Scalloped Tongue on Left side only

[Guest guest]

A couple of years ago a 40 y.o. female patient came to me complaining

of GERD symptoms. Upon performing an evaluation I found her signs and

symptoms to fit the clinical picture of plum pit syndrome (depression,

anxiety, feeling of a piece of meet stuck in throat). P: wiry, T:

scant slightly greasy coating, slightly red body, and scalloped on the

left side. I diagnosed her condition as liver qi stagnation with an

underlying kidney yin deficiency. A few months later another 40 y.o.

female patient presented with the exact clinical picture described

above (anxiety, GERD, same pulse and tongue). I am writing to see if

anyone else has seen this unilateral tongue scalloping with gerd

symptoms and, if so, what treatment strategies have worked. I have

been managing these two cases for 2 years now, with about a 75%

improvement within the first three months in both cases, but the

condition persists at a low level. I have prescribed herbal formulas

based on Ban Xia Hou po Tang, modified with Bai Shao and Dang Gui to

address the yin deficiency, along with standard TCM acupuncture

protocols on a weekly to every two week basis. Any advice would be

appreciated. Thanks.

[Guest guest]

Hey Joe, whad'ya know?

 

I recently had occasion to ask Tiande Yang about a tongue with a unilateral

feature. He gave me a lesser known Statement of Fact which I presume comes

from the Nei Jing. It went like this:

 

Turn right, go down. Turn left, go up.

 

Okay?

 

Best of luck with your patient...

 

Oh, you want explanation too?

 

The premise is that when you have an excess that needs to be purged

downward, it can manifest solely on the (patient's) right side of the

tongue. Should there be a deficiency that needs to be lifted, that will show

up more on the left side of the tongue. I'd look at strengthening this

patient's middle to transform the phlegm which it appears you're doing,

perhaps a larger dosage is warranted if the teethmarks and coating remains

unchanged.

 

Purge the right, lift the left.

Isn't that correct Dr. Malony? (I KID!)

 

-al.

 

On 3/9/07, josephcurcio <joseph wrote:

>

> A couple of years ago a 40 y.o. female patient came to me complaining

> of GERD symptoms. Upon performing an evaluation I found her signs and

> symptoms to fit the clinical picture of plum pit syndrome (depression,

> anxiety, feeling of a piece of meet stuck in throat). P: wiry, T:

> scant slightly greasy coating, slightly red body, and scalloped on the

> left side. I diagnosed her condition as liver qi stagnation with an

> underlying kidney yin deficiency. A few months later another 40 y.o.

> female patient presented with the exact clinical picture described

> above (anxiety, GERD, same pulse and tongue). I am writing to see if

> anyone else has seen this unilateral tongue scalloping with gerd

> symptoms and, if so, what treatment strategies have worked. I have

> been managing these two cases for 2 years now, with about a 75%

> improvement within the first three months in both cases, but the

> condition persists at a low level. I have prescribed herbal formulas

> based on Ban Xia Hou po Tang, modified with Bai Shao and Dang Gui to

> address the yin deficiency, along with standard TCM acupuncture

> protocols on a weekly to every two week basis. Any advice would be

> appreciated. Thanks.

>

>

>

 

 

 

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Pain is inevitable, suffering is optional.