Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) Flashcards
What are the types of Qi?
Organ Qi
Meridian Qi
Nutritive Qi
Protective Qi
Ancestral Qi
What are the disharmonies of Qi?
Deficient Qi (Qi-Xu) - fatigue
Stagnant Qi - pain
Collapsed Qi - prolapse
Rebellious Qi - nausea
What are the qualities of Yin?
Night, dark, cold, negative, passive, female, solid, fluids, calm, inward, water
What are the Yin organs?
Liver, heart, spleen, lungs, kidney
What are the qualities of Yang?
Day, light, warm, positive, active, male, hollow, fast, expanding, intense, outward
What are the Yang organs?
Gall bladder, small intestine, stomach, large intestine, urinary bladder
What are the five elements?
Fire
Earth
Metal
Water
Wood
What are the mother relationships in 5 Element theory?
Fire -> Earth -> Metal -> Water -> Wood -> Fire
What are the controlling relationships in 5 Element theory?
Fire -> Metal
Earth -> Water
Metal -> Wood
Water -> Fire
Wood -> Earth
What are the 8 principles?
Internal/External
Cold/Heat
Deficiency (Xu)/ Excess (Shi)
Yin/Yang
What are internal symptoms?
Chronic, organs, constitution, emotions, from internal environment or when external goes internal
What are external symptoms?
Acute, sudden, from external environment, external pathogens (infectious, contagious)
What are cold symptoms?
Slow, cold, clear urine, better with warmth, pale, introverted/withdrawn, constriction, chills, no thirst, loose stool, pale tongue
What are heat symptoms?
Hot, extroverted, irritable, red face/eyes, thirsty, prefers cold, sweating, scanty yellow urine, constipation, red/dry tongue
What are deficiency (xu) symptoms?
Fatigue, weak, incomplete engagement with life, relieved by pressure, chronic, weak resistance, worse after bathroom or menses, better after eat, dull pain
*Lack of/insufficiency: qi, blood, yin, yang
What are excess (shi) symptoms?
Forceful, loud, coarse/heavy breathing, worse with pressure, acute or chronic, better after bathroom or menses, worse after eat, pain/distention, intense pain
*Too much of/overabundance: qi stagnation, blood stagnation, dampness, phlegm
What are yin symptoms?
Cold, fluids, quiet, slow, tired, pale, passive
What are yang symptoms?
Hit, energy/qi, loud, restless, active, red face, agitated
What are Yin Xu symptoms?
Dry, low energy, night sweats, hot flashes, thirsty, not drink a lot, scanty urine, malar flush (cheeks) heat in afternoon/evening, heat in chest/palms/soles
*Lack of fluides/cold, deficiency heat, deficiency symptoms
*Hot, dry, depleted
What are Yang Xu symptoms?
Cold, difficulty warming up, tired/exhausted, lack of drive/passion/enthusiasm, withdrawn, aversion to cold, low back and knee, cold/dull pain, pale frequent urine, edema, loose stool
*Lack of fire/energy, excess fluids, deficiency symptoms
*Cold, wet, depleted
What are Excess Heat symptoms?
Hot, sweat a lot, loud, aggressive, runs hot, red face, thirsty for cold drinks and drinks a lot, constipation, agitation, yellow urine
*Too much heat, excess symptoms
What are Excess Cold symptoms?
Cold, pale, tight, slow, heavy, lazy, not thirsty, loose stool, aversion to cold
*Excess fluids, excess signs, can’t burn off fluids
What are Qi Xu symptoms?
Tired, diminished function, poor appetite, dizzy, pale, sweat easily
*Lack of qi/energy, deficiency symptoms
*Qi Xu -> Yang Xu
What are Blood Xu symptoms?
Dry hair, skin, light periods, fatigue, dizzy, pal skin/mucous membranes/tongue, poor memory
*Lack of blood, deficiency symptoms
*Blood Xu -> Yin Xu
What are Qi/Blood Stagnation Symptoms?
*Pain is key, blood stagnation more significant than qi stagnation
*Lack of flow
*Qi stagnation: dull pain, can move around or be vague, distention, tension
*Blood stagnation: fixed pain, focalized pain, stabbing/severe pain, dark complexion, fixed masses, purple nails/lips, blood clots, purple distended veins under the tonge
What are the 5 Pernicious Influences?
Damp: fluid build-up, congestion, mucus
Wind: moving, changing, itch, tremor
Cold: slow, immobile, heat helps, stiff, rigid
Heat: red, hot, thirst, irritable, prefers cold
Dry: skin nose throat
What are Damp Excess symptoms?
Fluid build-up, congestion, heaviness, slow, downward, mucus, swelling, edema, fluid retention, poor metabolism
What are the 5 Emotions?
Joy, anger, fear, grief, worry
What does OPQRST stand for?
Onset: When and how did it start?
Palliative: What makes it better or worse?
Quality: Dull, achy, sharp, pulling, stabbing, tingling, radiating, etc.
Region: Where is it? Point with one finger.
Severity: Scale of 0-10.
Time: Time of day, better or worse?
What type of meridians are we accessing through this level of TCM?
Primary channels, and a couple of extraordinary channels.
What is the job of the Yin organs?
Produce, regulate, and store
What is the job of the Yang organs?
Breakdown, absorb, transport, and excrete
What are the key understandings of the Earth element?
Nourishment and stability
What are the organs for each of the elements?
Earth: Spleen and Stomach
Metal: Lungs and Large Intestine
Water: Kidneys and Urinary bladder
Wood: Liver and Gall bladder
Fire: Heart and Small intestine
What are the seasons for each of the elements?
Earth: Late summer and seasonal transition
Metal: Autumn
Water: Winter
Wood: Spring
Fire: Summer
What are the primary functions of the spleen?
Digestion (Western medicine = pancreas), rules transportation and transformation, governs blood, rules the muscles
(You are what you MAKE of what you eat)
What are the physical indicators for the elements?
Earth: lips
Metal: breath
Water: hair
Wood: nails
Fire: complexion
What are the tendencies for imbalance with the earth element?
Liver (stress regulation) invasion and dampness (what should have nourished but became a burden)
Qi and blood xu
What are the primary functions of the stomach?
Receiving and ripening
Caldron
Descending
What are the characteristics of the earth element?
Mother, providing, nurturing
Grounded, caring, supportive
Intention, attention, remembering, relaxed, social
Nourish, take care of self and others
Clear thoughts
Peacemaker, considerate, attentive, sympathetic, appropriate worry
What are the emotions associated with the elements?
Earth: Worry, concern, sympathy
Metal: Grief
Water: Fear
Wood: Anger
Fire: Joy
What are the excess (shi), deficiency (xu), and difficulties of the earth element?
Excess: overprotective, meddlesome, overbearing, over-indulgent, selfish
Deficiency: clinging, vacillating, scattered, martyr, needy, bored
Difficulties: change, concentration, independence, metabolism, muscles, digestion, fluid balance
How can you remember which sides of the body the yin meridians run vs. the yang meridians?
Yin = more sensitive Yang = less sensitive
Yin: inside arm, inside the leg, front side of the torso
Yang: back side of the arm, outside of the leg, back of the torso
What are the main parts of the body to work with using yoga poses for the spleen and stomach meridians?
Grounding and standing poses
Abdomen: sphinx, cobra, updog, back bends
Quad: child’s pose, virasana, behkasana
Groin: low lunge, crescent
