Question About Diagnosis of Tongue (after brushing!!)

[Guest guest]

I'm throwing this open to anyone but I know Al would know the answer to this.

 

When a TCM doctor examines a tongue, will the diagnosis be affected by a good

tongue brushing before hand? When I brush my teeth, I also brush my tongue

since there's always some build-up on a tongue. I notice the colour &

thickness of the coating varies somewhat from day to day but of course, it's

always thicker first thing in the morning.

 

After I brush my teeth & tongue, I always take a small swig of hydrogen

peroxide, hold it in my mouth (I DON'T swallow it) & brush again with my

mouth closed. It helps remove any toothpaste residue & makes my mouth feel

much cleaner. It also really removes any trace of coating on the my tongue.

 

So I wonder if a thorough brushing like that would affect what my tongue tells

my TCM doctor. Could anyone enlighten me, please? I know he doesn't just look

at coating thickness & colour but also any bare (peeled) spots, cracks, teeth

imprints, flexibility, etc but still I wonder. Thank you.

 

Judy

[Guest guest]

On Thu, Aug 21, 2008 at 1:49 PM, Judy Wilkins <isomorphix wrote:

 

> I'm throwing this open to anyone but I know Al would know the answer to

> this.

>

 

 

 

 

Okay, but I can't promise good spelling or grammar.

 

 

> When a TCM doctor examines a tongue, will the diagnosis be affected by a

> good

> tongue brushing before hand?

>

 

 

 

 

 

It can affect the diagnosis if the practitioner doesn't take your tongue

brushing into consideration. If one knows that the tongue has been brushed,

one can understand that they really don't know if there is a thick tongue

coating there or not. So, that's like squinting your eyes while you read.

You can still do it, but you might miss some of the little punctuation

marks. Sometimes, however the thickness of that coating can differentiate

excess from deficiency, and that's kind of important to know.

 

 

> When I brush my teeth, I also brush my tongue

> since there's always some build-up on a tongue.

>

 

 

 

 

That's fine. I don't know if there are any health benefits to this, perhaps

others can chime in on this. Mostly, I believe it provides one with a sense

of hygiene in their mouth, and that's a good feeling. But when you do see a

TCM practitioner, avoid brushing your tongue that day, so the practitioner

can see things as they are, rather than a false lack of coating.

 

I notice the colour &

> thickness of the coating varies somewhat from day to day but of course,

> it's

> always thicker first thing in the morning.

>

 

 

 

 

 

 

Right, and that morning thickness is considered false, or not indicative of

any pathology. Best to wait a few hours after awakening to have your tongue

looked at.

 

The color is often affected by eating or drinking. It may only be temporary,

like an hour or so, but after you eat, there's a little more yellowish hue

going on. I think that this is actually a true appearance, but it doesn't

suggest a pathology. Yellow means heat. (Al believes that...) the stomach

can warm up to do its job of initiating the process of digestion (roting and

ripening). So, because the normal coating is considered the " smoke of

digestive processes " it seems reasonable to see more smoke arise from a busy

factory than a factory that is dormant. So, the stomach factory fires up to

digest food, leading to a temporary yellowish coating. I've also found that

this temporarily yellow coating is more vibrant, more bright, than the

pathological yellow.

 

> So I wonder if a thorough brushing like that would affect what my tongue

> tells

> my TCM doctor.

>

 

 

 

 

 

Yes, it may confuse your TCM doctor. If all your signs and symptoms suggest

something that could be excessive or deficient in nature, that tongue

coating (along with strength of the pulse) will allow your doctor to know if

you need more of something, or to have something removed. The thickness of

your tongue coating is essential in making that determination. So, while

there is no problem with your hygiene habits, best to leave your tongue

coating alone the day of your treatment, or at least your diagnosis. Don't

brush your tongue coating the day of your appointment. However, if you do,

be sure to tell your doctor you brushed so that your practitioner can factor

in that unknown item and not make a bad decision based on false signs.

 

Just avoid brushing your tongue (and hydrogen peroxide gargle) the day that

you see your practitioner and all should be well, including you.

 

--

, DAOM

Pain is inevitable, suffering is optional.