lec 4b - tongue assessment

what time frame does the tongue tell you about

• body state from last 3-4 days

how should the tongue be inspected?

what are the 2 types of tongue body shape?

• thin and small

• swollen

describe thin and small body shape causes

describe swollen body shape

what are the two types of body texture?

• papules

• fissured 

what do papules indicate?

• heat syndrome

• rising heat escaping

what do fissures indicate?

what are the types of body motility?

• trembling

• rigid

• flaccid

• deviated

what does trembling indicate?

what does rigid indicate?

• heat inviading pericardium

• excess heat impairing body fluids

• phlegm accumulation

• wind stroke

what does flaccid indicate?

what does deviated indicate?

what is a normal tongue colour?

light red

how does the tongue body change as pt gets more cold?

how does the tongue body change as pt gets more hot?

what foods can stain the tongue?

why is the coating colour clinically significant? what does it tell us?

why is the coating thickness clinically significant? what does it tell us?

what is a normal coating colour?

white

how does coating colour change as pt gets more cold?

how does coating colour change as pt gets more hot?

what does the distribution of coating tell us about the pt?

what do small horizontal cracks indicate?

yin deficiency

what do long longtudinal cracks indicate?

spleen injury

what do little cracks on the tip of tongue indicate?

heart is under trouble

red tip = heart stress