“Why do you need to see my tongue?”
Understanding TCM Acupuncture tongue diagnosis
Have you ever heard of tongue and pulse diagnosis in acupuncture? This traditional Chinese medicine technique has been used for thousands of years to diagnose and treat health issues. It may seem unusual, but Chinese medicine practitioners believe that the tongue and pulse can provide important insights into the state of your health.
Chinese medicine says that anything that happens inside of your body may have some representation on the outside. You may have noticed that when you’re feeling under the weather, your complexion, voice, and behavior can all change. If you haven’t slept enough last night, likely your observant colleagues will pick it up. Having a cold? This one can be even more obvious.
Even mild conditions may represent in the facial complexion, in your voice, your smell, the way we behave. In the same way, your tongue and pulse can provide clues about what’s going on inside your body. Chinese medicine practitioners utilised these observations extensively for millennia. And they discovered that tongue and pulse can change a great deal. Therefore, when you come in for a treatment other than an injury, it is likely I will inspect your tongue and feel your pulse.
Now, don’t worry, this isn’t the only thing we will do to diagnose your condition! We will also ask about your symptoms and medical history, and perform other assessments. However, the tongue and pulse diagnosis can help your practitioner get a more complete picture of your condition and choose the best acupuncture treatment for you.
Pulse and tongue diagnoses are often mystified and the powers of them are exaggerated. Some practitioners claiming they can detect the sex of the baby in pregnancy or detect cancer. However, the leading minds in Chinese medicine are very clear on this. These diagnostic techniques are only a small integral part of TCM diagnosis.
So, the next time you go in for a TCM acupuncture session, don’t be surprised if your practitioner asks to see your tongue and feel your pulse. It’s just one of the many tools they have in their toolbox to help you recover your balance!