Advanced Naturopathic Case Taking Flashcards
What could a loss of the lateral eyebrow indicate?
Thinning eyebrows may indicate
- the thyroid gland needs supporrt
- copper deficiency .
What is meant by paronychia? What causes this?
It is an infection of the tissues adjacent to a nail. Where the area around the nail looks red and tender.
It is most commonly die to vitamin C deficiency but can be caused by trauma, low immunity and poor hygiene
When may be a preferable time for testing pH?
Always before food
Preferably not first thing in the morning due to bacterial levels which will be acidic.
First test: one hour after brushing teeth
Second test: 30 minutes before lunch
Third test: 30 minutes before evening meal
Do this for 4 to 5 days in succession
What May very pale stools indicate?
Ideally we want stools to be a medium brown colour.
Very pale stools could indicate insufficient production of bile and therefore issues with the gallbladder
Explain how a crack or Fischer in the middle of the tongue might be interpreted in both TCM and are you ayurvedic medicine
TCM: A shallow vertical cracked through the middle of the tongue (not the tip) can be a sign of deficiency of digestion. This indicates an under secretion of digestive juices.
A deep central crack indicates yin deficincy
Ayurvedic: the midline of the tongue represents the spine. Cracks or visions can correspond to painful areas of the spine.
The cervical area or bottom of the spine is closer to the tip of the tongue and the coccyx further towards the back..
Describe three characteristics of the perfect stool
- Medium brown colour.
- Easy to pass – type 3 to 5 on the Bristow chart.
- Neither floats nor sinks heavily to the bottom.
If your client regularly wakes between one and 3 am, which organ might you consider supporting?
Liver
Explain how the pupil might give you an insight into the status of an individuals autonomic nervous system
A contracted pupil: parasympathetic dominance
Inward tension, internalised, cautious, reserved (slow response). Acetylcholine is the dominant neurotransmitter. We need to support the nervous system.
Dilated pupil: sympathetic nervous system dominance
Possible adrenal exhaustion, (fast response – fight and flight). Adrenaline is the dominant neurotransmitter. Support endocrine and especially adrenal glands.
You observe a constipated client’s tongue is slightly red, with a yellow coating centrally, raised red edges and central crack .
What questions would you be most interested in asking this client?
What are the symptoms? May the clients be experiencing?
What might you observe on this client’s face?
You suspect a client might be iron deficient. Explain how you could use clinical evaluation tools to explore the suspicion further.
Female, 39 years old with low energy, feels the cold, experiences dizziness, bowel movements every three days, dry skin. She finds she is starving around 10 am and needs to eat anything. Bedtime 12 - 1 am as feels energised around 9 pm.
Which of these are blood test parameters for inflammatory mediators and which are for endocrine mediators?
- Erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR)
- HbA1c
- Progesterone
- rT3
- C-reactive protein (CRP)
- Serum ferritin
T-SHIRT
What does a dilated pupil versus a contracted pupil? Iliffe observed in a client potentially mean?
Dilated pupil – sympathetic nervous system dominance. Adrenaline is a dominant neurotransmitter. Need to support the endocrine and especially adrenal glands.
Contracted pupil – parasympathetic dominance with more of an inward tension and a need to support the nervous system
Why is it likely that anxiety would improve before IBS symptoms according to Herrings law?
One of Herrings laws of cure is that the mind gets better before the body
Why is it likely that symptoms of asthma would improve before symptoms of eczema according to herring’s Law?
From more important organs to less. The body considers the lungs (related to asthma) liver, brain and heart as the organs we need to survive and they will take precedence over less important organs.
