↑ reinforcing ↓ reducing ⊥ even method.
Clinical manifestations: Fixed, stabbing pain at one location; worse at night and with pressure; dark menstrual blood with clots; dark under-eye circles.
Tongue: Purple with stasis spots, thin white coat. Pulse: Choppy or wiry.
Treatment principle: Invigorates Blood, dispels stasis and unblocks the channels.
Note: no moxa. Linked to this site's own Liver-Blood-stasis slide per the discoloration-marker rule.
Clinical manifestations: Burning or distending nerve pain triggered by emotional upset; irritability; explosive anger; bitter taste; a red face and eyes; distending pain along the ribs.
Tongue: Red, redder at the sides, yellow coating. Pulse: Wiry and rapid.
Treatment principle: Soothes Liver Qi, clears the transforming Heat and promotes free flow.
Note: no moxa.
3. Qi and Blood Deficiency
Clinical manifestations: A dull, lingering ache rather than a sharp one; worse with fatigue and overexertion; a pale complexion and lips; dizziness; fatigue, shortness of breath, poor appetite.
Tongue: Pale, thin or teeth-marked, thin white coat. Pulse: Fine and weak.
Treatment principle: Tonifies Qi and Blood, nourishes the channels and addresses this malnourishment-type pain.
Note: moxa is appropriate. No combined Qi-and-Blood-deficiency slide exists on this site's decks — no pattern link is given here.
4. Cold Invading the Channels
Clinical manifestations: Sharp, stabbing pain at a fixed location; aggravated by cold, relieved by warmth; the affected area feels cold; no redness or swelling; stiffness around the painful nerve; aversion to cold.
Tongue: Pale, thin white coat, moist surface. Pulse: Tight or wiry, may be floating.
Treatment principle: Warms the channels, dispels Cold and restores circulation.
Note: moxa is strongly indicated. This site's decks have no generalized Cold-invading-the-channels (Bi-syndrome) slide — no pattern link is given here.
5. Phlegm in the Channels
Clinical manifestations: Fixed, stabbing pain; a heavy, numb sensation in the limbs; a thick white greasy tongue coating; purplish skin around the joints; excessive phlegm or mucus.
Tongue: Purple with stasis spots, white greasy coat, distended sublingual veins. Pulse: Wiry and choppy, or wiry and slippery.
Treatment principle: Transforms Phlegm, warms the channels, invigorates Blood and unblocks the collaterals.
Note: no moxa contraindicated, moxa acceptable. This site's decks have no Phlegm-in-the-channels slide, confirmed absent again — no pattern link is given here.
Clinical manifestations: Burning, gnawing pain without a fixed location; worse in the afternoon or evening; night sweats; five-palm heat; a dry throat at night; mental restlessness; a malar flush; lower back soreness.
Tongue: Red, thin, dry, little coating or cracks. Pulse: Fine and rapid, may feel floating and empty.
Treatment principle: Nourishes Kidney Yin, clears empty Heat and anchors floating Yang.
Note: no moxa (Yin deficiency with heat signs).