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Diagnosed Cold but Always Warm

By Archived User | Updated: Mar 7, 2025 | Published: Mar 6, 2025

I've been reading about TCM methods of healing for about a year, and recently had my first appointment with a licensed practitioner. Background: Where I live is currently very cold, nearing the end of winter, yet I am often very warm. Some nights I want to put my feet into an ice bath (but don't) because the heat in my feet especially keeps me awake. I also have trouble getting down warm or neutral temp liquids but crave ice water. The practitioner I recently saw asked me about my body temperature and I explained the above; she said my tongue shows "cold." She didn't specify any dampness, wind, etc. She told me to keep my feet covered and to drink warm water. I'm struggling to understand how I always feel hot and crave cold drinks, yet I have cold patterns, as I assume it's called. When I asked the practitioner, she repeated that my pale tongue shows "cold." Any clarification or info is much appreciated.

Archived Comments

Comment by Chad J. Dupuis, L.Ac.

Over the course of a few treatments your practitioner should get a more definitive idea of what is happening and can hopefully explain more directly what their conclusions are.  There are complicated/layered diagnoses in TCM that are oftne talked about like unravelling an onion.  So they are potentially seeming some cold/weakness, but your symptoms sounds potentially closest to Kidney Yin Deficiency (i.e. "empty-heat", or "wired and tired") - see "My Kidneys are What?" for a general idea of the patterns.  

Generally the longer or deeper a pattern goes the more that can layer around it.  So long-term kidney yin deficiency (wired and tired), for example, can start looking more and more like true deficiency, but treating it purely as a pure deficiency (i.e. warming/tonifying the body) can make it worse or at least not resolve it.  This is where your whole medical history, current and past issues, and other aspects of diagnosis, including the tongue and pulse, are important in coming to an initial treatment plan.  After a few treatments in most moderate to complicated cases this often gets fine-tuned after the practitioner watches your response to their approache(s).

 

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