FORGETFULNESS and Chinese Medicine

Everybody knows at least one ‘absentminded professor’, a friend or relative who is so absorbed in his or her own world that everything else is secondary. This can be simply a character trait that has always been present. With others, on can detect a deterioration of this forgetfulness, an inability to concentrate. In some cases, this may develop into an increasing difficulty to remember things and events.

In Chinese medicine (CM), the exact nature of the forgetfulness will give the necessary indicators as to which CM pathology is mainly involved. Is it mostly short-term or long-term memory loss? Are there frequent memory lapses? Has there been a shock/ trauma that triggered the forgetfulness? Is there a feeling of a foggy head or a sensation of a veil surrounding oneself from the surroundings? All this will of course be analysed in the context of the general state of the body. Typical questions would be: Is there insomnia, excessive worry/ stress, are there heart palpitations and so on. Depending on the symptomatology, the focus will be on tonification of the respective deficiency found or of moving of Qi (Energy), Blood and potential blockages.