If abdominal pain improves after bowel movements it is said to be substantial in nature and
usually due to either Blood stasis or retention of food. Both of these are Full types of abdominal
pain.
Abdominal pain which is not influenced by bowel movements is also of the Full type but is
non-substantial in nature and it may be due to Dampness, stagnation of Qi or Cold.
Abdominal pain which gets worse after bowel movements indicates an Empty condition.
Reaction to Activity/Rest
Abdominal pain which improves with slight exercise is due to Qi stagnation. If it improves with
rest it is due to a Deficiency.
Reaction to Heat
If an abdominal pain improves with the application of heat, such as a hot-water bottle, this
indicates that it is due to Cold in the Intestines. Unfortunately, this is not a completely reliable
diagnostic sign because several other conditions are improved by the application of heat.
Stagnation of Qi, stasis of Blood, and retention of food, for example, may all improve with the
application of heat, as this has a moving effect on Qi and Blood.
Tongue Signs
The condition of the Intestines is reflected in the root of the tongue and specifically in the
coating of the root.
A thick coating indicates the presence of a pathogenic factor which may be Cold, Damp-Heat or
retention of food. Obviously a white coating indicates Cold while a yellow or brown one
indicates Heat. A grey or black coating indicates either Cold or Heat depending on whether it is
wet or dry.
A sticky-yellow coating with red spots on the root indicates Damp-Heat and some stasis of
Blood in the Intestines; the more red spots there are, the greater the Heat and stasis of Blood. If
the colour of the coating on the root is not bright but dull and lifeless, it indicates that the
condition is very long-standing.
The complete or, more usually, partial absence of coating in patches on the root of the tongue
indicates deficiency of Qi and Yin of the Stomach and Intestines.
Stagnation of Qi in the Intestines does not show on the tongue, whilst stasis of Blood manifests