In traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) there are 6 main non-invasive ways of checking the status of your body’s health. Conventional medicine frequently uses blood tests, or scans or even keyhole surgery to check on things internally. So how come the Chinese have been doing this for centuries without causing you pain and distress? If you’ve ever had acupuncture or any form of alternative medicine, these techniques may be familiar to you.
- Observing the tongue.
This is a description of a healthy tongue:
a) Body colour: pink or pale red
b) Body shape: not thin, swollen, stiff, or flabby. No cracks present.
c) Coating: thin, white and translucent
d) Moisture: slightly moist
e) Shen (spirit): fresh, radiant and brilliant
The 2 images show you the different areas of the tongue and how they relate to the Chinese 5-element system.
- Face mapping.
According to the Chinese, this is how they would describe a healthy face and complexion:
Ears – slightly lighter colour than the rest of the face. Long fleshy ears that don’t stick out too much.
Lips – coral-pink colour
Eyes – twinkle, bright, lively and with clear white sclera
Nose – tall with a strong bridge free from lumps, bumps or moles
Top lip – long deep wide philtrum (area under nostrils and above upper lip)
Mid-brow – line or crease free (vertical line here can indicate high stress levels as this is a liver reflex line)
The image shows clearly the areas of the face that are linked to the 5-element system.
- Observing the nails.
If you have liver energy issues, it can show in your nails. If your nails are indented, dry, split/break easily, don’t grow well or are ridged your liver energy may need a boost.
- Look into my eyes.
The opening to the liver energy is the eyes. If your eyes are painful, burning, dry, gritty or bloodshot your liver energy may be weak. Nystagmus is an eye condition where the eyeball bounces up and down or swings like a pendulum. This can also be a sign of weak liver Qi. Iridology is the study of the iris of the eye. Trained iridologists can spot the early signs of illness before they manifest physically in the body! So maybe your eyes really are the window to your soul.
- How are your bowels?
I ask my clients about their bowels at every appointment. It is very important as, this gives me a clear sign about how the body is working internally. I use the Bristol stool chart image as shown here. You should be stooling at least once a day, painlessly and efficiently. Are you?
- Normal periods.
Every single female client says that her periods are ‘normal’. Hunter-gatherer periods had no pain, bloating, PMT, or clots. They bled for 7 days and had 28day cycles in line with the moon. Still think your period is normal? I ask my clients about this at every appointment as it is a vital sign of health.
Homeopathy is very similar to acupuncture as both paradigms stimulate the body’s own healing abilities using energy. If you’ve learnt something from this blog or want some help with your health, please get in touch!
