“Men” is a common symptom in Chinese medicine. The Chinese character shows a door and a heart inside it. Thus, it would seem to indicate a heart constricted by a door closing on it. I translate this symptom as “a feeling of oppression of the chest”. Men is very difficult to translate and my translation is an attempt to convey the meaning of this symptom: it certainly does not claim to be the “correct” translation of men as most Chinese medicine terms have multiple, simultaneous meanings. Chinese patients will actually use the term men: they might say, for example, “I sleep badly, I have a bit ..read more

When we study the pathology of the Internal Organs, for the Spleen, we generally emphasize Spleen-Qi deficiency and Spleen-Yang deficiency. This is understandable as these two patterns are indeed extremely common. By contrast, when it comes to the Stomach, we do mention Stomach-Yin deficiency. In fact, some people say that this is a well-known contradiction: the Stomach is a Yang organ but it suffers from Yin deficiency while the Spleen is a Yin organ but it suffers from Yang deficiency. All this is true, but in this article, I want to discuss the aetiology, pathology, diagnosis and treatment ..read more

Heat and the 4 Levels Heat is an extremely common pattern in practice and it is therefore very important that we understand its aetiology, pathology, diagnosis, patterns and treatment. To give an idea of the frequency of Heat in practice, in my clinic in England in a database of over 2500 patients, 46% had a red tongue and 32 a pale tongue. In other countries with a warmer climate, I suspect the incidence of red tongue (and Heat) would be even higher. One reason why Heat is so common is that it is often the consequence of emotional stress, but this will be discussed later. I decided to write s ..read more

The main clinical manifestations of allergic rhinitis (“hay fever”) are nasal congestion, a watery nasal discharge and sneezing. In a few cases it affects the eyes and the conjunctiva may become red and itchy. In 20% of cases there is also asthma in conjunction with the rhinitis. Allergic rhinitis is due to an antigen-antibody reaction in the nasal mucosa. If the antigens responsible are only pollen particles then it causes seasonal allergic rhinitis (hay fever). If the antigens are dust, house-dust mites’ faecal matter, fungal spores and animal dander, it causes perennial allergic rhinitis. A ..read more

A previous Clinical Tip discussed acupuncture to address Dampness and Phlegm and it started with a reference to ST-40 Fenglong. It seems therefore appropriate to discuss the clinical use of the point ST-40 Fenglong. As I said in the previous Clinical Tip, whenever I mention ST-40 in the course of my lectures, everybody associates it with resolving Phlegm. As we shall see, this point has many other extremely valuable actions. ST-40’s name Fenglong means “Abundant Bulge“: this obviously refers to the bulge on the fibularis longus muscle where the point is situated. However, the word feng meaning ..read more

When I give lectures I often hear that “ST-40 resolves Phlegm”: I wish! Resolving Phlegm involves much more than simply using ST-40. In order to resolve Dampness or Phlegm, it is necessary to activate the Three Burners. The Triple Burner is described in the Nei Jing as the official in charge of irrigation: this means that the Triple Burner is responsible for the transformation, transportation and excretion of fluids in all parts of the body and all organs. This is one of the most important functions of the Triple Burner. The terms used in Chinese in connection with the Triple Burner’s influenc ..read more

Tongue diagnosis, like the pulse, is one of the principal diagnostic methods in traditional Chinese medicine. Tongue Diagnosis in Chinese Medicine, third edition is a thorough, clinically oriented exposition of tongue diagnosis by Giovanni Maciocia, one of the most respected teachers and practitioners of Chinese medicine in the West. A thorough, clinically oriented exposition of tongue diagnosis. American Journal of Acupuncture Tongue Diagnosis in Chinese Medicine has been a standard textbook in the TCM diagnosis curriculum for over three decades. Each of the major aspects of the tong ..read more

This article, first published in The European Journal of Oriental Medicine, Volume 7, No 1, 2012 discusses the origin of Blood Deficiency and its relationship with qi and jing, it works out the signs and symptoms of Blood deficiency and outlines the three main syndromes, Liver Blood, Heart Blood and Spleen Blood deficiency. “ When we say ‘Blood deficiency’ in most cases we mean ‘Liver-Blood deficiency’ because the Liver houses Blood. However, the Heart governs Blood and Heart-Blood deficiency is also common. ” The main part of the article focuses on Liver Blood in gynaecology and its relatio ..read more

Chapter 6 of the Su Wen introduces the concept of channels “opening onto the exterior” (or being the “opening”), closing onto the interior (or “being the door leaf”) and being the pivot (or hinge). In this chapter the order for the Yang channels is as follows: Tai Yang opens Yang Ming closes Shao Yang is the pivot The order for the Yin channels is: Tai Yin opens Jue Yin closes Shao Yin is the pivot With regard to the Yin channels, I personally see the Jue Yin as the pivot (I call it “hinge”) and the Shao Yin as opening onto the interior (or “closing”). There are various reasons for this. First ..read more