Alternating Chills and Fever

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The most well-known cause of alternating fever and chills is the ShaoYang

(Lesser Yang) stage of invasion by Cold-induced Evils, BUT alternativing

fever and chills also can be due to " severe organ deficiency or deficiency

of both qi and blood. " (Chinese Herbal Medicine Formulas & Strategies,

compiled and translated by Dan Bensky & Randall Barolet, p. 135. It's

important to realize this and not just assume that alternating chills and

fever always means ShaoYang stage Evil because Formulas tha Harmonize (used

for ShaoYang stage Evil) can worsen severe Organ Deficiencies and joint Qi

and Blood Deficiency. (Qi is more Yang in nature than Blood, and thus

warming in nature while Blood in more Yin than Qi is, and thus more cooling

in nature. When both Qi and Blood Deficiency are present, it can manifest

as alternating between feeling feverish and chilled.)

 

ShaoYang (Lesser Yang) is the second stage of Cold-Induced Evils. In the

first stage, TaiYang (Greater Yang), the Evil is still completely Exterior

(affecting only the skin, muscles, meridians, bones, arms, legs, head, and

neck. In the ShaoYang stage, the Evil is now partly Exterior and partly

Interior. The trunk of the body and the Organs are starting to be affected.

 

The ShaoYang meridians are the Gall Bladder and Triple Heater. (The TaiYang

meridians are the Bladder and Small Intestine.) Even though the 6 Stages of

Cold-induced Evils was formulated as a way of being able to predict and

accurately treat feverish conditions due to pathogens, many other conditions

also will follow this progression. This is why a headache due to an Evil

such as Cold, Wind, Heat, etc. attacking the Bladder or Small Intestine

meridian and manifesting as severe headache (especially in the back of the

head) will, if not treated, progress to nausea and vomiting accompanying the

headache. The Evil has penetrated to deeper meridians like the Gall Bladder

and Triple Heater (ShaoYang stage) and even deeper to the Large Intestine

and Stomach meridians (YangMing or Yang Brightness) and started to affect

the Organs (trunk of the body).

 

Originally, the class of formulas, Formulas That Harmonize contained only

formulas for the ShaoYang stage of what is called infection in the West.

But because the Gall Bladder is affected so often, this category grew to

include formulas that harmonize the Gall Bladder and Liver (coupled systems;

Gall Bladder is Yang Wood, Liver in Yin Wood). Because the state of the

Liver and Gall Bladder so often impact on the Spleen and Stomach (the

Victor-Vanquished relationship between Wood and Earth (Yin Spleen/ Yang

Stomach), this class grew to include formulas to harmonize Wood and Earth.

Finally it grew to include formulas that harmonize Heat and Cold in the

Somach and Intestines. (p. 135)

 

The important thing for beginners to remember at this point is that

alternating chills and fever don't always mean ShaoYin stage. It can be due

to severe Organ Deficiency or to combined Qi and Blood Deficiency. In these

cases Formulas that Harmonize can worsen these conditions. In addition, if

an Evil is still in the ShaoYang (Greater Yang stage), you don't want to use

these formulas because they can drive the Evil deeper into the body. The

proper treatment for TaiYang stage Cold of Cold-induced Evils (like the

common cold) is to induce sweating. This opens the pores and enables the

Protective Qi to circulate at the surface of the body and expel the Evil. In

TaiYang stage Wind Evil, the pores already are often and opening them more

will only disperse the Protective Qi and weaken the person. The proper

strategy is to harmonize the Protective Qi and the Nutritive Qi. (When it

comes to what are called infectious illnessnes in the West, the TaiYang

stage of the Cold-induced Evils is subdivided into TaiYang Cold and TaiYang

Wind.)

 

Victoria

 

 

 

 

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