↑ reinforcing ↓ reducing ⊥ even method.
Clinical manifestations: Exhaling feels long while inhaling feels short, lower back weakness and soreness, fatigue worse with exertion, spontaneous sweating, weak quiet voice, breath doesn't descend fully.
Tongue: Pale, puffy tongue with teeth marks and thin white moist coating. Pulse: Deep, weak, especially feeble at the rear (Chi) position.
Treatment principle: Tonify Kidney-Qi to restore the grasping function that anchors breath downward.
Note: moxa strongly indicated throughout. Direct exact-name match with this site's own Kidneys-failing-to-receive-Qi slide.
Clinical manifestations: Breathlessness worse with light exertion, weak quiet voice, spontaneous sweating, pale complexion, fatigue and tiredness, easy catching of colds.
Tongue: Pale, tender tongue with possible teeth marks, thin white coating. Pulse: Empty and weak, especially at the right Cun (Lung) position.
Treatment principle: Tonify Lung-Qi to strengthen respiratory capacity and consolidate exterior defenses.
Note: moxa strongly indicated on BL-13/ST-36. Direct exact-name match with this site's own Lung-Qi-deficiency slide.
3. Qi Stagnation in the Chest
Clinical manifestations: Frequent sighing, chest tightness like a band around the ribs, worsens with emotional stress, irritability or mood swings, sensation of oppression.
Tongue: Normal body color, thin white coating, may be slightly dusky on the sides. Pulse: Wiry, especially at the left middle position.
Treatment principle: Move and regulate Qi to restore smooth flow and relieve chest constriction.
Note: no moxa. Linked to this site's own Qi-stagnation-in-the-Pericardium slide, the closest chest-Qi-stagnation match, since the Pericardium wraps and protects the chest area this pattern describes.
Clinical manifestations: Copious white sticky phlegm, heaviness or fullness in the chest, wheezing or rattling in the throat, poor appetite and bloating, fatigue and body heaviness, nausea.
Tongue: Pale, swollen tongue with teeth marks, thick white greasy coating that appears slimy. Pulse: Slippery, like beads rolling beneath the fingers.
Treatment principle: Dry Dampness and transform Phlegm to restore Lung function and the descending of breath.
Note: no moxa. Direct match with this site's own Damp-Phlegm-in-the-Lungs slide.
Clinical manifestations: Cough with thick yellow or green phlegm, chest tightness and oppression, sensation of heat or fever, rapid shallow labored breathing, restlessness and irritability, thirst, wheezing.
Tongue: Red body, possibly swollen at the front, yellow greasy coating with red prickles on the front third. Pulse: Slippery and rapid, strongest at the right Cun position.
Treatment principle: Clear Heat and transform Phlegm to open the airways and descend Lung-Qi.
Note: no moxa. Direct match with this site's own Phlegm-Heat-in-the-Lungs slide.
Clinical manifestations: Frequent sighing, rib-side distension or bloating, worsens with emotional stress, irritability or mood swings, lump-in-throat sensation, constrained sensation when breathing deeply.
Tongue: Normal or slightly dark body with red or purple sides, thin white coat. Pulse: Wiry, especially at the left Guan position.
Treatment principle: Course the Liver and resolve constraint to smooth Qi flow, allowing Lung-Qi to descend freely.
Note: no moxa. Direct exact-name match with this site's own Liver-Qi-stagnation slide.