External Pathogenic Factors

Question 1

What are the 6 pathogenic factors?

Answer 1

1. Fire/Heat
2. Damp
3. Wind
4. Cold
5. Dryness
6. Summer heat

Question 2

What pathogenic factors are Yang?

Answer 2

Wind, Summer-Heat, Dryness and Fire are Yang, which tend to injure Yin.

Question 3

What are the Yin pathogenic factors?

Answer 3

Cold and dampness are yin pathogenic factors which therefore tend to injure yang.

Question 4

What is the seasonal relationship of the pathogenic factors?

Answer 4

Wind = Spring (Liver)
Cold = Winter (Kidneys)
Summer-Heat = Summer (Heart)
Dampness = Late Summer (Spleen)
Dryness = Autumn (Lungs)

Question 5

What is Wind?

Answer 5

Wind is Yang in nature and tends to injure blood and Yin.
Wind is often the vehicle where other pathogenic factors will invade the body.
Wind arises quickly and changes rapidly.

Question 6

What are the clinical manifestations of Wind?

Answer 6

Rapid onset
Rapid changes in signs and symptoms
Moves from place to place
Tremors, convulsions, stiffness or paralysis
Numbness / tingling
Affects the Lungs first (external) then the Liver (Internal)
Affects the skin and causes itching.

Question 7

What does external wind do?

Answer 7

External wind invades the Lung’s defensive Qi portion causing exterior symptoms such as aversion to cold, fever, occipital stiffness, headache and a floating pulse.

Question 8

What does external wind do the face?

Answer 8

Invades the channels of the face directly and causes deviation of mouth and eye-brows = facial paralysis

Question 9

How does external wind affect the joints?

Answer 9

Exterior wind can invade any channel, in particular the Yang Channels and settle in the joints causing stiffness and pain of the joints.

Question 10

What happens when wind invades the defensive Qi portion?

Answer 10

It penetrates via the skin and interferes with the circulation of defensive Qi in the space between the skin and the muscles.

Defensive Qi warms the muscles therefore when wind invades the person will feel chilly and has aversion to cold.

Question 11

What does the invasion of Wind do to the lungs?

Answer 11

It invades the Lungs defensive Qi portion (sneezing, runny nose and itchy throat).

Question 12

What are the signs and symptoms of Wind Cold?

Answer 12

Cough
Aversion to cold 
Slight breathlessness 
Fever
Itchy throat 
Blocked or runny nose with clear watery discharge 
Sneezing 
Occipital headache 
Body aches

Question 13

What is the pulse and tongue in Wind Cold?

Answer 13

P: Floating tight
T: Thin white coat

Question 14

What is the treatment principle in Wind Cold?

Answer 14

Treatment principle:

Release exterior, expel wind cold, support descending and dispersing

Question 15

What are the signs and symptoms of Wind Heat?

Answer 15

Cough
Aversion to cold 
Slight breathlessness 
Fever 
Sore throat 
Blocked or runny nose with yellow discharge 
Sneezing 
Headache 
Body aches
Slight sweating 
Slight thirst 
Swollen tonsils

Question 16

What is the pulse and tongue in Wind Heat?

Answer 16

P: Floating rapid
T: Slightly red on sides or front

Question 17

What is the treatment principle in Wind Heat?

Answer 17

Release exterior, expel wind heat, support descending and dispersing.

Question 18

What is Cold?

Answer 18

Cold is a yin pathogenic factor and tends to injure Yang.

Question 19

What does cold do to the body?

Answer 19

Cold injures Yang 
Cold congeals blood 
Cold contracts 
Cold causes clear discharges
Cold pertains to the kidneys

Question 20

How does cold congeal blood?

Answer 20

Cold congeals blood and is a major cause of blood stasis. When blood stagnates there is intense pain, when the stasis comes from cold there is chillness, aggravated by cold and alleviated by the application of heat.

Question 21

What kind of discharge comes from Cold?

Answer 21

Thin, watery and clear fluid discharges.

Clear white discharge from the nose, very pale urine, watery loose stools and clear watery vaginal discharges.

Question 22

What are the clinical manifestations of cold?

Answer 22

Feeling cold
Cold limbs 
Thin clear discharges 
Pain (spastic or crampy nature)
Aggravation from cold and alleviation by warmth
Desire for warm drinks 
No thirst 
White complexion 
White tongue coating 
Pale tongue body 
Slow pulse

Question 23

What are the manifestations of Cold?

Answer 23

Invasion of the Muscles and sinews by cold
Invasion of cold in the Lung’s defensive Qi portion (sweating, runny nose, itchy throat, occipital headache)
Invasion of channels and joints by cold (Painful obstruction syndrome)
Invasion of cold in the stomach, intestines and uterus

Question 24

What is Summer-Heat?

Answer 24

Summer-Heat is a yang pathogenic factor and tends to injure Yin.

Question 25

What are the clinical manifestations of Summer-Heat?

Answer 25

``` Fever Aversion to Cold Sweating Headache A feeling of heaviness An uncomfortable sensation in the epigastrium Irritability Thirst Tongue red at the front or sides with a white sticky coating Soggy and rapid pulse ```

Question 26

What part of the body does Summer-Heat invade?

Answer 26

Summer-Heat invades the defensive Qi portion of the body which causes aversion to cold.

Question 27

What are the characteristics of Summer-Heat?

Answer 27

``` Summer-Heat injures Yin Summer-Heat is a seasonal pathogenic factor Summer-Heat invades the top of the body Summer-Heat is scattering Summer-Heat has some interior Heat Summer-Heat harbours Dampness ```

Question 28

What is Dampness?

Answer 28

Dampness is a Yin pathogenic factor and it tends to injure Yang. Dampness is sticky, difficult to get rid of, heavy, slows things down, infuses downwards and causes repeated attacks.

Question 29

What are the general manifestations of Dampness?

Answer 29

``` Feeling of heaviness Poor appetite Feeling of fullness Sticky taste Urinary difficulty Vaginal discharge Sticky tongue coating Slippery or soggy pulse ```

Question 30

What are the manifestations of Dampness?

Answer 30

Feelings of heaviness and muzziness Sticky taste, poor appetite Fullness of the epigastrium, fullness after eating Loose stools Turbid urine, difficult painful urination Swollen, painful joints Numbness Genital eczema, genital itching Vaginal discharge, painful periods, infertility Greasy sweat Vesicles, papules, oozing skin lesions Mouth ulcers and swollen lips Red swollen eyelids, eyes oozing fluid, stye

Question 31

What is dryness?

Answer 31

Dryness is a Yang pathogenic factor, it tends to injure blood or yin. It is related to the season of autumn and the lungs.

Question 32

What are the clinical manifestations of dryness?

Answer 32

``` Dry throat Dry lips Dry tongue Dry mouth Dry skin Dry stools Scanty urination ```

Question 33

What is Fire?

Answer 33

Fire is primarily an internal pathogenic factor.

Question 34

What is the nature of fire?

Answer 34

``` Rise to the head Dry fluids Injure blood and yin Cause bleeding Affect the Mind ```

Question 35

What are the clinical manifestations of Fire?

Answer 35

``` Fire is drying Fire damages blood and yin Fire causes bleeding Fire has the potential to general Wind Fire affects the Mind Fire causes ulcers with swelling ```