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Dr. Marlene Siegel 813-973-2929 www.pascovet.com Dis-ease then is a condi on that occurs when 1 element becomes out of balance, affec ng the other elements and throwing them out of balance. In classical 5 element Chinese medicine, each individual is born with a causa ve factor, 1 element that is out of balance and throwing all the others out of balance. Once iden fied, the goal is to rebalance that element, thereby crea ng balance and health. There are many diagnos c tools in TCM used to iden fy which element is out of balance. Some tools include: 1. The circadian clock. Each organ has a specific me that it works op mally. Knowing what me of day/ night symptoms occur may lead to clues regarding which organ system is out of balance. 2. The sounds the pet makes (such as whining, growling, happy barking, angry barking or groaning when ge ng up or down) are related to specific organs. 3. The emo on/behavior displayed (fear, anger, joy, sympathy or grief) relate to specific organs. 4. The climate and substrates the pet prefers (hot, cold, dry, wet or windy) provides further clues to the causa ve factor. 5. The season when dis-ease is most evident (early summer, late summer, fall, winter, spring) is another clue. 6. The smell from the pet (scorched, sickly sweet, ro en, putrid, rancid) has a relevance. 7. The coat condi on (dry, itchy, oily…) is more evidence of the imbalance. 8. The tongue provides addi onal informa on about the body's well-being in conjunc on with a physical exam. A healthy tongue is normally pink (except for Chow Chow's and other black-tongued breeds), has no coa ng and no lumps, bumps or growths. Tongue colors provide informa on: • A pale or white tongue indicates a weakened body condi on. Causes include anemia (reduced red blood cells), leukemia (abnormal blood cells), blood pressure problems, loss of blood, edema (fluid reten on), generalized weakness, gastric system malfunc on/GI issues, lung weakness, malnutri on, and lethargy. • A deep red tongue indicates hyperac vity of one of the organ systems. This may involve a bacterial or viral infec on, fever, gall bladder or kidney stagna on, hyperthyroidism, diabetes, cancer, or an accumula on of toxins somewhere in the body. • A bluish or purple- nged tongue can suggest pain or conges on somewhere in the body and may point to a problem with the vascular system, heart disease, circulatory problems, respiratory problems, liver disease, toxin overload, organ stress, hepa s (liver inflamma on), or autoimmune issues (the body a acking itself). • A yellow-orange tongue may indicate gastri s and gall bladder or liver malfunc on. Tongue coa ngs provide informa on: • Thick or pasty is a sign of imbalance in the diges ve system (commonly seen in pets ea ng processed diets that lack the bioavailable nutrients and enzymes required for healthy GI func on). Each organ is represented in a specific area of the tongue too. A change in a specific sec on may give clues as to the organ of imbalance. Though our fur kids do not "speak" in our language, they most definitely provide all the clues we need to not only "see" what is out of balance, but they also reflect what we need to "see" with our own health, but this is another whole discussion! I believe nothing happens by accident, therefore the pet(s) you have, the condi on(s) they exhibit, the challenges they present and the choices you are driven to make because of them all have a significance. Be open to discovering the deeper gi s and blessings each fur child brings. Abby's Magazine - Volume 4 Issue 2 | Page 19