Guest guest Posted February 17, 2000 Report Share Posted February 17, 2000 The Eight Principal Patterns is the most basic of the Chinese diagnostic strategies. It provides an overview of the person's condition. The Eight Principal Patterns are Hot, Cold, Exterior, Interior, Excess, Deficiency, Yang, and Yin. In general, Exterior conditions have a sudden onset. The hostile energy or " evil " is attacking superficially. It's attacking the meridians (pathways of energy) as opposed to the organs (i.e., the Bladder meridian instead of the bladder). Some of the symptoms of an evil attacking externally can include chills, aversion to cold or wind (draft), low fever, sinus congestion and discharge, head and muscle aches. The tongue color can be normal as it takes a fairly long time for tongue color to change. A good example of an Exterior condition is the common cold, referred to in TCM as Wind Cold Attacking at the Exterior. Another example can be some " allergies " like those that appear in the spring of the year when it's very windy. The nasal congestion and runny nose are due in some of these cases not to the classic allergic reaction but to Wind and/or Cold or Heat attacking externally. In contrast, Interior conditions are chronic in nature or acute symptoms that have become more serious. An example of the latter is the common cold turning into pneumonia. The problem is the organs (which are deeper than the meridians). There are abnormal changes in breathing which are not triggered by activity. There are abnormal bowel or urination patterns. The pains are no longer in just the head, the neck, or the limbs, it's within the trunk of the body. There can be changes in speech and behavioral patterns. The person feels cold or feels hot most or all of the time. As you probably can surmise, Interior conditions are more serious than External conditions. Interior conditions can take longer to treat and be harder to treat than Exterior conditions. Nothing is static in the universe. There's always a danger of Exterior evils moving to the Interior if proper treatment is not received. For example, the external attack by Wind Cold causes the pores of the body to shut so the body is conserving/ protecting internal heat. The Heat builds up too much. It starts to damage vital fluids and Yin. It's still not released. The Qi (energy) starts to become depleted from battling the external evil, the Wind Cold in this case. The evil moves deeper. The Heat builds up until it changes into the Fire of pneumonia. The problem with Heat building up is why some disorders like the common cold are treated with herbs to make one sweat in the early stages (provided Yin and fluids aren't deficient). The fact that Heat damages Yin and depletes body fluids is why people with colds and the flu are advised to drink plenty of liquids. When you're using diaphoretic (makes you sweat) herbs you want to stay covered up, warm, and out of drafts in order to keep those pores open. So how does one increase one's resistence to External evils like Cold and Wind? In acupuncture there is a point on the back called Bearing Support, B36 (Bladder 36). There are actually two B36s, one on the right and one on the left, near the spine, just off and slightly below the inner, upper tips of the shoulder blades. This is one of those points that I can't verbally describe very easily. You might want to check the book Acupressure's Potent Points in the chapter " Colds and Flu " for a picture of where this one is located. Michael Reed Gach, the author, states, " According to traditional Chinese medicine, wind and cold enter the pores of the skin at this point. The muscles in this upper back area tend to get tense right before a cold or the flu take hold. " (p. 59) It's a good idea to regularly massage this area to build up resistence to colds and flus. And by all means, massage or have someone massage it if you have a cold or the flu. Sometimes the body lacks resistence to external evils because something called the Protective Qi is weak. More about this later. For now, just know that there are herbs like astragalus which will increase Protective Qi. Everything in Chinese thought is relative. Some meridians are deeper than others; hence, an External evil attacking some meridians is more serious than when other meridians are under attack. You'll learn more about this when you learn about the Theory of the Six Stages of Damage by Cold Evil. But this is getting into it more advanced than I want to at this time. For now, I'll just mention that if the evil is attacking the Bladder or Small Intestine meridian, the Greater Yang stage, that's the most exterior. (Remember that the Bearing Support point, B36, is a point on the Bladder meridian, and this is the one that the Chinese believe is where cold and wind evil enter the body.) If the evil has invaded to the Liver and Pericardium meridian, the Absolute Yin stage, this is very serious. It's this stage of Parasitic Evil (the person has worms) that people will experience cold in the lower body while feeling hot in the upper body. Among organs, the lungs are the most external of the orgnas; hence, an evil in the lungs generally is not considered as serious as if the evil is in the stomach and more internal than the lungs. If an evil is moving inward (going internal or more internal), the person is getting sicker. If the evil is moving outward, the person is improving. In TCM, herbs and foods are recognized as having direction of movement of energy. In general, pungent (spicy) tasting herbs like ginger will move energy outward. Carrots will tend to move energy downward. Victoria --== Sent via Deja.com http://www.deja.com/ ==-- Share what you know. Learn what you don't. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted February 17, 2000 Report Share Posted February 17, 2000 Hiya Judy... I have sent this to my other email so I can start a file on the computer for all the reference to Chinese medicine. It can get very complicated, can't it? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted February 18, 2000 Report Share Posted February 18, 2000 > I have sent this to my other email so I can start a file on the computer >for all the reference to Chinese medicine. It can get very complicated, can't >it? Yep. Both the computer filing and the TCM.<G> --== Sent via Deja.com http://www.deja.com/ ==-- Share what you know. Learn what you don't. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted February 18, 2000 Report Share Posted February 18, 2000 > " " <victoria_dragon >Chinese Traditional Medicine >Chinese Traditional Medicine >[Chinese Traditional Medicine] Exterior or Interior >Thu, 17 Feb 2000 08:57:38 -0800 > >The Eight Principal Patterns is the most basic of the Chinese diagnostic >strategies. It provides an overview of the person's condition. > >The Eight Principal Patterns are Hot, Cold, Exterior, Interior, Excess, >Deficiency, Yang, and Yin. > >In general, Exterior conditions have a sudden onset. The hostile energy or > " evil " is attacking superficially. It's attacking the meridians (pathways >of energy) as opposed to the organs (i.e., the Bladder meridian instead of >the bladder). Some of the symptoms of an evil attacking externally can >include chills, aversion to cold or wind (draft), low fever, sinus >congestion and discharge, head and muscle aches. The tongue color can be >normal as it takes a fairly long time for tongue color to change. > >A good example of an Exterior condition is the common cold, referred to in >TCM as Wind Cold Attacking at the Exterior. Another example can be some > " allergies " like those that appear in the spring of the year when it's very >windy. The nasal congestion and runny nose are due in some of these cases >not to the classic allergic reaction but to Wind and/or Cold or Heat >attacking externally. > >In contrast, Interior conditions are chronic in nature or acute symptoms >that have become more serious. An example of the latter is the common cold >turning into pneumonia. The problem is the organs (which are deeper than >the meridians). There are abnormal changes in breathing which are not >triggered by activity. There are abnormal bowel or urination patterns. The >pains are no longer in just the head, the neck, or the limbs, it's within >the trunk of the body. There can be changes in speech and behavioral >patterns. The person feels cold or feels hot most or all of the time. > >As you probably can surmise, Interior conditions are more serious than >External conditions. Interior conditions can take longer to treat and be >harder to treat than Exterior conditions. > >Nothing is static in the universe. There's always a danger of Exterior >evils moving to the Interior if proper treatment is not received. For >example, the external attack by Wind Cold causes the pores of the body to >shut so the body is conserving/ protecting internal heat. The Heat builds >up too much. It starts to damage vital fluids and Yin. It's still not >released. The Qi (energy) starts to become depleted from battling the >external evil, the Wind Cold in this case. The evil moves deeper. The Heat >builds up until it changes into the Fire of pneumonia. > >The problem with Heat building up is why some disorders like the common >cold are treated with herbs to make one sweat in the early stages (provided >Yin and fluids aren't deficient). The fact that Heat damages Yin and >depletes body fluids is why people with colds and the flu are advised to >drink plenty of liquids. When you're using diaphoretic (makes you sweat) >herbs you want to stay covered up, warm, and out of drafts in order to keep >those pores open. > >So how does one increase one's resistence to External evils like Cold and >Wind? In acupuncture there is a point on the back called Bearing Support, >B36 (Bladder 36). There are actually two B36s, one on the right and one on >the left, near the spine, just off and slightly below the inner, upper tips >of the shoulder blades. This is one of those points that I can't verbally >describe very easily. You might want to check the book Acupressure's Potent >Points in the chapter " Colds and Flu " for a picture of where this one is >located. Michael Reed Gach, the author, states, " According to traditional >Chinese medicine, wind and cold enter the pores of the skin at this point. >The muscles in this upper back area tend to get tense right before a cold >or the flu take hold. " (p. 59) It's a good idea to regularly massage this >area to build up resistence to colds and flus. And by all means, massage or >have someone massage it if you have a cold or the flu. > >Sometimes the body lacks resistence to external evils because something >called the Protective Qi is weak. More about this later. For now, just know >that there are herbs like astragalus which will increase Protective Qi. > >Everything in Chinese thought is relative. Some meridians are deeper than >others; hence, an External evil attacking some meridians is more serious >than when other meridians are under attack. You'll learn more about this >when you learn about the Theory of the Six Stages of Damage by Cold Evil. >But this is getting into it more advanced than I want to at this time. For >now, I'll just mention that if the evil is attacking the Bladder or Small >Intestine meridian, the Greater Yang stage, that's the most exterior. >(Remember that the Bearing Support point, B36, is a point on the Bladder >meridian, and this is the one that the Chinese believe is where cold and >wind evil enter the body.) If the evil has invaded to the Liver and >Pericardium meridian, the Absolute Yin stage, this is very serious. It's >this stage of Parasitic Evil (the person has worms) that people will >experience cold in the lower body while feeling hot in the upper body. > >Among organs, the lungs are the most external of the orgnas; hence, an evil >in the lungs generally is not considered as serious as if the evil is in >the stomach and more internal than the lungs. > >If an evil is moving inward (going internal or more internal), the person >is getting sicker. If the evil is moving outward, the person is improving. >In TCM, herbs and foods are recognized as having direction of movement of >energy. In general, pungent (spicy) tasting herbs like ginger will move >energy outward. Carrots will tend to move energy downward. > >Victoria > > > >--== Sent via Deja.com http://www.deja.com/ ==-- >Share what you know. Learn what you don't. I am finding this most interesting. I am glad you started this group. Since you mentioned herbs, for somee just getting into Chinese healing what would you recommend as a good herb garden start up " kit " ? ____ Get Your Private, Free Email at http://www.hotmail.com Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted February 20, 2000 Report Share Posted February 20, 2000 >I am finding this most interesting. I am glad you started this group. Since >you mentioned herbs, for somee just getting into Chinese healing what would >you recommend as a good herb garden start up " kit " ? It depends on what herbs you and your family are going to need. For me, I one day would like to grow my own astraglus because it increases Protective Qi, and I need this. Also, it's an energy tonic, something else I need. I use a lot of astragalus. Chinese licorice is another that I use a lot of. I have energy stagnation problems. Schisandra is one that may grow well in your area. Check the information on growing it that's in the Wiseweeds newsletter I forwarded over to Chinese Healing. And one day, I would love to have a ginkgo biloba tree because Houston uses a lot of ginkgo leaves. BTW, the Chinese don't use the leaves, they use the little fruits of the ginkgo. Victoria --== Sent via Deja.com http://www.deja.com/ ==-- Share what you know. Learn what you don't. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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