Your body holds the clues to your health….

Learn how to recognise the signs of imbalance using TCM (traditional Chinese medicine)

Did you know your face holds a lot of clues and insight into your general state of health?!! While not to be mistaken or misused as diagnostic, being able to look at your tongue and gain immediate insight into your digestion is pretty darn genius!

If you want to know what your spoon shaped nails mean, or the vertical creases on your ear lobes, read on. I’ve pulled some of the fundamentals of my training together to help you become your very own health detective! Go grab a mirror and a notebook and write down everything you find!

Skin colour and pigmentation:

Normal healthy skin is neither too pale nor too red, while keeping ethnicity in mind. Elasticity should be normal relative to age and skin should neither be clammy nor dry!

• Pallor can point to cold states, or a lack of vital force in traditional Chinese medicine.

• Abnormal redness indicates infection or inflammation

• Jaundice is dysfunction in the liver or gallbladder

Skin condition:

• Oily skin can be caused by overactive sebaceous glands

• Excessively dry/flaky skin think deficiency of essential fats, possible hypothyroid state?

• Cracked skin is commonly caused by a lack of vitamins A and C , zinc and essential fatty acids

• Thin skin can be caused from long term steroid use

• Swollen skin or skin that pits (like an orange) when pressed is a sign of excess fluids or odema

Hair

Normal hair is strong, thick and lustrous.

• Dry hair - stress, possible hypothyroid?

• Excessive hair loss and alopecia - may be a lack of certain vitamins, minerals and protein

• Dandruff - too many refined carbohydrates in the diet

• Dry itchy scalp - lack of fatty acids

Nails

Normal healthy nails have pink nail beds and nails appear strong and smooth

• Pale nails - can indicate anaemia

• No 1/2 moons - can indicate lung or colon problems

• White marks - vitamin A/Zinc deficiency

• Ridging (vertical) - poor absorption of key vitamins, minerals and essential fats

• Spoon shaped nails - iron or zinc deficiency

• Soft nails - calcium deficiency

Face (body organs that correlate with particular facial signs):

• Small intestine: one deep line on the forehead

• Bladder: dry, red forehead

• Stomach deficiency: a vertical line between the eyebrows

• Liver problems (often seen in alcoholics): two vertical lines between the eyebrows, can signal suppressed anger

• Gall bladder: receding hairline

• Purse strings on upper lip: often seen after menopause, shows weakness in reproductive organs (ovaries)

• Cheek: yellow/grey points to constipation, green to liver

• Butterfly rash around nose: rosacea

Eyes

Normal/healthy eyes are clear and bright indicating healthy liver and heart

• Yellow/jaundiced liver or gallbladder stagnation

• Bloodshot - liver disharmony

• Swollen - liver problems

• Dry eyes - allergy (often links to gluten)

• Bags under the eyes 9kidney or adrenal insufficiency

• Itchy or watery - candida albicans

Ears

• Crease across the ear lobes - may be relational to a weakened heart

• Itchy/excess was - lactose intolerance/candica albicans

Tongue

Normal healthy tongue is pink with thin clear or white coating and is neither too big or small for the mouth

Each part of the tongue corresponds to the condition of an organ. To see the condition of the heart look at the extreme tip of the tongue, whereas to gauge the state of the lung look near the tip. The progress of illness is shown on the tongue. As the condition improves, the tongue becomes less coated and eventually resumes a more normal colour and coating. If the state of health worsens, so will the tongue and coating. If the tongue is very red overall or in one area, this indicates the presence of fever or inflammation in the corresponding organ system. The heart, lungs and liver are most vulnerable to damage with heat states and show up as red on the tip and edges of the tongue.

Map of the tongue

• Tip of the tongue - heart and lung zone

• Centre of the tongue - stomach, pancreas, spleen

• Back of the tongue - bladder, kidneys, intestines, uterus, ovaries

• Sides of the tongue - liver, gallbladder, spleen

Colour

• Red - heat/excess

• Blue/purple - stagnation, congestion, poor circulation

• Pale - coldness, deficiency or low vital force

• Bright red - internal heat, infection, inflammation

Shape

• Swollen (flabby) - damp present

• Thin (elongated) - deficient blood or fluids

• Reddened with prominent papillae - excess heat or congealed blood

• Hairy tongue 9excess papillae) - can follow antibiotic therapy

• Smooth, slick, sore - deficiency of B vitamins/iron

• Scalloped at sides - fatigue. loos of vital force, digestion/absorption problems

State

• Dry - heat, excess, not enough fluids

• Short, horizontal cracks - deficiency of vital force

• Shallow midline crack - stomach deficiency

• Deep, midline crack (to tip) - heart condition

• Enlarged veins under the tongue - maybe vitamin C deficiency?

It doesn’t matter what clues you’ve discovered about your health - what matters is what you choose to do with them!

If you’re new here and have concerns about what you see or the way you feel, or you want to talk about your health with me, book a free Q+A call anytime