black tongues

[Guest guest]

I am posting the following

case for your comments. I am wondering about the black streak on

her tongue, the floating sensations, and tingling in her legs which were

not present during the time I have been seeing her. Any herbal combinations

come to mind? Thank you for your thoughts.

Frances

Woman, 54 years old. Normal menses, no clots or irregularities

until she went through menopause process 4-6 years ago. Married for

31 years. Social worker in a state mental hospital center. Vegetarian.

Normal weight.

I noted a black streak, for the first time, on the root

of her tongue. It was vertical, about 3/4" wide. The fur was dry

and deep horizontal cracks in the body. Red edges and tip. Previously,

her tongue had been more wet, thin white coat, and the red edges and tip.

Pulses: excess in left proximal position, all others

thin, deep, thready and deficient. Previously, could tend to be rolling,

but faint.

New symptoms: Most recently, legs feel "tingly,

heavy, and loose, like there's nothing inside." The tingling occurs

more in the a.m. A few weeks ago she had sensations of 'trembling

inside' and 'floating' which have now subsided. She is concerned that this

is pre-seizure symptomatology, as in her teens she had epileptic seizures.

None since then and on medication: dilantin 100 mg TID and celontin 300

mg TID. Recent extensive lab tests she requested because of the above

symptoms had no abnormal findings.

Previously, she came to me with a diagnosis of clinical

depression and was on effexor. She may have been on the brink of perimenopause

at that time, though her periods were still regular. She was hospitalized

at 16 for depression. There was a history of sexual abuse by a brother

from ages 6-13. She came out of the depression during treatment with acupuncture,

moxa, and herbs, little by little over a course of about two years, until

she has maintained consistently bright spirits, or I would say a normal

mood with some ups and down but never into the depths of depression. She

also studies taiji with me.

In May or June she walked 60 miles, for which she raised

more than $5,000 for breast cancer research. She threw herself into

training and completed the walk. It was a very inspiring experience for

her, but I wonder if this experience has consumed her yin, in addition

to her very stressful job.

 

BKirschb wrote:

A rather late comment to

question about black tongue and black spots on the

tongue.

My chinese teachers had different opinions about

them: in older people they

were thought to indicate the presence of blood stasis

in the body, (see as an

example page 196 and page 153 in my Atlas of chin

tonguediagnosis).

And of course black coating was seen as the result

of an extreme

development of cold or heat.

Barbara

 

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