Interior Wind Can Result in Qi Deficieny

[Guest guest]

This is a post for the students on the list. I'll go into some basic

details for the beginning students. The more healers are aware of

possible etiologies, the better they can finetune treatment. The

information on Interior Wind and residual pathogenic factors

triggering Qi Defiiency is from the chapter on Myalgic

Encephalomyelitis (aka CFIDS (Chronic Fatigue Immune Dysfunction

Syndrome), aka CFS) in The Pratice of by Giovanni

Maciocia. (chapter 25.)

 

" Qi deficiency is the most common eventual outcome of an invasion of

Wind complicated by a subsequent residual pathogenic factor. Both

Damp-Heat or Heat will impair the asending of Spleen-Qi and

therefore lead, in time, to weakening of Qi.

 

" However, ME is unlikely to manifest purely with a deficiency of Qi

as nearly always there will be some residual pathogenic factor

(especially Damp-Heat). In treatment, it is necessary to evaluate

the relative importance of the deficiency of Qi or the strength of

the pathogenic factor. If the condition is predominately deficient

(say 80%), it should be treated as a deficiency with one of the

prescriptions indicated below. These prescriptions, however, should

be opportunely adapted to take into acount eliminating any residual

pathogenic factor. " (p. 648.)

 

Infectious diseases (as well as some other medical conditions) are

seen in TCM as an invasion of pathogenic factors - Pernicious Evils.

These Evils are Cold, Wind, Heat, Dampness, and Dryness. The ancient

Chinese didn't know about bacteria and viruses. Never the less, they

observed that feverish illnesses (and other medical conditions)

often arose in people exposed to certain weather and environmental

conditions. From a modern standpoint, what is happening is that

conditions in the environment are creating conditions in the body in

which bacteria and viruses find it easier to get a foothold. One

example of this is the way that people who live in houses or work in

offices that are too dry during the winter are more prone to

respiratory infections than those who live and work in places that

are not overly dry. This is why some people use humidifiers during

the winter. To add enough moisture to the air that nasal and

respiratory passages are no longer dried out, thus making them

catching a cold or some other disease more likely.

 

Another example of conditions in the environment making it more

likely that a person catches a disease is a person getting soaked in

the rain and not getting into dry clothes quickly enough. Or a

person getting chilled. Etc.

 

There is a special kind of Qi called Defensive or Protective Qi that

circulates at the surface of the body and protects people from Evils

in the environment " invading " (setting off changes in the body that

makes a person more susceptible to germs). Sometimes a person is

chronically Protective Qi Deficient, and catches one illness after

another. Sometimes the person's Protective Qi is temporarily weak

because of something like not getting enough rest, eating too many

sweets, etc., and the person catches something. See the 6-Stages of

Cold-Induced Illnesses for more information. But sometimes the

pathogen is so strong that it overwhelms even the strongest

Protective Qi. See the 4-Levels of Virulent Heat Evils for more

information.

 

Wind readily teams up with other Pernicious Evils to cause

problems. For example, the common cold is due to invasion by Wind

Cold (more common) or invasion by Wind Heat. Keep in mind that the

TCM concept of Wind includes not only wind but changes in barometric

pressure and changes in ion concentrations.

 

" One of the main conditions leading to post-viral fatigue is that

of " residual pathogenic factor " . If external Wind invades the body

and is not cleared properly, or if the person fails to rest during

an acute invasion of Wind, the pathogenic factor may remain in the

Interior (usually either as Heat or Damp-Heat). Here, on the one

hand, it continues to produe symptoms and signs, or on the other,

predisposes the person to further invasions of exterior pathogenic

factors because it obstructs the proper spreading and descending of

Lung-Qi. Moreover, it will also tend to weaken Qi and/or Yin,

establishing a vivious circle of pathogenic factor and deficiency. "

(p. 632.)

 

There are several things that can go wrong in a body from a TCM

standpoint. For example, there can be Deficiency problems caused by

there not being enough of something the person needs (like Qi,

Blood, Yin, or Yang). There can be Excess problems caused by there

being too much of something (like the person eating too many foods

that warm the body, like Blood Stasis, Qi Stagnation, Dampness, Food

Stagnation, etc.) Problems also can be caused by Qi flowing the

wrong way in the body.

 

Each meridian has a proper direction of flow. For example, Qi in

the Stomach meridian is supposed to descend. It's the descending Qi

of the Stomach meridian that moves food downward through the

digestive system. When Stomach Qi Rebels (flows upward instead of

downward), things like reflux, nausea, and vomiting can result.

 

The proper direction of flow for the Spleen is ascending. When

Spleen Qi Sinks (descends instead of ascending), the results can be

prolapsed organs and other parts of the body.

 

The Spleen-Stomach axis is a very important axis in the body in

terms of proper energy flow. When either the Spleen or Stomach or

both lose their proper direction of flow, all kinds of problems can

result.

 

Some readers may be familiar with cases where the usual Deficiencies

and Excesses were treated, but improvement was not complete. In some

of these cases what is happening is that the Spleen-Stomach axis is

still messed up. Herbs and/or acupoints are needed that specifically

harmonize the Spleen-Stomach axis. Also the Protective and

Nutritive Qi. Unfortunately, TCM texts in the West tend not to go

into this in enough detail.

 

Keep in mind that one of the worst things about Wind is the way it

so readily teams with other Pernicious Evils and its propensity for

penetrating. Think of the analogy of a house that isn't

weathersripped. When the wind blows, it comes in any crack around

doors and windows that isn't sealed properly. It brings with it any

grit, dirt, allergens, cold, heat, dryness, dampness, etc. that are

out there too. Something similar happens in the case of bodies that

don't have sufficient Protective Qi. (6-Stages of Cold-Induced

Evils.) If the wind is sufficiently strong, it will destroy the

windows and blow through the house. (4-Levels of Virulent Heat

Evils.)

 

" Apart from Heat itself, Damp-Heat is a very frequent residual

pathogenic factor after a febrile disease. There are two main

reasons for this. First of all, in the course of a febrile disease,

the ascending and descending movements of the Spleen and Stomach are

upset. Thus, because Stomach-Qi cannot descend, turbid fluids are

not transformed, and because Spleen-Qi cannot ascend, the clear

fluids cannot be transformed: this leads to the formation of

Dampness. Secondly, Heat burnes the body fluids which can then

condense into Dampness. Once formed, Dampness is rather self-

perpetuating. In fact, Dampness impairs the Spleen transformation

and transportation which in itself leads to more Dampness being

formed, thus establishing a vivious circle. " (p. 632.)

 

Each Organ is particularly vulnerable to one or more Pernicious

Evils. The Spleen is most vulnerable to Dampness (and secondarily

to Cold). Dampness weakens the Spleen. Among other things, this

means that the Spleen's functions of transforming and transporting

liquids in the body is weakened. This is turn creates more Dampness

that weakens the Spleen further, and so on. It's a snowballing

situation. BTW, the Liver is most vulnerable to Wind, and the Liver

plays a key role in the proper flow of Qi throughout the body.

 

In several places in the chapter Maciocia stresses the importance of

getting enough rest when Wind has invaded.

 

I want to mention one other possible manifestation of the Spleen-

Stomach axis being messed up. In textbooks one learns that one of

the most common manifestations of Spleen Qi Deficiency is poor

appetite. Overwhelmingly, that is what one sees in cases where

Spleen Qi is Deficient. But once in a great while, healers will run

across cases where the person clearly is Spleen Qi Deficient but the

appetite is excessive.

 

Usually, excessive appetite is due to Excess Heat in the Stoamh.

Especially Fire in the Stomach. This Excess Heat can come from the

person consuming too many foods and herbs that warm the body or from

Liver Invading Stomach in some cases. Though occasionally one does

run across cases where Stomach Yin Deficieny (Deficiency Heat) is

triggering the excessive appetite. Especially of the Liver also is

invading. Occasionally you'll run into cases where a Spleen

Deficient person has an excessive appetite because of pathological

Heat in the Stomach.

 

But once in a great while, you'll run across a case where a person

who is clearly Spleen Deficient has an excessive appetite but no

Heat or not enough Heat in the Stomach to account for the appetite

being so exessive. You'll see a seemingly paradoxical reaction in

which very warming herbs - which usually increase appetite - will

decrease the person's appetite. What's happening is that the Spleen-

Stomach axis is messed up, and some of the herbs that are so warning

are also moving Qi upward and outward. Stomach contents are supposed

to move downward, and Stomach Qi is supposed to descend. But

sometimes, when the Spleen also is messed up and the Spleen-Stomach

axis is messed up, there can be too much downward movement for the

stomach. The stomach empties too rapidly. Also, the weak Spleen Qi

is unable to properly perform another of its functions which is to

extract the Grain Qi from the food " rottening and ripening " in the

Stoamch and carry it to the Lungs where it mixes with Air Qi to

become part of the Qi of the body.

 

It's vitally important to not just move Qi upward and outward in

these cases but also to harmonize the Spleen-Stoamch axis and take

care of Liver Invading Stomach. Otherwise, though the person now

has a more normal appetite or in some cases now has the deficient

appetitite which is more typical of Spleen Deficiency, the symptoms

of Rebellous Stomach Qi appear and the symptoms of Liver Invading

Stomach become worse. Symptoms like acid reflux and vomiting and

hiccuping (the Lungs are affected too by those herbs that move Qi

upward and outward) appear in the case of Qi Rebelling. A feeling

like there is a lump in the stomach, a lack of movement, a barrier

appear because of the Liver Invading the Stomach.

 

Note: Just because the stomach may be emptying too rapidly, that

doesn't mean that the intestines are emptying rapidly. They may be,

but in many cases there will be colonic inertia. The stomach is

emptying too rapidly but the intestines are sluggish.

 

The exact mechanism of why Wind in the Interior can lead to Qi

Deficiency becomes clearer after reading the entire chapter.

 

Diseases which bring fever tend to mess up that Spleen-Stomach axis.

So can chronic health problems.