Heart Fire Blazing

This pattern represents a physical reaction to excess stress, anger, frustration and long periods of depression. It is caused by emotional tension, from doing many projects at the same time or constant forced decision-making, that pushes the person over the top. Too much thinking causes heart fire and symptoms. This pattern also appears during drug […]

Phlegm Fire Harassing the Heart

This pattern is affiliated with bipolar disorder, alternating between manic (crazy laughter, over confidence, shouting) and depression (dullness, confusion, muttering to oneself). The initial stage is wild behaviour or over excitement that eventually develops into mental symptoms. This pattern is caused by severe emotional problems and depression that harms both heart and spleen. This pattern […]

Heart Blood Stagnant

This pattern is affiliated with atherosclerosis and CVD and can therefore be serious. Strong emotions particularly anxiety, grief, resentment or bottling-up anger over a long period of time, upset the smooth flow of chi, stopping its movement or disturbing its action. When chi stops moving, blood stops flowing and this causes blood stagnation. In heart […]

Damp Phlegm Obstructing Lung

The lifestyle factors contributing to this pattern include high stress levels and worry over finance or deadlines; constant pressure, overwork, an unhealthy diet, and sleep deprivation. This affects the spleen’s ability to transform and transport fluids which then forms phlegm. As your spleen is a major organ involved in the production of chi, and in […]

Phlegm Heat Obstructing Lung

The factors that cause this pattern are stress, relentless pressure and overwork in combination with unhealthy compensatory behaviours, such as smoking for stress management or high-pressure business lunches with excessive consumption of hot (this is an energetic quality not actual temperature), spicy and greasy foods. These affect the spleen’s function of transforming and transporting fluids […]

Phlegm Fluids Obstructing the Lungs

This pattern is common in middle-aged and older people. It is a chronic condition of phlegm in the lungs caused by over-exertion and poor diet over a long period of time which has impaired the spleen’s function of transforming and transporting fluids. In TCM the spleen produces phlegm and the lungs store it. As the […]

Damp Heat in the Large Intestine

This pattern is affiliated with ulcerative colitis, a chronic inflammatory disorder of the colonic mucosa and is caused by overconsumption of hot (this is an energetic quality not food temperature) and greasy foods, or chronic sadness and anxiety. If these causes are combined, the pattern is worse. These factors cause dampness in the large intestine […]

Heat in the Large Intestine

Caused by excessive consumption of hot (this is an energetic quality not food temperature) foods (lamb, beef and alcohol) and dry foods eg broiled or baked meat. Symptoms: Constipation with dry stools, burning sensation in the mouth, dry tongue, burning and swelling in the anus, scanty dark urine.

Cold Invading the Large Intestine

This pattern is caused by underdressing in cold weather, especially leaving the abdomen area exposed. It can also be caused by sitting on cold and wet surfaces for prolonged periods of time. The exterior cold invades the large intestine and interferes with the movement of chi in the lower body parts resulting in sudden severe […]

Collapse of Large Intestine

This pattern affiliated with haemorrhoids, chronic fatigue syndrome, chronic gastritis and is caused by irregular meals, unhealthy eating habits, overwork, constant rushing or eating while working or on the run. Symptoms: Chronic diarrhoea, prolapse anus, haemorrhoids, tiredness after bowel movements, cold limbs, no appetite, mental exhaustion, desire to drink warm liquids, desire to have the […]