Do You, or Someone You Know, Suffer From These Symptoms?
- excessive emotional reactions
- prone to outburst of anger
- manic/ hypomanic behaviors
- aggravation from alcohol, fried, or spicy foods
- aggravation of symptoms from hot weather
- fever
- pain, soreness, swelling with a sensation of heat or burning
- sores or infections with green or yellow pus (toxic heat)
- yellow, green, foul smelling discharge (toxic heat)
- extreme thirst with a craving for cold foods or drinks
- red eyes, ears, nose, lips, face, skin
- feeling of heat in the limbs, abdomen, chest, head, genitals
The signs and symptoms above indicate an energetic diagnosis of Excess Heat. Chinese medicine always considers how opposing and complementary forms of Qi relate to each other. For example, how Heat and Cold, Dryness and Moisture, etc. balance each other. From this interdependent balance between opposing and complementary forms of Qi, the excess or deficiency of one will affect the other. The balance between Heat and Cold is one of the most important and delicate balances in the body. One’s body cannot be in excessive Heat mode without eventually having negative repercussions on one’s “cooling system.” One cannot experience excessive emotional reactions (Excess Heat) while remaining level/cool-headed.
People who suffer from emotional problems for long periods of time often show signs of Excess Heat. Think of the pressure cooker which has been heating up for too long without releasing its internal pressure. Not a good thing for the person suffering from it, or the people close to him/her! The tongue can provide important information to confirm a diagnosis of Excess Heat. When the tongue is deep red and dry, when the tip is redder than the rest of the tongue, there is Full Heat in the body. As for the tongue coating, when it is yellow or of a dark color Excess Heat is definitely present.