↑ reinforcing ↓ reducing ⊥ even method — technique below follows standard Excess/Deficiency treatment principle for each pattern, not tied to a specific point-by-point source.
Clinical manifestations: Burning or stinging pain during urination; dark yellow or cloudy urine; lower abdominal fullness and pressure; thirst with little desire to drink; symptoms that flare after spicy, greasy, or fried food; eased by cooling foods and a drier environment.
Tongue: Red with a yellow greasy coating, thickest at the root. Pulse: Slippery, Rapid, more pronounced at the left Chi position.
Treatment principle: Clear Heat and drain Fire, promote urination and relieve stranguria, clear Damp-Heat from the lower burner.
Note: no moxa.
2. Spleen Deficiency with Dampness
Clinical manifestations: Frequent urination with a sense of incomplete emptying; heaviness and bloating in the lower abdomen, worse after eating; loose or unformed stools; fatigue and a heavy, sluggish feeling; poor appetite and a sticky sensation in the mouth; brought on by irregular meals, cold raw food and drinks, or chronic Spleen weakness; eased by warm cooked food and rest after meals.
Tongue: Pale, swollen, tooth-marked, white greasy coating, moist surface. Pulse: Soggy, Slow, possibly Slippery.
Treatment principle: Tonify Qi, strengthen the Spleen, drain Dampness.
Note: moxa applicable on the Tonify-Spleen points. No deck slide combines a deficiency presentation with these Dampness signs into one pattern, so no pattern link is given here.
Clinical manifestations: Fixed, stabbing pain in the lower abdomen or perineum; pain that worsens with pressure or before menstruation; dark, clotted menstrual blood in women; lower abdominal distension and bloating; irritability or mood swings; brought on by long-standing untreated stagnation, cold, or chronic Qi stagnation congealing the Blood; eased by warmth and gentle movement.
Tongue: Dark purple with stasis spots, distended sublingual veins. Pulse: Wiry and Choppy, like a taut string scraping bamboo.
Treatment principle: Invigorate Blood and dispel stasis, warm the channels and disperse Cold, move Qi and alleviate pain.
Note: moxa applicable — this pattern's own treatment principle explicitly warms the channels and disperses Cold alongside invigorating Blood.
Clinical manifestations: Fixed, stabbing pain in the lower abdomen or pelvis; pain that worsens with emotional stress or frustration; dark menstrual blood with clots in women; purple or dark lips and nails; irritability, mood swings, or pent-up anger; brought on by stress, frustration, or suppressed emotion congealing the Blood; eased by emotional release and warmth.
Tongue: Dark purple, often with stasis spots on the sides, distended sublingual veins. Pulse: Wiry and Choppy, especially at the left middle position.
Treatment principle: Invigorate Blood and dispel stasis, warm the channels and disperse Cold, move Qi and alleviate pain.
Note: moxa applicable, per the same treatment principle as the pattern above — these two source patterns describe closely related Blood-stasis presentations (physical/menstrual-timed vs. emotionally-triggered) that both map onto the same deck slide.
Clinical manifestations: A dull, cold pain in the lower abdomen and back; frequent urination with clear, pale urine; a feeling of cold in the lower belly and limbs; symptoms that worsen in cold weather or after cold drinks; nocturia, waking multiple times to urinate; fatigue and a strong preference for warmth; brought on by ageing, chronic illness, or long-standing Kidney-Yang deficiency; eased by warmth and rest.
Tongue: Pale, puffy, wet, thin white slippery coating. Pulse: Deep, Weak, Slow, especially feeble at the rear (Chi) position.
Treatment principle: Tonify Kidney-Yang, warm Yang and transform Qi, warm the Gate of Life (Ming Men) fire.
Note: moxa applicable.
6. Body Fluids Deficiency
Clinical manifestations: Scanty, dark urine; burning urination; a dry mouth and throat with thirst; dry, cracked lips and skin; brought on by chronic illness, a long fever, or overwork consuming the body's fluids; eased by rest and small sips of fluid.
Tongue: Red, dry, thin, cracks, little or no coating. Pulse: Fine, Rapid.
Treatment principle: Nourish Kidney-Yin, supplement Liver and Spleen Yin, benefit Essence and fill the marrow.
Note: no moxa. The closest deck slide, "Kidney-Yin deficiency," carries a broader systemic picture (backache, tinnitus, nocturnal emissions) without this pattern's hallmark burning urination and skin/lip dryness, so no pattern link is given here.