All lessons Module 1: Tongue Lesson 1
Looking like a practitioner
What does the tongue show, and how do you look so that a colleague sees the same thing?
After this lesson you can say what the tongue body and the coating each show and how fast they change, read the tongue in seven fixed looks plus the underside, work to a viewing protocol that rules out light, time of day and staining, write a tongue report a colleague can check, name all the red flags of the tongue, and say what the tongue cannot do.
Know by heart
- Body and coating. The body (the muscle) shows Qi, Blood, Yin and Yang and changes over weeks; the coating shows the pathogen and the Stomach and changes over days; mnemonic: the body is the soil, the coating the moss on it (tai, 苔, is moss).
- Seven looks, fixed order. Colour, shape, movement, signs, coating, moisture, area; then the underside; mnemonic: first the muscle, then what lies on it, then where, then underneath.
- The normal tongue. Pale-Red, supple, neither too thick nor too thin, still, slightly moist, with a thin white coating that is firmly attached; mnemonic: Pale-Red with a thin white layer.
- Viewing protocol. Daylight; not just after eating, drinking, smoking or brushing; ask what has been in the mouth; have the tongue put out relaxed and flat, briefly, and two or three times rather than once for long.
- The tongue report. One line per look in fixed words, with the circumstances; write "none" too; the interpretation goes on a line of its own, after the description.
- What the tongue cannot do. A feature is not a pattern; a normal tongue rules nothing out; the tongue weighs alongside pulse and history, never alone.
- Red flags. Emergency services (112 in Europe, 999 in the UK, 911 in North America): sudden swelling of the tongue or lips with difficulty swallowing or breathing; a deviated or stiff tongue with loss of speech or strength; a blue tongue with breathlessness. A GP (primary care doctor) or dentist: a small ulcer or patch that has not gone after three weeks.
The rest of this lesson is reference.
Three practice questions from this lesson
Which part of the tongue mainly shows the state of Qi, Blood, Yin and Yang, and changes over weeks?
- The tongue body, the muscle
- The coating, the layer on top
- The moisture on the surface
Answer: The tongue body, the muscle. The body (the muscle) is the soil: it shows the substances and changes slowly. The coating shows the pathogen and the Stomach and changes over days.
Which part of the tongue is the best measure for following an acute illness from day to day?
- The coating
- The colour of the body
- The underside
Answer: The coating. The coating changes over days and follows the pathogen. The colour of the body only shifts after weeks.
In what order do you read a tongue in this course?
- Colour, shape, movement, signs, coating, moisture, area, then the underside
- Coating, area, colour, and the rest only if something stands out
- Area, underside, coating, colour
Answer: Colour, shape, movement, signs, coating, moisture, area, then the underside. First the muscle (colour, shape, movement, signs), then what lies on it (coating, moisture), then where (area), then underneath. A fixed order stops you seeing only what stands out.
The rest of this lesson
In the course you get the step-by-step explanation with illustrated tongues and animated pulse models, 16 case-based practice questions, 17 spaced-repetition flashcards, the pitfalls, the bridge to physiology and the visual trainer. This lesson belongs to module 1: Tongue.