Six Channels Flashcards
What are the 6 Channels? List them from exterior to interior.
1) Tai Yang
2) Yang Ming
3) Shao Yang
4) Tai Yin
5) Shao Yin
6) Jue Yin
What is the primary treatment principle for pathology in the 3 yang channels?
Primary TX = Expel the evil.
But if evil is half in / half out, TX = Harmonize.
What is the primary treatment principle for pathology in the 3 yin channels?
Primary TX = Support the right.
But exact treatment depends where evil resides.
Which of the 6 Channels governs the exterior of the body?
Tai Yang
Which of the 6 Channels controls the Construction/Ying and Defense/Wei?
Tai Yang – Construction circulates in the vessels, and Defense circulates outside the vessels.
Which of the 6 Channels has Bowel Disease patterns?
- Tai Yang & Yang Ming have both Channel Disease & Bowel Disease patterns.
- Tai Yin has Bowel Disease pattern only.
What are the essential features of Tai Yang disease?
- Floating pulse
- Fever / Heat effusion (struggle bw evil & right qi)
- Headache
- Stiffness & pain of head & neck (UB channel pathway)
Also maybe: runny nose, sneezing
What are the the Tai Yang patterns?
Tai Yang Channel Disease:
1) Cold Damage = Exterior Repletion Cold, or W-C Repletion
2) Wind Strike = Exterior Vacuity Cold, or W-C Vacuity
Tai Yang Bowel Disease:
1) Water Amassment
2) Blood Amassment
What are the main signs & sx of Cold Damage (aka W-C Repletion)? What is the treatment principle?
Wei Qi cannot defend the exterior; evil qi impedes construction qi leading to blockage of interstices:
1) No sweat
2) Aversion to cold
3) Pain more on superficial body level
4) Pulse: floating & tight
TX: Promote sweat, Release the exterior, Diffuse the lung, Calm Wheezing
Formula: Ma Huang Tang
What are the main signs & sx of Wind Strike (aka W-C Vacuity)? What is the treatment principle?
Construction-Defence disharmony means interstices are unsound:
1) Slight sweat
2) Aversion to wind
3) Exhausted muscle-y ache (deeper than skin level)
4) Pulse: floating & moderate
TX: Harmonize Ying & Wei, Resolve the flesh, Expel the wind
Formula: Gui Zhi Tang
How does a Tai Yang Channel pattern transmute into the Tai Yang Bowel pattern called Water Amassment? What is the hallmark sign of Water Amassment?
- If Tai Yang exterior pattern is not resolved, evil qi can follow the channel and move into the interior, influence the UB organ.
- If SP has been impaired, or this is a chronic situation, and UB is impaired bc of transmission from channel to bowel, this may cause internal collection of water qi, and inhibited urination.
- Inhibited urination is a hallmark of Water Amassment.
What are the main signs & sx of Water Amassment? What is the treatment principle?
Water Amassment is concurrent with exterior pattern:
1) Floating pulse
2) Fever/chills
3) Aversion to wind or cold
4) Inhibited urination (retention of urine)**
5) Heart vexation
6) Thirst
7) Lower abdominal distention
8) May Have bitter taste in mouth
9) Severe cases: there is thirst with desire for water but if one drinks, there will be vomiting
TX: Promote urination, Transform water qi, Resolve exterior
What are the main signs & sx of Blood Amassment What is the treatment principle?
1) Pulse: deep, choppy
2) Mental restlessness
3) “Manic” behavior / Heart vexation (bc static blood & heat from lack of movement bind int he lower burner and invades upward, which harasses the spirit)
4) Lower abdominal distention; may have blood in urine
TX: Purge accumulation (through stool)
What is another way to think about Blood Amassment?
- Blood Amassment is a way to describe how cold could cause blood stasis.
- So even though Blood Amassment is relatively “exterior” bc it’s a Tai Yang problem in relation to all Yin patterns, it’s not an exterior pattern.
What is the pathomechanism that leads to Yang Ming disease?
Yang Ming disease may be caused by:
- damage to fluids from incorrect treatment
- lack of treatment of a Tai Yang or Shao Yang pattern, which permits heat evil to go internally
- or, constitutional heat with additional exterior pathogen that goes interiorly
What are the main signs & sx of Yang Ming Channel pattern? What is the treatment principle?
Yang Ming Channel pattern is evil heat throughout the body, so signs & sx are the "4 Bigs": 1) Big thirst 2) Big fever 3) Big sweat 4) Big pulse (forceful, flooding, rapid) TX: Clear heat, Drain fire
**Note: Someone could also have Yang Ming constitution. Doesn’t have to be an illness. They’re thirsty & hungry all the time.
What are 4 types of abdominal disharmony associated with Yang Ming Bowel pattern? What is the treatment principle?
1) Distention
2) Fullness
3) Dryness
4) Hardness
- Generally feeling of great heat.
- Eventually, if Yang Ming Bowel heat hangs out for awhile, it may cloud the shen and present as prickles on tongue.
Why is Shao Yang considered a “midstage pattern”?
- Tai Yang can pass to both Yang Ming & Shao Yang.
- Shao Yang can resolve outward through constant, mild sweating.
- Shao Yang can pass to Yang Ming to form an interior pattern.
- Shao Yang can pass to Yin channels, giving rise to vacuity patterns.
- Shao Yang could occur in combination with Tai Yang or Yang Ming.
What are the main signs & sx of Shao Yang Channel pattern? What is the treatment principle?
Struggle between evil & right qi is between the exterior & interior:
1) Alternating F&C
2) Bitter taste in mouth
3) Hypochondriac pain, distention, or discomfort
4) Irritable
5) No appetite
6) Dizzy (could be one-sided, in GB or SJ channel)
7) Dryness in mouth
8) Pulse: wiry, string-like
TX: Harmonize the Shao Yang - Push out evil & clear interior, Regulate qi dynamic, Support right & Dispel evil
How is Tai Yin disease the beginning stage of the later period of externally contracted disease?
- Tai Yin governs opening to outside.
- With Tai Yin disease, Right Qi becomes debilitated, and the body’s ability to fight disease is decreasing.
- Note: If properly treated, the strength of this disease is not dangerous, since Tai Yin stage is the most superficial of the Yin stages.
T or F: Tai Yin Disease is ONLY an Organ/Bowel pattern.
True
What do Tai Yin patterns & Yang Ming patterns have in common? How are they different?
- Both Yang Ming patterns & Tai Yin patterns of disease are digestive in nature.
- However, Yang Ming = Replete patterns. While Tai Yin = Vacuous patterns.
What is another name for Tai Yin Disease? What organ is primarily affected?
- Tai Yin Disease = Tai Yin Vacuity Cold.
- Spleen Yang is damaged when disease enters Tai Yin.
- Cold evil enters into interior, so hinders the function of transportation & transformation.
What are the main signs & sx of Tai Yin Vacuity Cold? What is the treatment principle?
1) Abdominal pain, bloating/distention (feeling of puffiness)
2) Loose stool / diarrhea
3) No appetite
4) May have vomiting / nausea
5) NO thirst
6) Tongue: pale body, white coat
7) Pulse: weak, deep
TX: Warm the center, Boost or fortify SP (aka Strengthen & bank up SP)
