Heat Intolerance

How Chinese medicine differentiates a marked intolerance of heat into the five patterns you'll actually meet in practice, and the points for each. Distinct from this site's own Head Heat Sensation and Feeling of Heat in Face with Cold Feet pages. Acupuncture only — no herbs.

This page is educational, for practitioners and students — it is not a diagnostic tool and does not replace a proper in-person assessment. New or severe heat intolerance, especially with weight loss, palpitations, or eye changes, needs prompt medical evaluation to rule out a thyroid or other endocrine cause before assuming a simple pattern.

General Acupuncture Points

Acupuncture points traditionally used for heat intolerance — 9 key points, used across the patterns below rather than tied to just one.

Point	Key action
KI-3	Tonifies the Kidneys (both Yin and Yang). Calms the Mind. Benefits Essence. Strengthens the lower back and knees.
SP-6	Strengthens the Spleen. Nourishes Blood and Yin. Cools Blood. Calms the Mind.
ST-44	Clears Heat. Regulates the Intestines and resolves Damp-Heat. Calms the Mind.
L.I.-4	Removes obstructions from the channel. Stops pain. Calms the Mind.
REN-12	Tonifies Stomach and Spleen. Resolves Dampness and Phlegm. Regulates Stomach-Qi.
LR-2	Drains Liver-Fire and subdues Liver-Yang. Cools Blood and stops bleeding. Calms the Mind.
GB-20	Subdues Liver-Yang. Clears Heat. Nourishes Marrow and clears the Brain.
HT-8	Clears Heart-Fire, Heart Empty-Heat and Heart Phlegm-Fire. Calms the Mind.
DU-14	Clears Heat. Releases the Exterior and expels exterior Wind. Regulates Nutritive and Defensive Qi.

The Five Patterns

↑ reinforcing ↓ reducing ⊥ even method.

1. Empty-Heat from Yin Deficiency View full pattern →

Clinical manifestations: Afternoon or evening tidal heat, night sweats, heat sensation in the palms, soles, and chest, dry mouth and throat worse at night, malar flush.

Tongue: Red, thin, dry body with cracks, little or no coating. Pulse: Fine (thin) and rapid.

Treatment principle: Nourishes Yin and clears deficiency Heat, rebuilding the body's cooling reserves.

KI-3 ↑ SP-6 ⊥

Note: no moxa. Direct exact-name match with this site's own Kidney-Yin-deficiency-Empty-Heat-blazing slide.

2. Bright Yang Stomach Heat View full pattern →

Clinical manifestations: Feeling of intense heat throughout the body, profuse sweating that does not relieve the fever, intense thirst for cold drinks, flushed red face.

Tongue: Red body with a yellow, dry coating, early cracks may appear. Pulse: Overflowing and surging.

Treatment principle: Clears exuberant Yangming Heat and generates fluids to quench thirst.

ST-44 ↓ L.I.-4 ↓ DU-14 ↓

Note: no moxa. Direct match with this site's own Stomach-Heat-(or-Phlegm-Heat) slide.

3. Stomach Fire (Stomach-Heat) View full pattern →

Clinical manifestations: Burning sensation in the upper stomach, excessive hunger or constant appetite, bad breath and swollen, bleeding gums.

Tongue: Red body, possible central prickles, thick dry yellow coat. Pulse: Rapid, slippery, and forceful.

Treatment principle: Clears Stomach Fire and cools Blood to alleviate burning pain.

ST-44 ↓ REN-12 ⊥

Note: no moxa. Second, chronic-leaning match to the same Stomach-Heat slide as pattern 2 above (within this page's two-pattern reuse cap) — distinct clinical picture (gnawing hunger and gum disease vs. acute high fever) but the same underlying Stomach-Fire mechanism.

4. Liver Fire Blazing View full pattern →

Clinical manifestations: Throbbing headache at temples or crown, red, painful, or burning eyes, bitter taste in the mouth, irritability and restlessness.

Tongue: Red body, sides redder than centre, dry yellow coating. Pulse: Wiry, rapid, and forceful.

Treatment principle: Drains excess Fire from the Liver and Gall-Bladder channels.

LR-2 ↓ GB-20 ↓

Note: no moxa. Direct exact-name match with this site's own Liver-Fire-blazing slide.

5. Heart Fire Blazing View full pattern →

Clinical manifestations: Mouth or tongue ulcers with red raised edges, palpitations and sensation of heat in the chest, mental restlessness, anxiety, and irritability.

Tongue: Red body with distinctly redder tip, red points on tip, yellow dry coating. Pulse: Rapid, forceful, and overflowing.

Treatment principle: Drains Heart-Fire and calms the Mind to settle the Shen.

HT-8 ↓ SP-6 ⊥

Note: no moxa. Direct exact-name match with this site's own Heart-Fire-blazing slide.

Related conditions

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