Foundations Flashcards
4 Pillars of TCM
- Inspection
- Inquiry
- Auscultation and Olfaction
- Palpation
Yin
- Interior
- Deficient
- Cold
Yang
- Exterior
- Excess
- Hot
Four law of yin and yang
- Opposition: When yin predominates, yang will be diseased, when yang predominates, yin will be diseased
- Inter-dependence: Yin remains inside to act as a guard for yang, and yang stays outside to act as a servant for yin
- Inter-consuming- supporting: Consumption of yin leading to gaining of yang
- Inter-transformation: Extreme yin will produce yang, extreme yang will produce yin
Functions of Qi
- Transforming
- Transporting
- Holding
- Raising
- Protecting
- warming
Examples of transforming
-Spleen Qi transforms food into food Qi
- Heart Qi transforms food into Qi/Blood with help of Lung Qi
Examples of transporting
-Spleen Qi transports food Qi
- Liver Qi transports Qi upwards, downwards, and outwards in all directions
Examples of holding
-Spleen qi hold blood in the vessels
-Lung Qi holds sweat in the pores
Examples of raising
-Spleen Qi raises the organs
-Kidney Qi rises upwards
Examples of protecting
-Lung Qi protects through wei Qi
Examples of Warming
- spleen yang warms the digestion
-kidney yang warms the body
Qi disfunctions
- Xu
- Stagnation
- Rebellious
- Sinking
Examples of Xu
Lung, spleen, heart, kidney can easily become xu
Examples of stagnation
Most often caused by injury or lack of movement in the lung, heart, or liver
examples of Rebellious
Lung and stomach can easily have rebellious Qi
Examples of Sinking
Organs, vessels, and spleen can all be affected.
Organs related to blood and their functions
- Lungs: Helps spleen send food qi to the heart, infuses Qi into the blood vessels
- Heart: Governs blood, responsible for blood circulation
- Spleen: Makes food Qi which is the basis of blood, holds blood in vessels
- Liver: Store blood, nourishes muscles and tendons, supplies blood to uterus
- Kidneys: Original/ Yuan Qi helps transform food qi to blood
Functions of blood
- Nourishing: Head hair and nail growth
- Moistening: Body tissues
3.Basis for mental activity: Anchors shen
Blood dysfunctions
- Deficiency: Heart and liver xu most common
- Stasis: can be from injury, organs affected heart, liver, large intestine, stomach, uterus
- Heat in the blood: orans involved heart/liver, can affect the uterus
Qi stagnation pain vs Blood stasis pain
Qi: More distention than pain
Moves around
Doesn’t typically show on the tongue
Blood: More stabbing than distention
Fixed pain
Purple or purple prickles on the tongue
Spleens relation to body fluids
-Initial transformation and separation into pure and impure
-Is always treated for any body fluid disorder
Lungs relation to body fluids
-Dispersion of the pure to the cou li
-Sends some fluids to the kidneys and bladder to regulate the water passages
Kidneys relation to body fluids
-Sends fluids back up to moisten the lungs
-Keeps the spleen yang warm from kidney yang for fluid transformation
-Helps the small intestine separate fluids
Body fluid functions
- Nourish muscles and orifices
- Moisten skin and joints
- Strengthen brain and marrow
Jin
-Clear and light
- Under the control of the lungs
-Distributed on the muscular surface (circulate with the defensive/ wei Qi)
- Nourish muscles, moistens skin
-Sweat, tears, saliva and mucous
Ye
-Thick and heavy
-Under the control of the spleen and kidneys
-Stored in the joints and spine, sense organ orifices
-Strengthen brain and marrow
Damp
-Heavy, dirty, sticky
-Flows downward
-Interior or exterior condition
- Feeling of heaviness
- Spleen points targeted in acupuncture
-No affect on the mind
- Mostly affects the organs and joints
- Interior dampness caused by spleen dysfunction
-Affects mostly yang organs and spleen
Phlegm
- Thicker and stickier
- Can be anywhere
- Interior conditions only
-Feeling of dizziness, obstruction in throat, oppression in the chest
-Stomach points targeted in acupuncture - Can mist the mind, cause intellectual disability, or mental-emotional concerns
- Substantial: Phlegm in lungs
- Insubstantial: channels (numbness), under skin, misting mind, nerve ganglia, lymph, thyroid
- can be caused by action of fire on the body fluids
-Affects mostly yin organs+ stomach
Different types of phlegm
Wind-phlegm- Wind stroke
Phlegm-heat- Lung, Stomach, heart
Cold-phlegm- Lung, stomach
Damp-phlegm- Lung
Qi-Phlegm- Qi stagnation: appears and disappears with mood (Plum-pit Qi)
Phlegm Fluids- Watery, thin, Splashing sounds
Definition of essence
Essence is a constitution candle, vitality, resistance to disease, bone development/ retention and mental development(in children and in old age)
What is pre-heaven essence
The blending of sexual energies of man and woman formed before bith.
Used to nourish fetus during pregnancy (fetus is affected by the kidneys of the mother during pregnancy)
What is post heaven essence
Essences produced by the spleen and Stomach after birth
What is kidney essence
-Mostly derived from parents before birth
-combination of pre-heaven essence and post heaven essence
-Considered an aspect of kidney yin
-Basis for kidney Qi
What are the 4 functions of kidney essence?
- Governs growth, preproduction, development
- Basis for Kidney QI
- Produces Marrow
- Constitutional Weakness
Kidney Essence Dysfunction
- Developmental/intellectual disability disorders
- Kidney Disorders
- Marrow disorders
- Constitutional weakness
The three treasure
Jing
Qi
Shen
Characteristics of Jing
-kidneys
-earth
-Distribution by the 8 extra vessels
-Lower dantian
Characteristics of Qi
-Day to day
-person
-middle dantian
Characteristics of shen
-Spirit
-Heaven
-Upper dantian
Yin organ relationship
Lungs and heat- Qi and blood
Heart and liver- Blood
Heart and Kidneys- Fire and water
Liver and Lungs- Qi and blood
Liver and spleen- Qi and digestion
Liver and Kidneys- Exchange of blood and Jing
Spleen and lungs- Assist each other
Spleen and kidneys- Mutual nourishment
______ governs blood, _______ governs Qi, this is a Qi and blood relationship
Heart, Lungs
Qi and blood relationship
Why are Qi and blood interdependent?
Blood nourishes Qi, and Qi pushes blood
Heart _____ the blood, but relies on _______ to assist.
Moves, Lungs
Lungs produce ____ and _____ Qi
______ Qi flows with the ______ and the vessels.
Ying and wei
Ying, blood
Heart and lung Qi connect via
the zong (chest) Qi
What happens to heart Qi when lung Qi is deficient, and what are the symptoms
Heart Qi becomes stagnant, which can lead to stagnation of blood of the heart.
Symptoms include heart palpitations, blue lips, and chest pains.
What can excessive heart fire do to lungs and what are the symptoms?
It can dry the lung fluids and cause dry cough, dry nose, and thirst.
Heart ____ Blood, Liver ______ Blood and regulates its ________
Governs, store and regulates
If heart blood is deficient how does this affect liver?
Disrupts livers ability to regulate blood (dizziness and excessive daydreaming)
Deficient liver blood can also cause…
deficient heart blood (heart palpitations and insomnia)
Heart stores ______, liver rules smooth flowing of _______.
Shen, emotions
__________ and __________ mutually support each other. Weak ________ and ________ may lead to depression and anxiety. or when _______ stagnates, this constrains _______ and can weaken ________.
Shen and emotions, heart and shen, Liver- emotions-shen.
Heart yang _______ to warm kidney _____, while kidney yin _______, to nourish heart ______.
descends, yin, ascends, yang.
If kidney yin cannot transform fluids they will over flows upwards to ______
Heart
What happens when kidney yin cannot rise to nourish heart?
Over active heart fire (mental restlessness, insomnia, agitation)
Heart and kidneys are the common root of what?
Shen and essence.
The heart houses ______, while the kidneys stores ______
shen, jing
Shen is the external manifestations of?
Jing, as its derived from jing
What is the foundation for Shen?
What nourishes shen?
Prenatal jing, Postnatal jing
Normal mental activity needs jing, without it symptoms can include…
Lack of vitality, willpower, and self confidence.
Lungs ______ Qi, and the liver regulates and stores ______.
Qi, blood.
Liver relies on ______ to regulate blood and the lungs rely on ______ to smoothly move Qi.
lung qi, liver qi
Liver Qi and _____ the chest, and interfere with the _______ function of descending
stagnate, lungs
symptoms: cough, dyspnea, asthma
Stagnation of liver Qi can cause?
Liver fire to rise and injure lung yin (hypochondriac pain, coughing, blood, pain on breathing)
Liver aids spleen in what?
Healthy digestion, it ensure smooth flow of bile which aids digestion.
Kidney jing contributes to the making of what?
Blood! (bone marrow)
Kidney jing xu may lead to?
Blood deficiency
Kidney yin fails to nourish liver yin causes?
Liver yang hyperactivity
Spleen extracts ______qi and sends it to the _____, where it combines with air and becomes _____ Qi
Food, lungs, zong
Spleen relies on lungs ________ _________ to assist in the transformation and transportation of food (pumping action)
descending function
Lung also assists spleen in the transportation of
body fluids
When in dysfunction can cause edema
When spleen Qi is Xu
Production of qi is impaired
tiredness, weakness of limbs, breathlessness, weak voice
can also cause phlegm in lungs
Spleen is the root of
post heaven Qi
Kidneys are the root of
pre-heaven Qi
Most important organ post heaven essence
Spleen
Where is post and pre-heaven essence stored?
The kidneys
Which Qi provides the necessary energy for the transformation and transportation of the substances and formation of Qi?
Original Qi from the kidneys prenatal essence
Wen spleen Qi is weak body fluids cannot be transformed and transported and accumulate to form…
Dampness
This can affect kidneys function causing more dampness and edema.
When kidney yang is deficient there is not enough heat to transform fluids, this causes….
dampness or edema, chilliness, diarhea
Lungs send Qi and fluids down to the?
Kidneys! Kidneys hold down the Qi, evaporate some of the fluids, and then send the vapor back up to the lungs to moisten them. Lungs then send the fluids to the skin.
What does the lung function of governing Qi and respiration rely on?
Kidney function of receiving Qi.
What happens when Kidney Qi is weak and cannot hold down Qi?
It invades lung and causes asthma, cough, dyspnea.
Spleen provides _______ for the formation of blood
Food
What does deficient spleen Qi lead to?
Deficient blood, which causes heart blood to be deficient
What are the 6 pathogenic factors?
1.wind
2. Cold
3. Summer heat
4. Damp
5. Dryness
6. Fire
Wind is the _______ of ________
Qi of spring
What organ does wind affect first?
Lungs
Wind is _____ in nature
Yang (moving)
What does wind do in the body?
- arises quickly and suddenly
- can cause symptoms to move around the body
- Can cause shaking, convulsions, stiffness, or paralysis
Cold is the ______ of _______
Qi of winter
Cold is _____ in nature and consumes _________
Yin, yang
What does cold do in the body?
Contracts and obstructs (stagnates) Qi and blood.
Can affect the abdomen, pores, tendons, and channels.
Can cause pain, aversion to cold, lack of sweating and poor movement
What are the 5 spirits and their organs/functions
Shen= Heart: The mind
Yi= Spleen: Thought
Po= Lungs: Corporeal or animal soul
Zhi= Kidney: Willpower
Hun= Liver: Ethereal soul
Summer heat is the Qi of?
Summer, obvi (only seen in summer)
Summer is ______ in nature and injures ______
yang, yin
Summers affects on the body?
-Aversion to heat, sweating, thirst
-Invades the pericardium and cause loss of consciousness and delirium.
- Can combine with high humidity resulting in dampness and summer heat
Damp is the Qi of ________
Late summer (rainy season between summer and fall)
Yin in nature and injures
yang
What can dampness cause in the body
Dizziness, muzziness, heaviness and cloudy discharge
can impair the spleens function
Dryness is the Qi of _______
Fall
Dryness is _______ in nature, and injures ______
yang, yin
What affects does dryness have on the body?
Affects the delicate lung, causing cough with scanty-sticky or bloody sputum.
Causes dry nose, mouth, throat, lips, and constipation.
What is fire?
Mild heat or fire can be seen in any season
it is yang in nature and consumes yin
What affect does fire have in the body?
-Causes thirst, sweating, mouth and tongue ulcers, swollen gums and headaches.
- Can disturb the mind causing coma or delirium
- Fire affects the liver channel by depriving tendons and channels of nourishment, which stirs up the liver wind
-Can also cause heat in the blood which leads to bleeding
What are the 7 pathogenic emotions?
1.Anger
2.Joy
3. worry & pensiveness
4. Sadness and grieving
5. Fear and shock
6. Lifestyle
7. Overwork
How does anger affect qi and which organ?
Causes Qi to rise
Liver
How does joy affect Qi, and which organ?
Causes Qi to slow
Affects the heart
How does worry affect qi and which organ?
Causes Qi to stagnate/knots Qi
Affects the spleen and can affect the lungs
How does sadness affect Qi and which organ?
Sadness causes Qi to dissolve/consumes QI
Affects the lung
How does fear affect Qi and which organ?
Fear causes Qi to descend
kidneys
Which three organs are most affected by emotions?
Heat, liver, and spleen
What can the 5 emotions turn into?
Fire from empty heat
Examples of improper lifestyle
-lack or exercise
-poor diet (overeating, too much cold/heat/damp foods)
-Unclean foods
Examples of overexertion?
-Mental- depletes spleen, stomach, and kidneys
- Physical- depletes spleen
Excessive use of the eyes injures?
Blood (heart)
Excessive lying down injures?
Qi (lungs)
Excessive sitting injures?
Muscles(spleen)
Excessive standing injures?
Bones (kidney)
Excessive exercise injures?
Sinews (Liver)
Strengthen yin to control _______
Yang
Strengthen yang to control _______
Yin
What do you strengthen with a weak patient who has a weak pathogen?
Antipathogenic Qi (wei)
How do you help a patient with a strong constitution and a strong pathogen?
Eliminate the pathogen first
How do you treat a weak patient with a strong pathogen?
Strengthen antipathogenic Qi (wei) and eliminate the pathogen at the same time.
Ben biao
If the symptoms are not severe what do you treat first?
The root
Ben biao
If the symptoms are severe or acute what should be treated first?
The symptoms, and the root later.
Ben biao
If both the symptoms and the root cause are severe what should be treated first?
Both at the same time
What factors should be considered when creating a treatment?
- Weather
- Season
- Age
- Biological sex
- Constitution
What should we look at for inspection?
1.shen
2. Complexion
3. facial areas
4. Eyes
5. ears
6. Nose
7. Teeth and gums
8. Mouth
9. Throat
10. Hair
11. Skin
12. Digital venules
13. body shape
Shen includes?
Eyes
State of mind
Breathing
What to look for complextion?
-Bright/dark/dry/colour?
Black complexion is?
Kidney pattern, or cold pain
Green complexion is?
Interior cold, interior wind, liver pattern
Red complexion is?
Heat, excess or deficiency
Yellow complexion is?
Spleen xu, dampness
White or pale complexion is?
Xu, cold, blood xu, yang xu
Facial areas
Liver
Heart
Spleen
Lung
Kidney
Liver- Left cheek
Heart- Forehead
Spleen- Nose
Lung- Right cheek
Kidney- Chin
Eye areas
Liver
Heart
spleen and stomach
Lung
Kidney
Liver- Iris
Heart- Inner and outer canthus
spleen and stomach- upper and lower eyelid
Lung- sclera
Kidney- pupil
What are you looking for on the ears?
Bright and moist vs dark and dry, earlobes, and colour.
What does a long full earlobe signify?
Healthy kidneys
What does white ears signify?
Cold
What does blue/black ears signify?
Pain
hat does withered and black ears signify?
Kidney Qi xu
Nose inspection?
bright and moist vs dry and dark/colour/ discharge
White nose?
Blood xu
Yellow nose?
dampness
Red nose
Heat in lung and spleen
Grey nose?
accumulation of fluid
Tip of nose is green or blue?
Abdominal pain
Clear watery discharge from nose?
Cold
Thick-yellow discharge from nose?
Heat
Parts of teeth and gums
Teeth
Upper gums
lower gums
Teeth- kidneys
upper gums- Stomach
Lower gums- LI
Colours of gums
Pale
Red
Bleeding
Pale- Blood xu
Red- Stomach heat
Bleeding- Stomach fire
Colors for inspection of the mouth?
Pale- Blood xu, yang xu
Blue- Blood stasis
dry and red- Heat with injury to BF
Throat indications
redness and swelling
Sore and dry
redness and swelling- wind-heat invasion or stomach fire
Sore and dry- kidney yin xu heat
Hair relates to ____ _____
Kidney esence
Hair growth is related to _______
Blood
Thickness and sheen of hair relates to
Lung Qi
Skin relates to ______
Lung
Skin conditions are usually
Heat in the blood
Dry skin=
Blood xu
itchy skin=
wind
Weeping skin=
dampness
Veins:
red
blue
green
red- heat
blue- cold
green- pain
Digital venules are?
gate of Wind
gate of Qi
gate of Life
The three gates on the index finger
gate of Wind- mild epf
gate of Qi- more severe disease
gate of Life- serious life threatening
What are the three gates (Wind QI, life used for?
Diagnosing children under the age of two.
How do you diagnose using the digital venules
Rub the finger towards the body, red veins indicate heat, blue indicates cold
Body shape inspection
wood
fire
metal
earth
water
wood- slender and tall body shape
fire- pointed head and chin, small hands, curly or small amount of hair
metal- square and broad shoulders, strong body type, and triangle face shape
earth- large head, larger body and belly, strong legs, and a wide jaw
water- round face and body with a longer than normal torso
Components of auscultation and olfaction
Speech
5 element voice sounds
breathing
Cough
smelling
Loud course voice
Excess
Weak and feeble voice
deficiency
Sudden loss of voice
Invasion of wind heat
Gradual loss of voice
lung Qi xu or lung yin xu
5 element voice sounds
Liver-
Heart-
Spleen-
Lung-
Kidney-
Liver- shouting
Heart- laughing
Spleen- singing
Lung- crying
Kidney- groaning
What to look for breathing?
Loud and coarse breathing- excess
Weak and feeble breathing- deficiency
What to look for cough?
Loud/barking- excess
Weak is xu
Dry cough with no sputum is a lung yin xu
Smells and related organ
Liver-
Heart-
Spleen-
Lung-
Kidney-
Strong foul smell-
absence of smell
bad breath-
Liver- Rancid
Heart- burned
Spleen- sweet
Lung- rank
Kidney- putrid
Strong foul smell- heat
absence of smell- cold
bad breath- heat in the stoamch
What to look for during inquiry
- chills/fever
- perspiration
- headache
4.dizziness - tinnitus
- eyes
Appetite, thirst and drink - urination/defecation
- Pain
- sleep
- Menses/ Leukorrhea
11.pregnancy - childbirth
Causes of chills or fever
-wind cold
- wind heat
-shao yang
- low grade fever
-Constant low grade fever
Causes of perspiratoin
-day= yang xu
-night= yin xu or damp heat
-Whole body= Lung Qi xu
-5 palm heat- yin xu
-Excess= no sweating
-xu= slight sweating (in an exterior pattern)
If a headache is recent it is _____, if it is gradually onset it is______
Exterior, interior
Headache in the day time is _______, headache in the night is causes by _____
qi or yang xu, yin or blood xu
Headache pain type
Heavy
inside
throbbing
particular point
Heavy- dampness
inside- kidney xu
throbbing- liver yang rising
particular point- blood stasis
Tai yang headache
wind cold or kidney xu
shao yang headache
wind cold, wind heat or liver gallbladder fire
GV20
Liver blood xu
whole head headache
wind cold or dampness
Dizziness
recent
gradual
recent- excess
gradual- xu
wind, fire, phlegm, and xu
tinnitus
recent- excess (liver)
gradual- xu (kidneys)
high pitch- Liver fire/yang rising/wind
Low pitch- kidney xu
pain redness and swilling of the eyes.
Wind-heat, liverfire (possible lung heat)
Blurred vision, floaters
Liver blood xu
Pressure or dryness in eyes
kidney yin xu
Poor appetite is caused by
Spleen Qi Xu
Increased appetite is caused by
stomach heat or fire
Hunger with no desire to eat is caused by
stomach yin xu
thirst
yin xu, or bf xu
no thirst
cold
thirst with no desire to drink
dampness
Tastes in the mouth
sour-
bitter-
sweet-
Pungent-
salty-
inability to taste-
sour- heat in liver and ST
bitter- Heart or liver fire
sweet- spleen xu, or damp heat
pungent- lung heat
salty- Kidney yin xu
inability to taste- Spleen xu
Urination
Incontinence-
Retention-
frequent-
reduced amount-
pale-
dark-
cloudy-
Incontinence- Kidney xu
Retention- damp-heat in the UB
frequent and large- kidney yang xu
reduced amount- kidney yin xu
pale- cold
dark- heat
cloudy- dampness
Stools
constipation and dry-
consumption of fluids and constipation with pain-
loose stool-
alternating constipation and diarrhea-
Undigested food-
mucous-
blood in stool-
constipation and dry- heat
consumption of fluids and constipation with pain- cold, yang xu
loose stool- spleen qi xu, dampness
alternating constipation and diarrhea- liver qi stag
Undigested food- spleen and kidney yang xu
mucous- dampness
blood in stool- spleen qi xu, heat in blood
What are 7 causes of pain?
- EPF
- Internal heat
- interior cold
- blood stasis
- Qi stagnation
- Phlegm obstruction
- Food retention
Types of pain/cause?
Distending-
Prickling/stabbing-
Heavy-
Colicky-
Pulling-
Burning-
Dull/cold-
Hollow-
Worse with Pressure-
Alleviated by pressure-
Distending- Qi stag
Prickling/stabbing- Blood stasis
Heavy- Dampness
Colicky- Qi obstruction
Pulling- Liver wind
Burning- Yin fire, xu fire
Dull/cold- excess cold or xu
Hollow- Blood Xu
Worse with Pressure- Shi
Alleviated by pressure- Xu
Inability to fall asleep with heart palpitations and dizziness?
Heart blood xu
Dream disturbed sleep
Heart or liver fire
Shortened menses with large amount, deep, thick.
Heat in the bloof
Shortened cycle, large amount, light-watery, thin
Qi not holding blood
Blood clotting menses
Cold (small clots, like rice), or blood stasis (larger clots)
Irregular menses cycle
Liver Qi stagnation
Pre menstrual pain
pain relieved by heat?
Relived by Pressure?
Qi or blood stasis
Cold
Qi and blood xu
White watery leukorrhea?
Yellow thick?
cold from spleen or kidney yang xu
Exterior damp
liver Qi stagnation
Damp-heat
discharge and fluids: Typically clear in colour?
Cold and xu
Turbid and yellow leukorrhea?
Heat and excess
Infertility cause?
Blood xu, or kidney essence xu
damp-heat in the lower burner
blood stasis in the uterus
Miscarriage before 3 months cause?
Blood and essence xu
Miscarriage after 3 months cause?
Liver blood stagnation or sinking spleen Qi.
Vomiting during pregnancy cause?
Stomach and chong mai xu
Nausea and heavy bleeding post delivery?
Exhaustion of chong mai
Sweating and fever post delivery
Exhaustion of Qi and blood
Post partum depression
Blood xu leading to heart blood xu
What are the 5 components of palpation?
- Skin
- Limbs
- Hands
- Chest and abdomen
- Channels and acupoints
Pitting edema, lower body
yin edema, spleen and kidney yang xu
Non-pitting, upper body
Yang edema, wind-cold, lung Qi xu, and spleen xi xu
Edema on the face and hands
lung Qi xu
Edema on the abdomen
Spleen Qi xu
Edema in the legs
Kidney yang xu
Cold hands and feet
liver Qi stagnation, kidney yang xu
hot hands and feet
Shi or xu heat
Upside down baby present on the hands and ears
Just a fact
Which points can be palpated to conform diagnosis?
Front-mu, back shu, lower he sea, yuan source and ashi
