When was the last time you really looked at your tongue? Did you know that all tongues are not the same? They often vary in size, shape, color, coating, and geographic features. According to Traditional Chinese Medicine, all the variations indicate imbalances in your body’s energy flow.
Every medical field has to have a way to ‘see’ into the body. Western medicine uses CAT-scans, MRI, X-Rays, and blood work. Chinese medicine has other tools, including tongue diagnosis. Each feature variation on the tongue guides our understanding of how and where your health is blocked, inhibiting you from feeling your best.
In my practice at Canyon Ranch, I look at tongues all day long. The tongue mirrors your internal conditions. A tongue that is bright red often means something very different than one that is pale with a thick white coating. A tongue with toothmarks on the side can yield a different diagnosis than a tongue with a crack near the tip.
The ‘ideal’ tongue is one that is pink, with a thin white coating and good moisture, without any major cracking, toothmarks, or swelling. If your tongue doesn’t look like that, your energy may not be flowing optimally. Whether I’m selecting herbal medicines or acupuncture points, the tongue helps me to choose the most appropriate and specific ones for my patients.
By James Rohr, D.O.M
Chinese Medicine Practitioner at Canyon Ranch Hotel & Spa in Miami Beach