Diagnosis from a Naturopath

If we start off with the premise that health is not just the absence of disease, rather an abundance of vitality then strictly speaking – are any of us in optimum health? And whilst most of my patients come to see me with an already established diagnosis there are others who, whilst not unwell enough to see a GP, just “don’t feel right.”

How then do we determine a cause not to mention a treatment plan? What detective work can a naturopath use to gain some insight into the possible reasons for this malaise?

Taking a case history is one obvious and important way of attempting to identify an underlying issue, however in addition there are clever pointers to be found in the nails, face, eyes and tongue that may collectively hint towards a body system to look at in more detail.

Tongue

When we look at the tongue we are taking into account the size, texture, colour, coating, shape and ‘mapping’ – organs of the body being represented on specific parts of the tongue. For example:

• Bright red indicates inflammation, infection and general heat in the body
• Pale pink denotes coldness or a deficiency of vital force
• Purplish indicates poor circulation, stagnation and general congestion
• A smooth sore tongue can point to a deficiency of iron, niacin, riboflavin, B12 or B6
• A tongue that deviates may indicate paralysis of the 12th cranial nerve
• A shallow midline crack in the tongue stopping before the tip indicates some kind of stomach deficiency.

Eyes

In iridology we study the iris (or coloured) part of the eye which can reveal different aspects to the health of a person. The basic colour not only relates to our core constitution and a susceptibility to certain ailments, and within the iris itself we look at the structure of the fibres, openings in those fibres, contraction and furrow lines, areas of cloudiness and hyperacidity and a whole wealth of other information requiring closer inspection.

On a very basic level the core constitutions are:

Lymphatic – these eyes are blue and people with blue eyes have a tendency for hyper-responsive complaints: hyper-acidity, inflammations, allergies, irritable bowel, arthritis, ear, nose and throat complaints. Foods to avoid for lymphatic types include mucus forming foods like dairy and refined carbohydrates such as white flour products and processed foods, as these affect the pH of your tissues and break down to form acidic wastes which are often implicated in inflammatory conditions. Lymphatic people mostly benefit from dry skin brushing, yoga and regular detoxification.

Hematogenic constitution – these eyes are pure brown and people with them have a tendency for blood related disorders (circulatory), anxiety, stones and diabetes. However, unlike the reactive lymphatic types, the hematogenic has a slow and gradual build up to disease and has therefore the tendency to only find problems in later life thereby potentially missing early warning signs. Foods to avoid here are sugar and saturated fats with an emphasis on choosing circulatory stimulants like cayenne, ginger and garlic and exercises that strengthen the heart – all cardiovascular work is indicated here; dancing, swimming, jogging etc.

Mixed biliary – these eyes have mixed colour (green/hazel) and people with them may have problems associated with a sluggish digestion, there may be a reduced supply of digestive enzymes from the liver, gallbladder and pancreas leading to bloating, belching, constipation and candida. The avoidance of dairy and saturated fats is again recommended for this type; juicing is good so as not to overload the system whilst still intaking high quality nutrition and eating smaller more frequent meals. Supportive exercises here might be certain yoga postures which can aid or “massage” digestive organs and gentle walking after meals.

Nails

Our nails can point to certain imbalances also and are often used in conjunction with tongue and eye analysis:

• Vertical ridging – often indicates poor absorption of Vitamins A, B and C as well as possible calcium, magnesium, zinc and EFA’s.
• Pale – when hands are outstretched our nails go white and once relaxed usually change back to pink; if they stay white, this may suggest anaemia.
• Brittle – B12 deficiency, silica, calcium, iron deficiencies; associated with hypothyroidism
• White spots – Zinc or Vitamin A deficiency
• Spoon-shaped nails (concave and brittle) – severe iron or zinc deficiency.

Face

The correlation between face and body organs have been used in China for routine diagnostics for thousands of years:

• One deep line on the forehead – small intestine issues, problems with digesting and assimilating nutrients
• Dry, red forehead – bladder weakness, urinary infections etc
• Vertical line between the eyebrows – stomach deficiency
• Two vertical lines (either side of the stomach line) on the forehead – liver problems and suppressed anger
• Cracks around the mouth – possible B and Iron deficiency
• Blue-black shadows under eyes/bags – kidney and adrenal exhaustion.

There are many other indicators of certain imbalances and they are only pointers which, when taken together and within the context of a consultation may enable a naturopath to refer for blood testing or to recommend supplementation, changes in diet and herbal protocols. These would benefit your specific constitution to not just prevent a condition from worsening or even taking hold in the first place, though to optimise feelings of wellness, radiance and positive good health.

For consultations please contact on Melanie on 07840 202930 or [email protected]