Week 7 - Cause of Disease Flashcards
External Causes of Disease
The six qì
六氣assail the body from outside.
Internal Causes of Disease
The seven
emotions 七情can cause illness from the inside.
Neither-Internal-Nor-External (Neutral)
Causes of Disease
Lifestyle,
trauma, etc
What are the 6 external causes of disease?
• The 六氣six qì are wind, cold, dryness,
dampness, summerheat, and fire.
• These are weather or climates, also related to the seasons
- It is also easy to receive external attack with air conditioning, fans, central heating,
dressing inappropriately, working in hot
factory or in a refrigerated area, etc.
Which seasons are associated with which disease or qi?
- wind = spring, wood;
- summerheat or fire = summer, fire;
- dampness = late summer, earth;
- dryness = autumn, metal;
- coldness = winter, water.
what defines exterior based illness?
conflicting symptoms - fever and chills
whats up with wind and how it causes illness? [wind - feng]
- yang evil that damages yin and blood!
- spring liver wood
- when pores are open
- while sleeping and defenses are down
- penetrates and carries illness
- up + out - effects upper half of body and surface like skin
what does exterior wind usualy cause?
abnormal sweating
what does internal wind usually cause?
constant movement or inappropriate lack of movement
tremors, dizzyness, spasm or rigidity paralysis
what is cold? [cold=han]
yin evil that damages yang.
winter - kidney - water
Aversion to cold
slows down activity - constrics and contracts
what is internal cold?
Internal excess cold is from external cold
that goes deeper, or too much cold food. It
consumes yáng and eventually becomes
yáng deficiency with coldness
what is dampness [shi]
eating too much cold food, wading in water, sitting on wet ground, damp work place
late summer/spleen
yīn evil, so it impairs yáng
lower body and heavyness, effecting legs and lower burner
what does dampness do to qi?
causes stagnation
obstruct qi circulation
heaviness and swelling
what does dampness look like in and out of body?
• Exterior dampness: aching of the whole
body, possibly acute digestive upset.
• Dampness in the channels and joints: dull
ache, swelling, lingering pain, fixed
location
what is drynes? [zap]
Associated with autumn, metal, lungs;
• Yáng evil so it affects
yīn and blood
what causes dryness?
dry weather, dry centrally- heated buildings, too much sweating or urination, etc., improper use of drying herbs
what does it do?
Dryness consumes fluids (including blood and yīn):
dry nose, throat, lips, and mouth; chapped skin, constipation, dry cough
To treat, you must moisten
What is fire [huo]?
Summer & heart, sometimes called heat.
yáng evil, so it
injures yīn and blood
Fire is burning hot: fever, thirst, burning pain, the patient wants cold foods and drinks, aversion to heat, redness, rapid pulse. Rapid changes
how does fire move?
up and out - consumes yin fluids, sweating thirst dry lips dry nose
what are causes of toxins?
excess heat
Toxins are fierce and strong: virulent and serious. Toxins from disease are usually extremely hot and associated with fire. Symptoms may be extreme. They easily harm the organs and become life threatening. Diseases with toxins are often hard to treat.
what is internal fire caused by?
excess or from yīn deficiency
What is summerheat and how does it manifest
extreme heat, high fever, aversion to heat, restlessness, thirst, profuse sweating, but absence of sweating later, surging rapid pulse, red tongue
Summerheat has upward movement:
Summerheat’s nature is upbearing and
scattering.
• It affects the head: dizziness, blurred vision, headache. consumes fluids and damages qi
what does summerheat combine with?
dampness. nausea loose stools etc
rules of treatment for root and branch
When acute, treat the branch. When chronic, treat the root.
• 急jí: fast, rapid, tense, violent, urgent, emergency,
impatient. So it is often translated as acute.
• 緩huǎn: slow, unhurried, relaxed. So it is often translated
as chronic
