea, depleted spleen Qi.

Stool Characteristics

• Sticky Stools: Dampness or phlegm.
• Large Formed Stools: Large Intestine Qi stagnation, smelly.
• Small Hard Pebbles: Blood or Yin deficiency.
• Stabbing Pain: Blood stagnation.

Diarrhea

• Fluid Accumulation: Watery, frothy stools - excess dampness.
• Spleen Qi Deficiency: Mucus in loose stools.
• Food Stagnation: Smelly diarrhea with food pieces.
• Liver Overacting on Spleen: Stress-related urgent painful diarrhea.
• Blood Stasis: Painful spasm, urgent.
• Cold Damp: Watery urgent diarrhea, prefers warmth.
• Spleen and Kidney Yang Deficiency: Early-morning watery diarrhea.

Patterns in Large Intestine

Heat in Large Intestine

• Constipation: Burning mouth, dry mouth, swollen anus, smelly stools.
  • Symptoms: Full rapid pulse, thick yellow coat at root of tongue.

Damp Heat

• Diarrhea: Watery with abdominal pain, mucus or blood, burning anus.
  • Symptoms: Rapid pulse, yellow sticky tongue coat.

Blood Stasis

• Severe Condition: Constipation, stabbing pain, distended abdomen.
  • Symptoms: Full deep pulse, red purple tongue.

Cold in Large Intestine

• Sudden Crampy Diarrhea: Cold feeling in abdomen.
  • Symptoms: Wiry slow pulse, thick white tongue coat.

Dryness in Large Intestine

• Dry Stool: Difficulty passing, dry mouth, thin body.
  • Symptoms: Dry cracked tongue, thin pulse.

Large Intestine Yang Deficiency

• Soft Stools: Yellowish consistency, dull abdominal pain, cold limbs.
  • Symptoms: Deep thin slow pulse, pale swollen tongue.

Closing

• Resources: Check out my website for more resources, courses, and my personal story regarding constipation due to emotional trauma.
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