Ask the Acupuncturist

Question: When I look at my tongue in the mirror, all I can tell is that it looks bad! What do you see when you look at someone's tongue?"

Answer: The tongue is a very important diagnostic tool in Chinese medicine. I like to say it's like a little road-map for what's going on with your internal organs. The tongue in Chinese medicine is divided into different sections, each one corresponding to a different organ. If you start at the back of the tongue, that relates to the Kidneys; the sides are the Spleen, not to be confused with the edges, which relate to the Liver; the center corresponds to the Stomach, the front before the tip is the Lungs and the tip itself relates to the Heart. You'll notice I've capitalized the names of the organs. That's because when we're talking about the organs, we're not really discussing them as literally as we would in western medicine. This way you don't have to worry about whether there is something literally (or seriously) wrong with your liver or stomach if you've got some strange markings on your tongue in those areas. The other signs we are looking for when we look at the tongue are the colors of the body--is it pale, red, or even purple? We also look at the shape--is it long, short or flabby? We look at any markings on the tongue as well--does it have tooth marks on the edges, a crack in the center, or red dots on the tip? Finally, one of the most important diagnostic signs on the tongue is it's coat--is it thick or thin? Yellow or white?--and where the coat resides--in that center crack? Or just at the back of the tongue? Tongue diagnosis can be complex at first, but learning to read the signs on the tongue can be one of the most valuable tools to an acupuncturist. It helps us confirm what we are feeling in the pulse, it helps us better understand the root of the patient's symptoms, and it helps us throughout treatment by reflecting how the patient is changing from the inside out. We try never to say that someone's tongue looks 'good' or 'bad.' Really, it's just an indication of what's going on inside, and where we need to begin in order to restore balance.