Explore conditions

Western Pain from muscles, joints, discs and nerves, usually in layers, and often driven from somewhere other than where it hurts.

Classical 水 Pain as obstruction: qi, blood or the tissue has stopped moving, read by channel, by pattern and by what eases it.

Often with Dry needling, Active Release, Functional movement

Western Mechanical pain from lumbar muscles, joints, discs or the sacroiliac joint, often loaded by the hips or upper back.

Classical 水 Stasis in the Bladder channel and Governing vessel, over a Kidney root that shows when the pain keeps returning.

Often with Dry needling, Active Release, Functional movement

Neck and upper back pain

Western Strain of the neck and upper back muscles and small joints, often driven by desk posture, sleep position or an old injury.

Classical 木 Obstruction in the Tai Yang and Shao Yang channels of the nape, often with wind-cold or constrained Liver qi on top.

Often with Dry needling, Active Release, Functional movement

Western Pain along the sciatic nerve from a disc at the root, the piriformis in the buttock, or pain referred by the SI joint.

Classical 水 Obstruction along the Bladder or Gallbladder channel of the leg, often wind, cold and damp with stasis.

Often with Dry needling, Active Release, Electro-acupuncture

Western A nerve compressed or irritated at the spine (radiculopathy) or along its path through muscle, fascia or a tunnel.

Classical 木 Obstruction along a channel and its sinew channel: numbness as qi and blood not arriving, sharp pain as stasis.

Often with Dry needling, Active Release, Electro-acupuncture

Western Neuropathic pain: pain from an irritated or sensitized nerve, felt as burning, electric, tingling or numb.

Classical 木 Numbness as qi and blood not reaching the flesh; darting pain as wind; fixed burning pain as stasis in the collaterals.

Often with Dry needling, Electro-acupuncture, Active Release

Bulging and herniated discs

Western A disc whose outer ring bulges, or whose center pushes through it, sometimes irritating the nerve root beside it.

Classical 水 Stasis at the injured level over Kidney and Liver depletion, read through the Governing vessel and Bi patterns.

Often with Dry needling, Electro-acupuncture, Active Release

Western Narrowing of the spinal canal or nerve openings, usually age-related, that can crowd the spinal cord or nerve roots.

Classical 水 Kidney and Liver depletion beneath, with qi, blood and damp obstructing the channel at the narrowed level.

Often with Dry needling, Electro-acupuncture, Functional movement

Western A sideways curve of the spine with some rotation, structural in the bones or functional from muscle imbalance.

Classical 水 Uneven sinews along the Governing vessel and Bladder channel, over the Kidney that governs bone.

Often with Dry needling, Master Tung's acupuncture, Functional movement

Carpal tunnel and hand numbness

Western The median nerve crowded at the wrist, or a hand nerve caught higher up at the elbow, chest or neck.

Classical 木 Qi and blood stasis in the Pericardium, Heart and Lung channels of the wrist, often with damp.

Often with Dry needling, Active Release, Electro-acupuncture

Western A tight or overworked piriformis muscle in the buttock irritating the sciatic nerve that runs beneath it.

Classical 木 Stasis in the Gallbladder channel and its sinew channel at the hip, often over Liver blood too thin to nourish the sinews.

Often with Dry needling, Active Release, Electro-acupuncture

Sports and overuse injuries

Western Overuse injuries build when repeated load outpaces how quickly muscle, tendon and fascia can adapt and repair.

Classical 木 Read as injury to the sinews, where qi and blood stop moving through the sinew channels on a terrain of Liver blood.

Often with Dry needling, Active Release, Functional movement

Western Most shoulder pain involves the rotator cuff tendons, the space they glide through, and how the shoulder blade moves.

Classical 木 Read along the channels that cross the shoulder, where cold, damp or strain have stopped qi and blood moving.

Often with Dry needling, Active Release, Functional movement

Western The capsule of the shoulder joint thickens and tightens, stiffening the shoulder in every direction, often in stages.

Classical 水 The classics called it fifty-year shoulder: cold and damp lodged in the sinews of the shoulder, then blood stasis as it sets.

Often with Acupuncture, Dry needling, Moxibustion

Tennis and golfer's elbow

Western Overload of the forearm tendons where they anchor at the elbow: outside for tennis elbow, inside for golfer's elbow.

Classical 木 Called elbow taxation in the classics: overwork drains the blood that feeds the sinews, and stagnation settles in.

Often with Dry needling, Master Tung's acupuncture, Active Release

Tendonitis and tendon pain

Western Tendon pain from overload, where a tendon's ability to adapt falls behind the demands placed on it.

Classical 木 The Liver governs the sinews; tendons that keep flaring are read as blood that no longer nourishes them, with stagnation on top.

Often with Dry needling, Master Tung's acupuncture, Functional movement

Western Hip pain can come from the joint, the gluteal tendons at the outer hip, the hip flexors, or be referred from the low back.

Classical 木 The Gallbladder channel arcs through the outer hip; chronic deep aching is read through the Liver and Kidney beneath it.

Often with Dry needling, Active Release, Functional movement

Western Knee pain often reflects how load reaches the knee from the hip and ankle, as well as the joint, cartilage and tendons themselves.

Classical 水 The knee is the house of the sinews; long-standing knee pain is read through the Kidney, which governs the bones.

Often with Dry needling, Functional movement, Active Release

Plantar fasciitis and heel pain

Western Overload of the thick band of tissue under the foot where it anchors to the heel, often tied to a tight calf.

Classical 水 The Kidney channel passes through the heel; stubborn heel pain is read as Kidney depletion with stagnation in the foot.

Often with Dry needling, Active Release, Master Tung's acupuncture

Western Tension and neck-driven headaches come largely from muscles and joints of the neck; migraine is a neurological condition.

Classical 木 Read by where the pain sits and what drives it: rising Liver yang, thin blood, phlegm or stasis blocking the head.

Often with Dry needling, Master Tung's acupuncture, Scalp acupuncture

TMJ and jaw pain

Western Pain and dysfunction of the jaw joint and the chewing muscles, often with clenching, neck tension and temple headaches.

Classical 土 The Stomach and Gallbladder channels cross the jaw; clenching is often read as constrained Liver qi that has nowhere to go.

Often with Dry needling, Acupuncture, Electro-acupuncture

Western Osteoarthritis is thinning cartilage and remodeling bone; rheumatoid and other inflammatory types are immune conditions.

Classical 水 Read as painful obstruction, 痹: wind, cold, damp or heat lodged in the joints, on a ground of Liver and Kidney depletion.

Often with Acupuncture, Moxibustion, Herbal medicine

Western Widespread pain with fatigue, unrefreshing sleep and fog, thought to involve how the nervous system amplifies pain signals.

Classical 土 Read as several patterns layered at once: constrained Liver qi, depleted qi and blood, and damp weighing on the muscles.

Often with Acupuncture, Master Tung's acupuncture, Herbal medicine

Western Slow changes in the retina, macula or optic nerve, the living nerve tissue that turns light into sight.

Classical 木 Read through the Liver, which opens into the eyes, and the Kidney essence that feeds the deepest layers of the eye.

Often with M48 eye acupuncture, Scalp acupuncture, Master Tung's acupuncture

Western Wear on the macula, the center of the retina that handles reading, faces and fine detail, in a dry or a wet form.

Classical 水 Read as the Kidney and Liver running low on the yin and blood that nourish the eye, often with a Spleen layer of damp.

Often with M48 eye acupuncture, Scalp acupuncture, Master Tung's acupuncture

Western Gradual damage to the optic nerve that thins side vision first, often linked with pressure inside the eye.

Classical 木 Read as Liver yang or constrained heat rising to the eyes, on a root of Kidney essence that is running low.

Often with M48 eye acupuncture, Scalp acupuncture, Electro-acupuncture

Western A group of inherited conditions in which the retina's light cells slowly fail, starting with night vision and side vision.

Classical 水 Read as an inherited shortfall of Kidney essence, the deepest reserve, with Liver blood unable to keep the eye fed.

Often with M48 eye acupuncture, Scalp acupuncture, Electro-acupuncture

Western Damage to the retina's small blood vessels from years of high blood sugar, which can leak, bleed or grow abnormally.

Classical 水 Read as a late branch of wasting-thirst: yin worn thin by heat, qi tiring, and blood stalling in the fine vessels of the eye.

Often with M48 eye acupuncture, Herbal medicine, Scalp acupuncture

Western An inherited condition, usually from the ABCA4 gene, in which waste builds up under the macula and central vision fades young.

Classical 水 Read as the same Liver and Kidney root as age-related macular change, depleted early because the shortfall is inborn.

Often with M48 eye acupuncture, Scalp acupuncture, Master Tung's acupuncture

Macular and cone-rod dystrophies

Western Inherited conditions that wear down the macula or the cone and rod cells, each tied to a different gene.

Classical 水 Read through the inborn Kidney essence and Liver yin, with Spleen damp or blood stasis where material builds up.

Often with M48 eye acupuncture, Scalp acupuncture, Master Tung's acupuncture

Western An inherited condition that affects hearing, and often balance, together with retinitis pigmentosa in the eyes.

Classical 水 Read as an inborn Kidney essence shortfall: the Kidney opens into the ears and its essence feeds the depths of the eye.

Often with M48 eye acupuncture, Scalp acupuncture, Master Tung's acupuncture

Optic nerve atrophy

Western Loss of fibers in the optic nerve after damage from pressure, poor blood flow, inflammation, compression, injury or genes.

Classical 水 Known in the classics as clear-eye blindness, 青盲, and read as Liver and Kidney depletion, often with blood stasis.

Often with M48 eye acupuncture, Scalp acupuncture, Electro-acupuncture

Western Inflammation of the optic nerve, often with loss of its myelin coating, that dims sight in one eye and hurts on eye movement.

Classical 木 The acute phase reads as Liver and Gallbladder fire or constrained heat; recovery and recurrence turn to Liver and Kidney yin.

Often with M48 eye acupuncture, Scalp acupuncture, Electro-acupuncture

NAION (ischemic optic neuropathy)

Western A sudden loss of blood flow to the front of the optic nerve, often noticed on waking as painless loss of part of the view.

Classical 木 Named sudden blindness, 暴盲, and read as blood stasis in the vessels of the eye on a root of Liver and Kidney depletion.

Often with M48 eye acupuncture, Scalp acupuncture, Electro-acupuncture

Retinal vein and artery occlusion

Western A blocked vein or artery in the retina that cuts off or backs up blood flow and can blur or remove part of the view.

Classical 火 Read as blood stasis blocking the fine vessels of the eye, usually on a background of rising yang, phlegm or weak qi.

Often with M48 eye acupuncture, Herbal medicine, Scalp acupuncture

Western Fluid leaking from the layer under the retina and pooling beneath the macula, often during stress or steroid use.

Classical 土 Called tinted vision, 視瞻有色, and read as stressed Liver qi overacting on a Spleen that no longer moves fluid.

Often with M48 eye acupuncture, Herbal medicine, Acupuncture

Western Fluid building up in the macula, the center of the retina, as a result of another eye or body condition.

Classical 土 Read as the Spleen failing to transform and move fluid, often with the Kidney, heat or blood stasis behind it.

Often with M48 eye acupuncture, Herbal medicine, Scalp acupuncture

Macular pucker (epiretinal membrane)

Western A thin sheet of scar-like tissue on the macula that can wrinkle it, so straight lines look wavy and central sight blurs.

Classical 水 Read as phlegm and blood stasis settling in the Water Wheel, often over Liver blood that no longer nourishes the eye.

Often with M48 eye acupuncture, Scalp acupuncture, Master Tung's acupuncture

Retinal detachment recovery

Western The retina lifts away from the layer that feeds it. It needs urgent surgery, and recovery goes on long after the repair.

Classical 土 Called 視衣脫落, the visual membrane coming loose: center qi that cannot hold, and stasis left behind by the injury.

Often with M48 eye acupuncture, Master Tung's acupuncture, Scalp acupuncture

Floaters and vitreous detachment

Western Shadows from clumps in the vitreous gel. Often harmless, but a sudden shower with flashes needs a same-day eye exam.

Classical 木 Called clouds and mist before the eye, 雲霧移睛, and read as thin Liver blood or turbid damp in the eye's inner water.

Often with M48 eye acupuncture, Scalp acupuncture, Master Tung's acupuncture

Western Thin, fragile patches at the outer edge of the retina. Usually silent, but with a raised risk of tears and detachment.

Classical 水 Read as Liver blood and Kidney essence too thin to nourish the edge of the retina, with Spleen qi that holds tissue weakly.

Often with M48 eye acupuncture, Master Tung's acupuncture, Scalp acupuncture

Western The tear film stops protecting the eye's surface, from too few tears or a poor oil layer that lets them evaporate too fast.

Classical 金 Read as dryness from thin Liver yin or Lung yin, or as damp-heat clogging the lids when the oil glands block.

Often with M48 eye acupuncture, Master Tung's acupuncture, Electro-acupuncture

Western The eye's natural lens slowly clouds, bringing blur, glare and faded color. Surgery replaces it when vision is affected.

Classical 水 Called a round screen inside the eye, 圓翳內障, and read as Liver and Kidney depletion with turbid damp clouding the lens.

Often with M48 eye acupuncture, Scalp acupuncture, Master Tung's acupuncture

Western Inflammation inside the eye, in the iris, the middle layer or the back of the eye, that needs prompt treatment to protect sight.

Classical 木 Called 瞳神緊小, the pupil drawn tight, and read as Liver and Gallbladder fire, wind-heat with damp, or yin-deficient heat.

Often with M48 eye acupuncture, Acupuncture, Master Tung's acupuncture

Myopia (nearsightedness)

Western The eye brings distant light to a focus just in front of the retina, usually because the eyeball has grown slightly too long.

Classical 木 Called 能近怯遠, able to see near but timid at a distance, and read as Liver blood and Kidney essence spent by long near work.

Often with M48 eye acupuncture, Acupressure, Master Tung's acupuncture

Lazy eye (amblyopia)

Western In childhood the brain learns to favor one eye and turns down the signal from the other, so that eye sees less clearly.

Classical 水 Read as the essence and blood that build the eye and brain falling short during growth, often with a weak Spleen behind it.

Often with Scalp acupuncture, M48 eye acupuncture, Acupressure

Western Discomfort or pain from ordinary light, a symptom shared by migraine, dry eye, eye inflammation and concussion.

Classical 木 Read as eyes left unbuffered by thin Liver blood, or stirred up by heat and phlegm in the Liver and Gallbladder.

Often with Acupuncture, Scalp acupuncture, Master Tung's acupuncture

Western Tired, dry, blurry eyes and neck strain from long hours of close screen work, focusing hard and blinking less.

Classical 木 Read as Liver blood spent by hours of looking, with stress constraining Liver qi in the neck and temples.

Often with Acupuncture, Master Tung's acupuncture, M48 eye acupuncture

Pink eye (conjunctivitis)

Western Inflammation of the thin clear layer over the white of the eye, caused by viruses, bacteria or allergy.

Classical 金 Read as wind-heat attacking from outside, Liver fire flaring upward, or damp-heat when discharge is thick and the lids heavy.

Often with Acupuncture, Herbal medicine, Master Tung's acupuncture

Western The cornea's inner pump cells slowly fail, so it holds water and swells, causing blur that is often worst on waking.

Classical 木 The cornea is the Wind Wheel of the Liver; swelling and clouding read as fluid the Spleen and Kidney no longer move.

Often with M48 eye acupuncture, Master Tung's acupuncture, Scalp acupuncture

Western Temporary visual disturbances, such as flickering zigzags or blind spots, from migraine activity in the brain or, rarely, the eye.

Classical 木 Read as Liver yang rising with wind, Liver qi constraint, or blood too thin to nourish the eyes and head.

Often with Acupuncture, Scalp acupuncture, Master Tung's acupuncture

Western The rehabilitation phase after a stroke: one-sided weakness, speech, balance or vision changes, and therapy that has slowed.

Classical 木 Wind-strike, 中風: wind and phlegm block the channels, then qi and blood no longer reach the limbs.

Often with Scalp acupuncture, Electro-acupuncture, Acupuncture

Neuropathy and neurological conditions

Western Damage to the peripheral nerves, usually starting in the feet and hands as numbness, tingling, burning or weakness.

Classical 水 Read as Bi, channels that are blocked, layered over Wei, tissue that has lost its nourishment.

Often with Acupuncture, Electro-acupuncture, Master Tung's acupuncture

Concussion and brain injury

Western A brain injury from a blow or jolt; symptoms can linger for months even when scans look normal.

Classical 水 Read as the sea of marrow shaken, with stagnant blood in the head and a spirit that cannot settle.

Often with Scalp acupuncture, Acupuncture, Electro-acupuncture

Western Sudden weakness of the facial nerve on one side, with a droop, poor eye closure and a smile that pulls to one side.

Classical 木 Read as wind lodging in the channels of the face at a moment when the body's defensive qi is thin.

Often with Acupuncture, Electro-acupuncture, Moxibustion

Speech after stroke (aphasia and dysarthria)

Western Aphasia affects language itself; dysarthria affects the muscles that shape speech. Both often follow a stroke.

Classical 火 The tongue is the sprout of the Heart; wind and phlegm blocking the orifices keep speech from flowing.

Often with Scalp acupuncture, Xing Nao Kai Qiao, Electro-acupuncture

Western A progressive brain condition affecting movement (tremor, stiffness, slowness, balance) and also sleep, mood and digestion.

Classical 木 Read as internal Liver wind, stirred when yin and blood can no longer anchor and nourish the sinews.

Often with Scalp acupuncture, Electro-acupuncture, Master Tung's acupuncture

Memory loss and dementia

Western A decline in memory and thinking that affects daily life; Alzheimer's is the most common cause.

Classical 水 The brain is the sea of marrow; it thins as Kidney essence wanes, and phlegm can mist the orifices of the mind.

Often with Acupuncture, Scalp acupuncture, Herbal medicine

Vertigo and dizziness

Western A false sense of movement, most often from the inner ear, sometimes from the neck, blood pressure or the brain.

Classical 木 Read as yang or wind rising to the head, phlegm clouding it, or blood and essence too thin to nourish it.

Often with Acupuncture, Scalp acupuncture, Master Tung's acupuncture

Western Sound heard with no outside source, often linked with hearing loss, noise exposure, the jaw or the neck.

Classical 水 Read as too much rising to the ears, as fire or phlegm, or too little reaching them from the Kidney or Spleen.

Often with Acupuncture, Herbal medicine, Scalp acupuncture

Western An urge to move the legs with crawling or aching sensations, worse at rest and at night, eased by moving.

Classical 木 Read as Liver blood too thin to nourish the sinews at night, with internal wind that keeps the legs moving.

Often with Master Tung's acupuncture, Acupuncture, Herbal medicine

Digestion and bloating

Western Bloating and indigestion are common gut complaints with many causes, from food and stress to conditions that need a workup.

Classical 土 Read through Earth, the Spleen and Stomach at the center, which turn food into the qi and blood of each day.

Often with Herbal medicine, Acupuncture, Food as medicine

Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS)

Western IBS is recurring belly pain tied to bowel changes, with no visible damage to the gut on testing.

Classical 土 Most often read as the Liver overacting on the Spleen: stress that lands in the gut, on a center that is already tired.

Often with Acupuncture, Herbal medicine, Master Tung's acupuncture

Acid reflux and heartburn

Western Reflux is stomach contents rising into the esophagus, causing heartburn; when it is frequent it is called GERD.

Classical 土 Read as Stomach qi rising when it should descend, most often pushed upward by a constrained Liver or by heat.

Often with Acupuncture, Herbal medicine, Food as medicine

Western Chronic diarrhea is loose or frequent stools lasting more than about four weeks, and it calls for a medical workup.

Classical 土 Called xiè xiè, it is read by pattern: a weak or cold center, damp-heat, stress pressing on the Spleen, or fading Kidney yang.

Often with Herbal medicine, Acupuncture, Moxibustion

Western Constipation is infrequent, hard or difficult bowel movements, often with straining or a sense of not emptying.

Classical 金 Read through the Large Intestine of Metal: heat that dries, qi that stalls, or qi and blood too low to move things along.

Often with Acupuncture, Herbal medicine, Food as medicine

Food sensitivities and gut lining

Western Food reactions range from celiac disease and allergy, which need medical diagnosis, to sensitivities that are harder to test for.

Classical 土 Read as a weak center that cannot transform what it takes in, often with damp, stress and a thin outer defense.

Often with Herbal medicine, Food as medicine, Acupuncture

Weight and insulin resistance

Western Insulin resistance is when cells respond poorly to insulin, so the body makes more of it to keep blood sugar in range.

Classical 土 Read as a center that cannot transform what it takes in, so damp and phlegm collect, often pushed along by stress.

Often with Herbal medicine, Acupuncture, Food as medicine

Western Hypothyroidism is a thyroid that makes too little hormone, most often from Hashimoto's, an autoimmune condition.

Classical 水 Read mostly as yang running low in the Spleen and Kidney, so the body loses warmth and damp and phlegm build up.

Often with Herbal medicine, Acupuncture, Moxibustion

Western Hyperthyroidism is a thyroid that makes too much hormone, most often from Graves' disease, and it needs specialist care.

Classical 火 Read as yin too depleted to hold heat in check, often with constrained Liver qi turning to fire and phlegm at the neck.

Often with Acupuncture, Herbal medicine, Scalp acupuncture

Western A stress response stuck on alert: tight shoulders and jaw, a racing mind, a knotted stomach and broken sleep.

Classical 木 Liver qi constraint: qi stops flowing freely, builds heat and unsettles the Heart, the digestion and sleep.

Often with Acupuncture, Herbal medicine, Cupping

Western Insomnia is ongoing trouble falling or staying asleep, or sleep that leaves you unrested, despite the chance to sleep.

Classical 火 Read as the spirit failing to settle in the Heart at night, from depletion, heat or a Liver that will not let go.

Often with Acupuncture, Herbal medicine, Scalp acupuncture

Low mood and depression

Western Depression is a lasting low mood or loss of interest, often with changes in sleep, appetite, energy and focus.

Classical 木 Read through constraint and depletion: qi that has stopped moving, and a Heart and Spleen worn too thin to lift the spirit.

Often with Acupuncture, Herbal medicine, Scalp acupuncture

Fertility support

Western Trouble conceiving after a year of trying (six months over 35), with or without a cause found on testing.

Classical 水 Read through Kidney essence, Tian Gui and the Chong and Ren vessels, and the patterns that block or drain them.

Often with Acupuncture, Herbal medicine, Master Tung's acupuncture

Western A common hormonal condition with infrequent ovulation, higher androgens and often insulin resistance.

Classical 土 Usually read as phlegm-damp blocking the Chong and Ren, on a root of weak Kidney yang or a struggling Spleen.

Often with Acupuncture, Herbal medicine, Food as medicine

Western Tissue similar to the uterine lining grows outside the uterus, driving inflammation, cyclic pain and sometimes infertility.

Classical 木 Blood stasis in the lower abdomen, held in place by cold, constrained Liver qi or a depleted Kidney.

Often with Acupuncture, Herbal medicine, Moxibustion

Irregular or missing periods

Western Cycles that vary widely, come rarely or stop, often because ovulation is not happening regularly.

Classical 水 The Sea of Blood fills too slowly or is blocked: Kidney essence, blood, stagnation or cold in the uterus.

Often with Acupuncture, Herbal medicine, Moxibustion

Western Cramping pain with the period, either on its own or caused by a condition such as endometriosis or adenomyosis.

Classical 木 Where there is pain there is no free flow: stasis, cold, constraint, or too little blood to keep things moving.

Often with Acupuncture, Moxibustion, Herbal medicine

Western Bleeding heavy or long enough to disrupt daily life, often from fibroids, polyps, hormonal shifts or a bleeding disorder.

Classical 土 Blood that is not held: Spleen qi too weak to contain it, heat pushing it out, or stasis blocking its proper path.

Often with Acupuncture, Herbal medicine, Moxibustion

Western Physical and mood symptoms in the luteal phase that lift once bleeding starts; PMDD is the severe, mood-led form.

Classical 木 Liver qi that cannot flow as the cycle builds toward the bleed, often on a base of thin blood or rising heat.

Often with Acupuncture, Herbal medicine, Scalp acupuncture

Perimenopause and menopause

Western The transition as ovarian hormones fall, with irregular cycles, hot flashes, sleep and mood changes, ending in the last period.

Classical 水 Tian Gui winding down as Kidney yin and yang decline, so the Heart and Kidney lose their balance.

Often with Acupuncture, Herbal medicine, Scalp acupuncture

Western The physical and emotional recovery after birth: bleeding, tissue repair, sleep loss, feeding, hormonal shifts and mood.

Classical 土 Birth spends a great deal of qi and blood; recovery means rebuilding them and moving anything left behind.

Often with Acupuncture, Herbal medicine, Moxibustion

Recurrent pregnancy loss

Western Two or more pregnancy losses; testing may find a cause, but often it does not, which is hard in its own way.

Classical 水 Read as the Kidney and the Chong and Ren struggling to hold, from too little support or from heat.

Often with Acupuncture, Herbal medicine, Food as medicine

Low AMH and ovarian reserve

Western Fewer remaining eggs than expected for age, usually found through a low AMH, a high FSH or a low follicle count.

Classical 水 Kidney essence running low, with yin, yang or both depleted, and blood often too thin to nourish the uterus.

Often with Acupuncture, Herbal medicine, Moxibustion

Western Assisted reproduction, where eggs are stimulated, retrieved and fertilized in the lab, and an embryo is transferred to the uterus.

Classical 水 Each IVF phase asks something different of the body: building, then moving, then holding still.

Often with Acupuncture, Electro-acupuncture, Herbal medicine

Uterine fibroids

Western Non-cancerous growths of the uterine muscle, common in the reproductive years, often silent and sometimes causing heavy bleeding.

Classical 木 A fixed mass, 癥瘕, where qi and blood have stagnated over time, often with phlegm-damp or a weak Spleen.

Often with Herbal medicine, Acupuncture, Food as medicine

Hormone imbalance

Western A broad term for symptoms linked to shifts in estrogen, progesterone, thyroid or stress hormones, rather than one diagnosis.

Classical 木 The Liver, Spleen and Kidney falling out of rhythm, so heat, stagnation or depletion shows up through the cycle.

Often with Herbal medicine, Acupuncture, Functional medicine

Late pregnancy and labor preparation

Western Late pregnancy, from about 36 weeks, when the cervix prepares for labor and the baby settles into position.

Classical 水 Qi and blood gathering to fullness and then descending; delay is read as stagnation, depletion or tension.

Often with Acupuncture, Acupressure, Moxibustion

Western Low libido is a lasting drop in sexual desire, with causes that range from hormones and medication to stress and health.

Classical 水 Read through the fire of the Kidney, the free flow of Liver qi, and a Heart and Spleen that have enough blood to spare.

Often with Acupuncture, Herbal medicine, Moxibustion

Western Male factor infertility is a problem with sperm count, movement or shape that lowers the chance of conception.

Classical 水 Read through the Kidney, which stores the essence behind reproduction, with heat, damp or stress often layered on top.

Often with Herbal medicine, Acupuncture, Electro-acupuncture

Seasonal allergies

Western Allergic rhinitis is the immune system reacting to pollen, dust or dander as if each one were a threat.

Classical 金 Read as a surface defense that opens too easily, with the Lung, Spleen and Kidney sitting beneath it.

Often with Acupuncture, Herbal medicine, Moxibustion

Western Asthma is long-term airway inflammation that makes the airways narrow, swell and fill with mucus on a trigger.

Classical 金 Read as phlegm lodged in the Lung, stirred up by a trigger, over a root of Lung, Spleen or Kidney deficiency.

Often with Acupuncture, Herbal medicine, Moxibustion

Sinus congestion and sinusitis

Western Sinusitis is inflammation of the sinus linings, so mucus stops draining and pressure builds behind the face.

Classical 金 Read as heat or damp in the nose, fed by the Lung, the Gallbladder or the Spleen, depending on the discharge.

Often with Acupuncture, Herbal medicine, Gua sha

Lingering cough and chest infections

Western A post-infectious cough can linger for weeks after a chest infection, as irritated airways settle down.

Classical 金 Read as residue the illness left behind: phlegm-heat, lingering wind, or a Lung drained of yin and qi.

Often with Herbal medicine, Acupuncture, Cupping

Western Acne forms when oil and skin cells block a follicle and bacteria and inflammation take hold inside it.

Classical 土 Read as heat rising to the face, from the Lung, the Stomach and intestines, the cycle, or phlegm and stasis.

Often with Herbal medicine, Acupuncture, Food as medicine

Western Hives are itchy, raised welts that appear when histamine makes small vessels in the skin leak fluid.

Classical 金 Read as wind in the skin, carrying heat, cold or damp, or finding a way in where qi and blood are thin.

Often with Herbal medicine, Acupuncture, Food as medicine

Eczema and dermatitis

Western Eczema is a weakened skin barrier with an overactive immune response, causing dry, itchy, inflamed patches.

Classical 土 Read as damp and heat in the skin when it weeps, and as blood too dry to nourish it when it cracks.

Often with Herbal medicine, Acupuncture, Food as medicine

Western Psoriasis is an immune condition that speeds up skin cell turnover, forming thick, red, scaly plaques.

Classical 火 Read through the blood: heat when plaques are new and red, dryness when they flake, stasis when they thicken.

Often with Herbal medicine, Acupuncture, Food as medicine

Western Rosacea is a long-term condition of facial redness and flushing, sometimes with bumps, visible vessels or sore eyes.

Classical 火 Read as Lung and Stomach heat rising to the center of the face, turning to heat toxin and later to stasis.

Often with Herbal medicine, Acupuncture, Food as medicine

Autoimmune conditions

Western The immune system targets the body's own tissue, causing inflammation that tends to flare and settle over time.

Classical 水 Often read as a yin-deficient root with heat, toxin or stasis on top, treated differently in a flare and in a quiet phase.

Often with Herbal medicine, Acupuncture, Food as medicine

Western An immune response that stays switched on at a low level instead of resolving, linked to many long-term conditions.

Classical 火 Read through heat, dampness and stasis, three different pictures that call for three different kinds of formula.

Often with Herbal medicine, Acupuncture, Food as medicine

Support during cancer care

Western Supportive care for treatment side effects such as nausea, fatigue and neuropathy, given alongside oncology care.

Classical 土 Treatment is read as a heavy drain on the center and on qi, blood and yin, and support follows what has been spent.

Often with Acupuncture, Acupressure, Herbal medicine

Long COVID and post-viral fatigue

Western Long COVID is a set of symptoms, often fatigue, brain fog and breathlessness, that persist long after the infection.

Classical 金 Read as lingering heat or damp the illness left behind, layered over depleted qi and yin.

Often with Acupuncture, Herbal medicine, Food as medicine

Fatigue and burnout

Western Persistent tiredness that rest does not restore, with many possible medical, sleep, mood and work-stress causes.

Classical 土 Read as reserves spent faster than they are made: a weak center, constrained Liver qi or waning Kidney yang.

Often with Acupuncture, Herbal medicine, Moxibustion

Western Blood pushing too hard against the artery walls over time, usually without symptoms, and managed with lifestyle and medication.

Classical 木 Usually read as yang rising to the head, phlegm-damp clogging the center or yin too thin to hold yang down.

Often with Acupuncture, Herbal medicine, Master Tung's acupuncture

Western Pressure low enough to cause lightheadedness, fatigue or fainting, often worse on standing, with many possible causes.

Classical 土 Usually read as qi too weak to lift blood to the head, often with thin blood, fluids or a cold, tired yang.

Often with Acupuncture, Herbal medicine, Moxibustion

Heart palpitations

Western An uncomfortable awareness of the heartbeat, racing, pounding or skipping, from many causes, most of them harmless.

Classical 火 Read as a shen that is poorly anchored: Heart blood too thin, a timid Heart and Gallbladder, or yin too low to hold heat.

Often with Acupuncture, Herbal medicine, Scalp acupuncture

Recurrent urinary tract infections

Western Recurrent UTI means repeated bladder infections, usually defined as two in six months or three in a year.

Classical 水 Called lìn zhèng: damp-heat in the Bladder during a flare, on a base of Spleen and Kidney too weak to move fluids well.

Often with Herbal medicine, Acupuncture, Moxibustion