CARB-TCMPA TCM Practitioner flashcards

32 cards. Read the term and the definition here. The deck at the top of this page is optional.

Four examinations

Inspection, listening and smelling, inquiry, and palpation. These four diagnostic methods are performed in sequence and their findings are integrated to form the pattern diagnosis.

Eight principles

Yin and yang, interior and exterior, cold and heat, deficiency and excess. They locate a pattern and characterize its nature, guiding the treatment principle.

De qi

The arrival of qi at a needle, felt as ache, distension, or heaviness. It is a clinical endpoint indicating effective stimulation, not a complication.

Needle shock

Fainting during acupuncture, with pallor, sweating, and dizziness. Stop needling, remove needles, lie the patient supine, monitor, and call emergency services if recovery is not prompt.

Pneumothorax risk

Deep needling over the lung fields, especially the posterior thorax, can puncture the lung. Sudden chest pain and breathlessness after needling require urgent medical referral.

Tongue regions

Tip reflects Heart and Lung, center reflects Spleen and Stomach, sides reflect Liver and Gallbladder, and root reflects Kidney and Intestines.

Greasy tongue coating

A thick, greasy coating suggests dampness or phlegm, often with heat if yellow. It indicates the pathogen is substantial and the Spleen transformation is impaired.

Wiry pulse

A pulse that feels straight and taut, like a guitar string. It commonly indicates Liver qi stagnation or gallbladder disharmony and may accompany pain or stress.

Slippery pulse

A pulse that feels smooth and rounded, slipping under the fingers. It suggests phlegm, dampness, or retained food, and is also described in pregnancy.

Floating pulse

A pulse felt with light pressure that weakens with heavy pressure. It indicates an exterior pattern, such as wind-cold or wind-heat invasion.

Five-shu points

Jing-well, ying-spring, shu-stream, jing-river, and he-sea points on each channel. Classical rules assign them by symptom, such as he-sea for counterflow qi and diarrhea.

Front-mu points

Points on the chest and abdomen that reflect the corresponding organ. They are used particularly for acute organ disorders and for diagnosis by tenderness.

Back-shu points

Points on the back lateral to the spine that correspond to the organs. They are used to tonify or regulate the associated organ, especially in chronic patterns.

Yuan-source points

Points that reinforce the primary qi of their organ. They are used to tonify deficiency and to support the underlying pattern in treatment.

Luo-connecting points

Points that link a channel to its interior-exterior partner. They treat disorders of the paired channel and are used when the pattern involves both organs.

Pregnancy needling cautions

Points such as LI4, SP6, GB21, and sacral or lower abdominal points are avoided or used with minimal stimulation because strong stimulation may affect pregnancy.

Moxibustion contraindications

Moxibustion is avoided in excess heat patterns, over areas of impaired sensation, and over the abdomen or lumbosacral region during pregnancy.

Cupping precautions

Cupping is avoided over broken skin and in bleeding disorders or anticoagulant use. Monitor for blistering and avoid bony prominences.

Electroacupuncture cautions

Electroacupuncture is avoided in patients with pacemakers and over the chest in cardiac disease. It is used for pain and neurological conditions.

Chief herb

The herb in a formula that addresses the main pattern and provides the principal therapeutic effect. It anchors the formula's direction.

Deputy herb

The herb that supports the chief herb's action or addresses a secondary aspect of the pattern. It reinforces the main therapeutic direction.

Assistant herb

The herb that addresses secondary symptoms, moderates the chief herb's harshness, or counteracts toxicity within the formula.

Envoy herb

The herb that harmonizes the formula or directs its action to a particular channel or region. It coordinates the other ingredients.

Decoction technique

Aromatic herbs are added near the end, minerals and shells are decocted first, and some herbs require separate decoction or dissolving before administration.

Toxic herb handling

Herbs such as aconite require strict dosing, correct processing, and monitoring. They are restricted in many jurisdictions and are never dispensed casually.

Herb-drug interaction check

Review anticoagulants, antihypertensives, and immunosuppressants before adding herbs. Ask about all supplements and medications at every visit.

Informed consent elements

Explain the nature of acupuncture and herbal treatment, expected sensations, common adverse effects, alternatives, and the right to refuse.

Red-flag referral

Chest pain, sudden neurological deficit, uncontrolled bleeding, or suspected fracture requires immediate medical referral rather than TCM treatment alone.

Record retention

Records must be legible, dated, signed, stored securely, and kept for the period set by the local regulator. Verify the local requirement.

Sharps disposal

Used needles go directly into a sharps container without recapping. Containers are replaced when full and disposed of per local regulations.

Root and branch

The root is the underlying cause or pattern; the branch is the presenting symptom. Chronic deficiency favors treating the root, acute excess favors the branch.

Same disease, different patterns

One biomedical disease can present as different TCM patterns, and one pattern can arise from different diseases. Treatment follows the pattern, not the disease label.