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You Felt WHAT in my Pulse? Pulse &
Tongue, Sinus Infections & Antibiotics, Pregnancy
& Phlegm - Part III
by Brian Benjamin Carter |
This is Part III of the Q&A (see part
I for the question) - Here is the list of all three parts:
- How we use the Pulse and Tongue
for diagnosis
- Antibiotics and Sinus Infections
- Phlegm and Pregnancy
Phlegm, Anyone?
Finally, "flem." I'm sure she meant "Phlegm." I'm not sure what
people think of when they hear this word- I think of an old smoker
coughing some up. And that is one kind of phlegm. But there are
others- CM has a broader idea of phlegm... from the coughing-up
kind (and the kind that's too dry to cough up) to 'phlegm' misting
the sensory orifices, a severe state of mental cloudiness that
can result in seizures and coma. But relax, she's not talking
about that. Phlegm as it relates to sinuses is a condensed form
of dampness. Dampness is any kind of fluid build-up that is not
healthy... whether it's edema, pus, or nasal mucus. I know, it's
gross... but we get used to it. We medical professionals can talk
about phlegm over dinner... no problem!
But how in the world could phlegm and pregnancy be related?
It's possible that she was saying that your pulses showed you
were either pregnant, or had lots of phlegm. She was probably
feeling that "slippery" quality. It's possible that the dampness
or phlegm could be in the Lung-system (of which the sinuses are
a part). In that case, you would have some extra mucus... the
color of the mucus would depend on whether there is heat (often
an infection) or not... and so would whether or not you could
get the mucus out, and how much came out. Sometimes there is so
much heat that the dampness or phlegm gets burned up... then what
little would come out would be yellow (green if there is a severe
infection).
Of course, no one's health is simple, as I said above.
It's hard for me to say from a distance with little information.
It's also hard for a practitioner to be sure of their diagnosis
without spending a good hour or two examining the symptoms and
signs. Once they get on track with your diagnosis and find herbs
that fit your patterns, you'll begin to see progress. If you feel
confident with that practitioner (you may want to ask her about
her education, etc. - see this link
for ideas about what to ask), then trying her out for 4-8
treatments would be the way to get started.
Hope that helps! B
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